Drew Michael is a Yup’ik/Inupiaq artist whose work explores themes of identity, trauma, and healing. He studied under Kathleen Carlo-Kendall (1952–), Larry Ahvakana (1946–), and Joe Senungetuk (1940–2023), three of Alaska’s most respected artists. The influence of Carlo-Kendall and Senungetuk is especially evident in Michael’s masks, which often incorporate found materials and blend historic Yup’ik and Inupiaq motifs with elements of Judaeo-Christian iconography.[1] Alongside artists such as Alison Bremner (Tlingit), Erin Gingrich (Koyukon/Inupiaq), and Kimberly Fulton Orozco (Kaigani Haida), Michael represents a new generation of Alaska Native makers expanding the visibility and vocabulary of contemporary Indigenous art.

This mask served as the lead work in the 2019 exhibition Moonscapes at Stonington Gallery, Seattle. Of the piece, Michael explained, “‘Moonscapes’ is a representation of the transitions and spiral of life. I have seen it in the moments so short and close and others farther than the stars we can see. The full moon carries and reflects a serenity in the things we cannot control, a love that is so luminescent.”[2] The mask’s gentle smile, luminous complexion, and upward gaze are framed by a carved moon that forms a glowing halo around the figure. The celestial imagery and serene expression evoke both the sacred calm of Marian iconography and the healing spirit central to Michael’s practice. The addition of brass stars and tacks across the moon’s surface pays homage to his mentor, Kathleen Carlo-Kendall.

Drew Michael biography. https://www.drewmichael.art/new-index. Accessed March 14, 2025.

Moonscapes artwork. https://stoningtongallery.com/artwork/moonscapes/. Accessed March 14, 2025.

Christopher W. Smith with First Arts