Drew Michael is a dynamic Yup’ik/Inupiaq artist whose work often draws on themes of identity, trauma, and healing. Michael has honed his skills with early instruction from the likes of Kathleen Carlo-Kendall (1952-), Larry Ahvakana (1946-), and Joe Senungetuk (1940-2023) - three of Alaska’s most celebrated artists. The influence of Carlo-Kendall and Senugnetuk is especially apparent in Michael’s masks, which often incorporate found objects and draw from both historic Yup’ik and Inupiaq mask motifs and Judaeo-Christian religious iconography. [1] Along with other emerging and mid-career Alaska Native artists such as Alison Bremner (Tlingit), Erin Gingrich (Koyukon/Inupiaq), and Kimberly Fulton Orozco (Kaigani Haida), Michael is a part of the next generation of makers pushing boundaries and bringing Alaska Native art to an international audience.

This mask was the lead object in a 2019 exhibition of the same name at the Stonington Gallery of Seattle. Of the mask, Micahel stated “‘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 benevolent smile, kind eyes, and otherworldly glow of the pale skin of the mask is set before the backdrop of the moon itself, positioned as a halo over the figure. The overt reference to depictions of Mother Mary and the serene expression of the mask embody the healing and calm that is central to so much of Michael’s work. The inclusion of brass stars and tacks on the surface of the moon are also a nod to Michael’s mentor, Kathleen Carlo-Kendall.

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

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

Christopher W. Smith