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Atsaq

John Oscar

CULTURE AND DESIGN

Award winning gifts fit for conventions, retirements, elder awards, special gifts, and loved ones. 

 

"Much of the artwork includes stories I heard from elders that celebrate the Yup'ik beliefs and wisdom."

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John Oscar
All As One Atsaq Art

 The artwork centers around the environment, the animals, fish, birds, dreams, visions and stories as part of the story.

In addition to his wall paintings, Oscar’s portfolio includes mask carvings, notable for their eyes that seem to follow the viewer from every angle. He also crafts beautiful apparel, designs, and accessories that add a touch of style to any collection. His unique blend of traditional and modern aesthetics sets his artwork apart, making it a valuable addition to any art collection and apparel.

Jane and Kayleen Oscar

1992 Kayleen Oscar and grandmother Unangik Jane Oscar

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John Oscar, also known by his Yup’ik ancestral name Atsaq, meaning “berry,” grew up in Tununak, a small coastal community in the Bering Sea. This community relied on the land and sea for survival, maintaining ancestral traditions before incorporating the advent of modern tools and lifestyles.

In the 1960s, a Yup’ik naming ceremony was held for all unnamed children in the community. During this ceremony, the children, including John, danced atop a bearded seal skin, clutching gifts, accompanied by their mothers and aunts who also bore gifts.

John spent his formative years in Tununak, then attending a small boarding school at St. Mary’s High School, before attending the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.

At the age of eleven, John had been creating illustrations at the behest of his mother, Unangik Jane Oscar. Unangik then embroidered drawings of animals, birds, and hunting scenes onto her exquisite seagrass baskets.

John recalls, “My mom would have me correspond with her customers down in the lower-48 states and the Anchorage customers. Her attention to quality was always impeccable, often critiquing her own work for consistency. I watched as she meticulously wove the grass into cylindrical tubes, evenly spiraling upwards. I believe I inherited my eye for detail from her.”

John’s experiences hunting, gathering, camping, and assisting his father with his qayaq upriver also shaped him. He learned about the interconnectedness of nature and animals, observed his elders crafting wood into fish traps and harpoons, and even attended walrus ivory carving classes at his Bureau of Indian Affairs grade school in Tununak, where he learned to make ivory earrings.

From 1977 to 1980, I had the profound honor and privilege of knowing the late Professor Ronald Senungetuk at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. I never finished my studies, but Senungetuk's mastery and guidance in the intricate art of wood carving, particularly in crafting masks, left an indelible impression on me. His distinctive style significantly shaped my artistic perspective.

 

Despite the scarcity of documented literature on Alaska Native Art, Professor Senungetuk’s unwavering commitment resonated seamlessly within our Native community. He generously mentored enthusiastic students who would later emerge as influential figures in Alaska’s vibrant Native Art World. Alongside his fellow partners in a scholarship program developed under the Institute of Alaska Native Arts, he nurtured a new generation of fine artists.

Now, I am beginning to see a new generation of fine artists, influenced by those he taught before them, in a modern world with the entire world to their advantage. With the ability to acquire a following instantly through social media and become influencers themselves as modern Native artists.

 

Wow, I am still mostly a patched-up analogue from the old school in this fast-paced technology of the new world.