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Our Anchorage

@ouranchorage

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Our Anchorage is a project focused on the voices of Black, Indigenous, POC, and LGBTQIA2S+ Alaskans living in Anchorage.
A project from @akelaspace.

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“Maybe community is all the plants in your garden, whether or not you’re trying to cultivate or weed them, and it’s your ultimate job as a gardener to try and keep balance.”

Artist Cecilia Karoly-Lister spends much of her time creating spaces where people can gather around food, creativity, and connection. During the growing season, she helps run the Grow North Farm & Market in Mountain View through Refugee Assistance & Immigration Services. In the winter, she facilitates art projects and supports community programs. At home, she’s raising a growing family of her own while squeezing in time for her studio practice whenever she can.

“I think most of what I do is try to make nice spaces that have food access and commensality at the heart of their creation,” she said.

Born in Fairbanks, Cecilia moved to Anchorage when she was seven and has called it home ever since.

While her work is rooted in relationships and place-making, defining community isn’t simple.

“I feel like I used to define community as a supportive group. But I am lovingly in community with folks who don’t always think the highest of me, some who aren’t very nice, some whose values are in direct opposition to mine, some folks I’d really like to slap but would also go to bat for!”

In this way, Cecilia thinks of community as more like a garden—full of plants that require care and attention, each with different needs but that meaningfully contribute to the whole. And everyone can help nurture their community.

“I hope to strengthen the communities I’m part of by working very hard to make other people feel funny, smart, impressive, sexy, or whatever it seems like they’re going for,” she said.

Representation has also played an important role in Cecilia’s life. As a self-described “third generation lesbian,” she grew up surrounded by women who showed her there was no single way to live or love.

Continued in the comments. by @ouranchorage

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4 months ago

“Community is a way of life—it’s how we show up for each other.”

Teaching is more than a career for Jasmine Mali Redgrave, it’s an act of love for her community. An educator, artist, and environmental advocate, Jasmine brings creativity and curiosity to everything she does, from leading outdoor education programs to creating inclusive spaces for learning and belonging. “I think everyone loves learning,” she said. “To be human is to be curious.”

As part of the Anchorage Museum’s education team, Jasmine works with K–12 students from across the Anchorage School District, offering hands-on, place-based experiences that help young people connect to the world around them. “I love supporting educational experiences where learning can be fun and inspiring, especially since many students don’t thrive in conventional classroom settings,” she said. Some of her favorite days are outdoors with the Anchorage Parks Foundation’s Outdoor School, where students explore and rediscover the land they call home. Jasmine also teaches Vital & Creative, an art class for adults 55 and older that supports well-being through creativity and community.

Her teaching mirrors her art, which is grounded in play, exploration, and connection. Born in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Jasmine grew up in Anchorage, where the mountains felt familiar. “The name of my people translates to ‘the mountain people,’ so I feel most myself near the mountains,” she said. Growing up in the Thai Alaskancommunity, she learned the value of mutual aid. She remembers monks picking her up from school, doing homework at the temple, and finding foraged fiddleheads on the porch—small acts that wove her into Anchorage’s fabric. “We strengthen the community by showing up for each other,” she said. “Often that means being inconvenienced—or being an inconvenience—and each is an opportunity to express love.”

Continued in the comments. by @ouranchorage

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7 months ago

“The community is stronger when I give back without any expectations and feel sympathetic joy for the success of others.”

For Yaso Thiru, community is about connection, not just through shared spaces, but through shared moments of kindness, conversation, and joy. This is a definition she’s developed after years of practice in creating those connections.

A Sri Lankan American who has called Anchorage home since 1988, Yaso first experienced community in a light-hearted, traditional way. “In my younger days, my community was a space to party with my comrades,” she said. “Now, I coffee with, dine with, walk with, read with, meditate with, Tai Chi with, and volunteer with different individuals and groups at different times.”

This expanded definition reflects influences from Yaso’s religious beliefs, born into a Hindu family and now a practicing Buddhist, she prioritizes balance and mindfulness. Her days flow with reading, cooking, Tai Chi, meditation, walking, and volunteer work. Combining these deep roots and wide-reaching curiosity helped her transition from a career as a college professor to one channeling her time and energy into a community project developing worker-owned cooperatives across Alaska where she helps build a more just and inclusive local economy. Her current work on cooperative development brings together everything she’s learned over time, striving to create systems where workers have ownership, voice, and dignity.

— continued in the comments. (✍🏾: @mayowaaina_, 📸: @jovell) taken in Campbell Creek Estuary by @ouranchorage

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10 months ago

Representation means that we share our own stories - free from coercion.”

For Jeff Chen, storytelling is about more than just capturing moments—it can also be a tool for connection and liberation. As a photographer, videographer, and multimedia producer, Jeff uses his work to highlight experiences that are often unnoticed or uncelebrated. “I spend a lot of time filming or photographing people, places, and things and then crafting those images and sounds into stories that reflect part of the community or a perspective we carry,” Jeff said.

A self-proclaimed “third-culture kid,” Jeff’s journey to Anchorage was shaped by many places and experiences. Born and raised in Maryland, he moved to Anchorage in 2012 after a life-changing three-year road trip, during which he and a group picked up trash across 3,700 miles of American roads. After all that traveling, he hoped to feel more rooted and settled. What he found was not just a place to live, but an intimate community where he could build relationships. Even more than feeling rooted, in Anchorage, he felt connected. “I love seeing people I know wherever I go,” Jeff said. “I think having a smaller city makes us feel a little less anonymous, and a little more accountable to each other, and I like that.”

— continued in the comments. by @ouranchorage

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2 years ago

“The best part of our city is how many kinds of people live, work, and play here. We are definitely one-of-a-kind - the Anchorage aesthetic is specific.”

Madelyn Joan Troiano has carved out a unique aesthetic of her own since leaving her full-time career in 2021 to call herself an artist. A multidisciplinary creative, Madelyn makes playful, funny, and provocative work that calls out to the kid in everyone that sees it.

A self-proclaimed ‘scallywag,’ Madelyn’s days are filled with creativity like writing love letters, painting, and playing the piano. She listens to the sunshine and pursues her dreams surrounded by the simple joys of living in a place that has been home her whole life. She finds inspiration in all of the different aspects of living in Anchorage from the mountains to the mudflats, the sunlight and the darkness, and of course, the people. “I love how kind people are here - supportive, loving, willing to share their knowledge. I love the deep-rooted cultures here. I love how diverse it is.”

— continued in the comments. taken in Downtown Anchorage by @ouranchorage

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2 years ago

“I often felt desperate to leave - but now I can’t imagine finding what Anchorage has anywhere
else, and I feel lucky to get to be part of it.”

Erin Willahan has always called Anchorage home. But growing up, Erin didn’t always feel like she fully belonged. She always knew she wasn’t straight but struggled with whether she was
“queer enough.” It wasn’t until she discovered stories by and about queer people that she began to see herself reflected. “[Those stories] gave me the courage to find my place within the LGBTQ2S+ community and explore that part of my identity in earnest, deepening my sense of belonging and responsibility,” Erin said.

This personal journey fuels Erin’s passion for representation, particularly for LGBTQ2S+ youth. She believes that uplifting these voices and fighting against censorship are crucial to
empowering the next generation to live fully and freely as themselves.

For the past four years, Erin served as the Executive Director of Out North, an organization dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices and fostering inclusive spaces. She plans to continue her commitment to community-building in her new role as Deputy Director at Alaska Public Interest Research Group (AKPIRG).

— continued in the comments. taken in Downtown Anchorage by @ouranchorage

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2 years ago

“I just want to be someone in the community that others can relate to in some way and inspire them to be their true self.”

Caroline Saito goes by many names. Caro. Sweet Caro. Ube Queen. Known for her Filipino-inspired desserts, she is just as sweet and filled with personality as her delicious vibrantly colored creations. She describes herself as a baker, “social media gallivanter,” and Filipino event organizer. Growing up in Alaska with friends who came from all over the world, she wishes more people knew just how diverse it is.

“I’m known for being an advocate for Filipino culture, but I think community can be strengthened through understanding each other and supporting the different type of communities in Anchorage because we are all intertwined.”

As the largest Asian population in Anchorage, Caro spent a lot of time as a kid in Anchorage finding community among other Filipino people through friends, events, and parades. She’s kept that culture going by starting an annual celebration of Filipino food month called Ubealaska.

“Representation means seeing people who make you feel like you belong and are being supported - winning in areas where you usually don’t see them thriving or see them at all. I’ve met so many Filipinos who feel like they don’t fit in.”

Ever since, her definition of community has grown as not just a place for her to show up, but as a way for others to show up for her. When she started her own pop-up baking business, she sold out almost immediately, and today the Ubealaska event is headed into its third year.

“I have the community to thank for all the big love and support they have given to me. I love how so many of my customers have become real friends. The way people get so hyped for local events is so amazing.”

— continued in the comments. taken in Anchorage, Alaska by @ouranchorage

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2 years ago

“Photography allows me to create and form connections with people, to share conversations.”

Jenny Irene Miller describes themselves as an artist, arts educator, and freelance photographer. But like any great artist making an impact, Jenny may also be described as a connector.

As a queer Inupiaq, originally from Sitŋasuaq/Nome, Alaska, Jenny finds themself a part of many communities both near and far. She defines community as “layered,” encompassing their immediate friends and family, the Inupiaq community they belong to, the broader queer community, their neighbors.

“We look out for each other, we check each other’s mail when the other is out of town, we clear the loads of snow we received the past two winters. We help each other.”

Community is also where Jenny finds inspiration, often turning their lens toward their family and exploring those relationships; their culture, and even themselves and their life experiences. They use their art to explore Indigeneity, queerness, space and place. And they bring others along with them on that journey.

While Jenny is able to personally connect with others through photography and art their work often extends outward, bringing people together in other ways. Their work connects people to Indigenous history by emphasizing the Indigenous names for places where a photo was taken, to each other with images representing their Indigenous heritage, or to themselves by using a quiet image capturing the most intimate, relatable parts of a person and their experience.

Jenny’s multifaceted work spans time, history, and geography, she finds a steady and consistent art practice in Anchorage, the city she’s called home since 2013. And within the city’s flourishing creative scene.

“I’m in community with artists and folks who inspire me and help make Anchorage a city filled with incredible local artists.”

A nationally and internationally recognized artist furthering the representation and understanding of Alaskan identities, Jenny Irene Miller is part of #OurAnchorage.

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✏️: @mayowaaina_ taken in Anchorage, Alaska by @ouranchorage

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2 years ago

“If we woke up each day knowing that we were all each other’s brothers and sisters on this rock flying through space, we’d be standing on a strong foundation.”

Jontue Hollingsworth is attracted to extraordinary people, places, and things - and especially things that don’t exist yet. As the owner and designer of Hollingsworth Design Co. he is a master at bringing ideas to life, and translating thoughts and feelings into tangible items people can see and touch. That quest for the extraordinary is part of how a boy from the Bahamas has found himself living in Alaska for the past 15 years.

Jontue fell in love with just how diverse and different Alaska is from his Bahamian background. He’s taken on the challenges, confronted the differences. But it hasn’t been all hardships, Jontue said he’s found many things that have resonated with him, too.

“There’s a closeness to nature and culture here, wide open spaces, and a sense of togetherness that transcends cultural boundaries. We’re in this together. We all have our story.”

Combining his unique skills with his ability to connect to each person’s individual hero’s journey, is part of how Jontue has been able to build community over nearly two decades in the city.

Having a multiracial and biracial background, Jontue doesn’t necessarily look for physical representation that matches his unique identity. He finds community and representation with people who have similar values and ideals, and with people who are authentic to who they are. Over the past two decades, he’s been able to find that representation and community in Alaska. Those are the parts of his Alaska story that Jontue wishes everyone could see and understand.

“I hope that others see Anchorage as less of a novelty and more of a viable option to live a fulfilled life.”

Here, he wakes up every day looking for ways to improve himself, express his creativity, and to help others do the same.

Jontue Hollingsworth is part of #OurAnchorage.

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✏️: @mayowaaina_ taken in Black Cup - Cafe Del Mundo by @ouranchorage

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2 years ago

“It’s crazy how I moved here not knowing anybody and now 6 years later I’m calling Anchorage home and have a big chosen family. This is home.”

A “certified baddie” by night, during the day you’ll probably find Estrella “Star” Rodriguez-Northcutt slinging delicious cups of coffee behind the bar of her coffee shop Cafecito Bonito. Star got her start in Anchorage’s coffee business after moving to the city in 2018 and working at coffee shops around town. In those jobs, she got to see community events come together and make new friends who welcomed her, invited her out, and “made her feel important.” These events also helped her create her own definition of community, built on ideas of mutual aid and togetherness.

“Mutual aid really opened my eyes to what community means. Encompassing a sense of belonging, support, and connections with others who share the same beliefs, interests, and cultural backgrounds is community to me. When someone within a community needs help, we’re all there for them.”

Now that she has her own cafe, Star uses it as a community space where people can gather, host events, or just come relax and be themselves. Growing up, Star didn’t have very many queer and BIPOC role models to look up to - but the few people that she did see who shared her identity, made her feel like one day she could do the same thing for others.

“I do it for the kid in me. And for the culture, always!”

What Star is doing is giving back to the community that’s given so much to her, through her work as an entrepreneur, an artist, a community activist, and friend. By being unapologetically herself, she hopes to grow and strengthen a community where everyone can see themselves reflected and feel empowered to be who they are.

Estrella “Star“ Rodriguez-Northcutt is a part of #OurAnchorage.

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✏️: @mayowaaina_ taken in Cafecito Bonito by @ouranchorage

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2 years ago

“I love the diversity Anchorage offers. The blend of urban and wild landscapes makes it so unique. I love that you meet so many people, from all over the world, that come to Anchorage to experience this.”

To say Mariel Almeida is any one thing would be doing her a disservice. She’s a stylist, a horticulturist, an entrepreneur, and a baker. An all-around creative. The kind of person you can go to with questions that don’t call for a typical answer.

Born in the Philippines, but raised in the U.S., she describes herself as a “cultural hybrid.” Her mixed influences have given her a unique perspective on the world around her. Her ability to connect with others is her superpower. Even the grumpiest person is no match for her kindness and warmth.

Mariel hopes to see more of this connectedness in Anchorage. She envisions a city so rich in cultural experiences that all residents are presented with opportunities to learn from and celebrate each other’s heritage.

“Community to me is a place where people can share connections and traditions. It’s the people that support you through life’s ups and downs and who share experiences, even if they come from diverse backgrounds.”

For Mariel, representation is about more than visibility. It’s about inclusivity and understanding. And being open-minded. Creating spaces that encourage curiosity, and that allow for people to share their stories and experiences free of judgment. She believes that her identity is an evolving journey, carrying her memories with her along the way.

Mariel Almeida is a part of #OurAnchorage.

This post was done in collaboration with Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. taken in Anchorage, Alaska by @ouranchorage

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2 years ago

“Representation to me is being able to grow up seeing people who look like me, eat the same meals as me, talk like me, and love like me. It’s also showing the experience of living as a person like me. The struggles and successes that come with it.”

Gillian Billaro is a Filipino American baker at Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop. Her Filipino heritage has shaped the way she shows up in community, and helps her gain an even deeper appreciation for the diverse array of people around her. For Gillian, community is sort of like family, each of us coming together to share joy, or provide support when it’s needed.

“In the Philippines, anyone older than you is your Kuya (older brother), Ate (older sister), Tita (auntie), or Tito (uncle). You can find help and support all around you because there’s this mutual understanding that we’re all a bunch of humans stumbling through life, and we’re all living in this world together, getting through our joys and sorrows.”

Gillian’s culture has also fostered a great appreciation for food, and coming together around food brings her great joy.

“Filipinos just know how to party and cook!”.

Being Filipino has taught Gillian to be more thoughtful about where her food comes from. That’s something she believes everyone should do. She hopes to see a future where we look to stewards of the land for guidance about how to take care of the land we all need to survive.

Gillian gets most excited when people experience parts of her Filipino culture by trying Filipino foods, learning Tagalog words that express feelings that the English language has no specific word for, engaging with Filipino art and artists, and learning Filipino stories. This, she said, is how we grow and strengthen our understanding and appreciation for one another.

Gillian Billaro is a part of #OurAnchorage.

This post was done in collaboration with Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. taken in Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop by @ouranchorage

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2 years ago