This summer, the Frozen Commons project brought together the McGrath Native Village Council, Alaska Pacific University (APU), and Yup’ik artist Amber Webb, owner of Imarpik Ink, to co-create a new community mural in McGrath, Alaska. In May, APU hosted a Community Visioning Meeting at the McGrath Native Village Council, where local community members shared stories, values, and imagery meaningful to life in McGrath. Guided by these conversations, Amber translated the ideas into a mural design that reflects the deep relationships people hold with the land, waters, and one another. At the center of the mural is the word Tochak- the original Athabaskan placename for McGrath, meaning “a place to gather.” Installed just weeks before the annual Back to Bluegrass music festival, the mural brings color, memory, and shared vision to life through public art.
