"Alaska Native artwork is about preserving traditions, especially in a time and place where we're losing our traditions," explains Miranda Petruska, an Athabascan artist who grew up in the village of Nikolai in the Upper Kuskokwim, home of the Dichinanek' Hwt'ana people⁠⁠.

"When an Indigenous person creates, it's like a tangible embodiment of centuries of deep-rooted heritage. And it's that expression of culture passed down and through many hands, which has lasted throughout generations."⁠⁠ Creating and selling artwork goes beyond just transactions.

"Alaska Native artwork is a form of active perseverance, and I feel like that's important for visitors and locals alike to think about."⁠⁠

While Miranda currently lives in Washington and often returns home to Anchorage, she remains deeply connected to her roots in the village. When setting up for the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Convention, the largest gathering for Indigenous peoples in the state, she brings materials harvested by her own family: moose antler from her brother's hunt and salmon vertebrae from her cousins⁠⁠. 

The Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Convention

Each fall, Anchorage comes alive as thousands of attendees show up for the AFN Annual Convention. While delegates meet to shape the future of their communities, artists and culture bearers from every corner of Alaska gather in the city, turning markets, pop-ups, and galleries into living showcases of Indigenous creativity. Languages from across the state fill the Dena’ina Center as friends and family reunite. Performers shine on the stage through song and dance during Quyana Night, all while artists bring their work into the spotlight. 

That’s where one of the most significant elements of this event lives: the Alaska Native Customary Art Fair.
 

Miranda's brother, Dante Esai, helping man the art booth during her first AFN in 2023. 
 

During convention, the expo hall of the Dena’ina Center fills with artists selling their work. Neighboring creators can be found exchanging stories and beading while showcasing their pieces that bring a contemporary style into traditional artwork. Designs represent each region in the state with creations inspired by nature, reflecting patterns such as sand dollars and chitons, and incorporating materials ranging from mother of pearl and walrus ivory to seal gut and porcupine quills.

“Because your art is on display for so many others to see, especially other Alaska Native people, it can be intimidating because I respect the community I come from,” Miranda recalls her first time selling her artwork during AFN. She remembers how honored she felt to sell out of her pieces within just a couple days there. And as someone who is Alaska Native, Miranda describes it as though “it’s like family is all around, even seeing people that I grew up with. And especially being from the village, this is the part that makes AFN more fun and meaningful.”

The Stories Behind Each Piece

Visitors have a rare opportunity to meet the makers, hear the stories behind each piece, and bring home jewelry and other crafts that are authentic, handcrafted, and culturally rooted. “The pieces made by my family are the most special to me because there's a story behind them.” They're also the pieces that have been passed down to her, like a birch bark bass that hangs from her wall and her prized-possession moose hide slippers.
 

“My grandmother Betty Petruska made those for me when I was in high school and I still use them to this day,” she heartfeltly shares.

Exploring Indigenous Art in Anchorage 

From the AFN Marketplace, galleries throughout the city, and Anchorage Museum to the Alaska Native Arts Directory, a listing showcasing and connecting Alaska Native artists, and the Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage offers visitors and locals a chance to connect with the rich culture here in a meaningful way.

It’s more than just shopping for rare pieces from across Alaska; every piece has a story to tell and Anchorage is where those stories come together. If you’re looking for things to do in Anchorage during fall, AFN is just one of the many ways here to discover art, culture, and heritage all in one place.

Explore more of Miranda Petruska’s artwork here.