Discovery by Sketch
Troweling Against Climate Change
Nunalleq, near Quinhagak, AK, is the world’s largest preserved pre-contact Yu’pik site. The Yu’pik are Alaska's largest indigenous group. Immediately threatened by climate change, Nunalleq sustained major damage in October 2025 from the remnants of Typhoon Halong. The above image is now available as print-on-demand through Alaska Litho in Juneau, Alaska. Each sale directly contributes $30 to artifact rescue and conservation.
Elizabeth Church, Director of Quinhagak Heritage, Inc. says that Nunalleq represents the shared lineage of the Yup’ik people, Alaska’s largest indigenous group. Rick Knecht, lead archaeologist, says it’s “a museum on fire,” the Yup’ik culture’s “library of the past.”
In May 2026, I was invited to be part of the “museum’s” emergency rescue crew. Due to the destructiveness of the 2025-26 winter storms, areas that used to be safely beyond the expected storm surge were now right on the edge, fodder for the next winter’s hungry waves. But I also hoped to make art which could be used for education, project promotion, and fundraising. Read about my most recent experience there next week on my Substack Newsletter: Digging on the Edge of Never Never Land.
That recent opportunity resulted from artwork I created during my first season in July 2024, when I became a self-appointed artist-in-residence in the style of Amy Stewart and Maria Coryell-Martin. Back home, I created the above poster-size print, which I donated to the Nunalleq Culture and Archaeology Center. Here's a video from KYUK Public Media about the project which includes some shots of yours truly. Read about my experience in the following illustrated essays:
A Field Sketcher Arrives in Quinhagak, Alaska
The Power of Nunalleq's Narrative
Museum-Quality Artifacts Create a Community History
Want to support artifact rescue at Nunalleq? Contribute to a GoFundMe hosted by the Pacific Northwest Archaeological Society.
Learn more about Nunalleq at www.kyuk.org/a-rush-to-recover-an-archaeological-site. Explore the Nunalleq Digital Museum.
