Yup'ik Art in Public Places
Museums & Elsewhere
The Yup'ik masks, fine-art prints and other works of art I create in the Yup'ik tradition, can be found in both private collections and public places.
The works of art shown on this page are some of the works that have ended up in public places where anyone can enjoy them.
Acquiring Art for Public Places
Please let me know if you're interested in acquiring art for a public location.
I am happy to create custom works of art for specific purposes, to fit within a particular location, or to work within the constraints of a particular environment.
Click to learn more about my custom works.
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Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Willamette University
Salem, Oregon
The Dance
The Dance
Collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon. Purchased with funds from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund.
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Old Seabird Yua
Old Yua Seabird
Collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon. Purchased with funds from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund.
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Angalquq
Angalquq
Collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon. Purchased with funds from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund.
<This piece represents a dream I had. The color and feel are meant to be dreamlike and ghostlike which is why the image looks so transparent. The central image is a shaman wearing a wolf mask on his head as he moves through the spirit world. The blue circle represents the passageway to the next lifetime which the shaman passed through. The masks next to the shaman represent a few of the many masks that passed by him on this journey. They are a part of his past, present, and future.
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Rebirth
Collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon. Purchased with funds from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund.
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Amikuk
Amikuk is a creature of Yup’ik legend, and is described as a spirit that lives in the ground. He comes out at times but leaves no hole in the ground, and sometimes dislikes men and will jump through them, but leaves no mark. Still, as a result of the jump, the man will eventually die.
The mask teaches us to be aware of our surroundings and to tread lightly when we are in unfamiliar territory. This mask is particularly good for anyone who does a lot of travel in unfamiliar or dangerous territory.
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Moonlight Spirit
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Real Person Brown Bear
This mask was inspired by the tragic story of a young hunter who fell in love with a woman who lived in a distant village.
As the story goes, the man, seeing how easy it was for Bear to travel great distances, befriends Bear, tells him of the beautiful woman, and asks Bear to help him make the difficult journey to see her. Because the man had previously spared Bear’s life when hunting, Bear allows the man to borrow his skin so he can do so, but makes the man promise to tell him about the woman each time he visited her.
Continue story: Real Person Brown Bear
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The Gathering Place
This piece was inspired by a place where people gather. The main face represents the spirit of the place where people gather. Seven smaller driftwood masks carved by the artist are connected to the forehead. These masks represent the different kinds of spirits that come to the gathering place.
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Poisoned I
Purchased by the Alaska Native Heritage Center with a grant from the Ford Foundation.
This piece represents Amikuk, and is a mask used to warn people about a dangerous spirit that lived under ground and could possess people.
"Poisoned" was inspired by pre-contact Yup'ik masks I handled at the Smithsonian which were seriously damaged and defaced when collected. Early curators and collectors soaked a number of masks in arsenic to kill off and prevent infestation by parasites. When this was done, the word poisoned was stamped on the mask to warn and protect the handlers.
Learn more about "Poisioned."
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Poisoned II
Purchased by the Burke Museum with Ethnology Acquisition funds for the permanent collection.
This piece represents Amikuk, and is a mask used to warn people about a dangerous spirit that lived under ground and could possess people.
"Poisoned" was inspired by pre-contact Yup'ik masks I handled at the Smithsonian which were seriously damaged and defaced when collected. Early curators and collectors soaked a number of masks in arsenic to kill off and prevent infestation by parasites. When this was done, the word poisoned was stamped on the mask to warn and protect the handlers.
Learn more about "Poisioned."
Also see Poisoned on the Burke Museum website.
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