Atsa John Oscar
John Oscar, known by his Yup’ik name Atsa, is the namesake and creative force behind the website Atsaq.Art. He studied at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he was mentored by the world-renowned artist and instructor Ronald Senungetuk. Atsa’s work continues to evolve as a reflection of Senungetuk’s influence—particularly the bold challenge to harmonize traditional forms with contemporary expressions that shape the visual language seen today.
Ac'kiar Anunaar Caroline Oscar
Caroline Oscar is a multifaceted artist whose creative journey includes carving masks and figurines, painting, and collaborating with her father, Atsa, on graphic designs for apparel. Her vibrant artistry also extends to public spaces with her apprenticeship under Atsa, where she brings walls to life with large-scale canvas murals. Alongside her artistic endeavors, aside from other employment, she is a devoted mother to two beautiful daughters in gradeschool.
The artwork draws deeply from the rhythms of the natural world—centered around the environment, animals, fish, and birds. Layered within are dreams, visions, and stories that breathe spirit into each piece, weaving ancestral memory with personal reflection. These elements form a living narrative, where every shape and symbol serves as part of a larger journey—one rooted in place, tradition, and imagination.
In addition to his striking wall paintings, Oscar’s portfolio includes intricately carved masks—each featuring eyes that seem to follow the viewer from every angle, imbued with quiet intensity and spirit. He also creates elegant apparel, designs, and accessories that infuse traditional motifs with contemporary flair, adding cultural richness and style to any collection. Through his unique fusion of ancestral heritage and modern aesthetics, Oscar’s work stands out as both wearable art and collectible treasure—an embodiment of cultural storytelling that resonates across mediums.
John Oscar — Atsa ("Berry")
John Oscar, known by his Yup’ik ancestral name Atsaq, meaning “berry,” was raised in Tununak, a remote coastal village nestled along the Bering Sea. In this land where waves meet tundra, life depended on the rhythms of land and sea. The community lived by ancestral traditions long before the slow emergence of modern conveniences.
In the 1960s, a Yup’ik naming ceremony was held for children who had not yet received ancestral names. During this celebration, young John danced atop a bearded seal skin, cradling gifts, surrounded by mothers and aunts who carried offerings of their own. This moment marked a ceremonial joining of generations—a cultural thread woven through movement and memory.
John’s early years in Tununak were deeply shaped by subsistence living and family bonds. He later attended St. Mary’s High School, a small boarding school, and continued on to the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. But it was within the walls of his childhood home that artistry first found him.
At the age of eleven, John began drawing at the encouragement of his mother, Unangik Jane Oscar, an artisan known for her seagrass baskets embroidered with scenes of animals, birds, and hunting life. Her craftsmanship was impeccable—each cylindrical spiral woven with precision and spirit.
“My mom would have me correspond with her customers from Anchorage and the lower-48 states,” John recalls. “Her attention to quality was unmatched. She’d critique her own work to ensure consistency. I believe I inherited my eye for detail from her.”
John’s upbringing included hunting, gathering, camping, and traveling upriver in his father’s qayaq. From watching elders craft wooden fish traps and harpoons to carving walrus ivory in grade school, his education was rooted in cultural knowledge and tactile tradition. He learned to create ivory earrings in a Bureau of Indian Affairs classroom—where ancestral skills met institutional spaces.
1992 Kayleen Oscar and grandmother Unangik Jane Oscar
Alaska Native Arts: A Legacy Carved in Driftwood and Modern Design
Between 1977 and 1980, a quietly powerful chapter unfolded at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, where the late Professor Ronald Senungetuk guided a generation of artists with a vision rooted in tradition and refined through mastery. Among those fortunate enough to study under him was a young Atsa John Oscar, whose life—and creative lens—was profoundly shaped by Senungetuk’s teachings in carving and mask-making. Senungetuk encouraged young artists to create a style of their own based on tradition and the modern influence in technique.
Today, though Atsa never formally completed his academic journey, the impressions left by Senungetuk continue to ripple through his work. “Senungetuk’s approach to form and expression was unlike anything I had encountered,” Atsa shared. “Senungetuk didn’t just teach technique—he carved pathways into cultural identity.”
Bridging Tradition and Innovation
At a time when Alaska Native Art struggled for formal documentation and recognition, Senungetuk’s unwavering commitment resonated deeply within the Native community. Through the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and a dedicated scholarship initiative, he mentored students who would go on to become prominent voices in the state’s vibrant art scene. His legacy wasn’t simply in finished works—it was etched in the growth and resilience of those he mentored.
A New Generation Rises
Today, that legacy lives on in dynamic and evolving ways. Alaska Native artists, influenced by Senungetuk’s protégés, is finding its footing in a digital age. Through platforms on social media, they share stories and visuals that blend ancestral knowledge with modern aesthetics, instantly reaching audiences across the globe and inspiring new Native artists on the horizon.
“It’s humbling,” Atsa reflects. “We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, their artistry and influence resonate with our modern tools and media that can reach across the globe in an instant,” and added, “Never imagined Chinese could be hired by a little lowly artist in Alaska to make artwork walk in beautiful shoes without mass production." Atsa now runs a website through a platform and hired Printful, Inc. in North Carolina that enabled direct sales without having to travel hundreds of miles by plane. “Besides individual sales online, I still prefer to meet and create new customers who links the artist behind those products.”
In a time when technology evolves in milliseconds, the influence of Senungetuk remains timeless through Native artists he inspired. His vision helped set the course to embrace both heritage and innovation. His legacy continues - carvd into wood, culture, and the very soul of modern Alaska's creative spirit.
Ronald Senungetuk 1933-2020
Ronald Senungetuk was origially from Wales, Alaska. Born in 1933 until January 21, 2020. A world renown Inupiaq arstist worked primarily in wood and metal.
Senungetuk was a sculptor and silversmith and was world renown for his abstractions of animal figures carved into wood and painted. He attended the Bureau of Indian Affairs school in Sitka then, the American Craftsmen at the Rochester Institute of Technology, receiving his B.A. in 1960. Senungetuk received a Fulbright Fellowship to study at Statens Håndværks og Kunstindustriskole Oslo, Norway. Senungetuk and his wife, Turid, an accomplished silversmith, both lived in Homer, Alaska.
Senungetuk wanted to be identified solely as an Inupiaq artist and said "A lot of people will call you an Eskimo artist. I'd rather be an artist who happened to be Inupiat."
His work was exhibited at the Anchorage Museum, the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Native Medical Center in Anchorage, and the Pratt Museum in Homer.
Influences That shaped the Artist
Beyond the foundational mentorship of Professor Ronald Senungetuk, Atsa John Oscar’s creative path has been profoundly shaped by several esteemed artists whose mastery left direct impressions on his work.
Among them is Sylvester Ayek, whose smooth, rhythmic flow across subject matter captivated Oscar and awakened his sensitivity to visual harmony. That sense of motion and lyricism echoes throughout Oscar's own compositions.
Glenn Simpson shared his expertise in metalsmithing and casting, introducing Oscar to the transformative power of working with metal and traditional material of ivory, mastodon ivory and whale baleen. These techniques expanded Oscar’s material vocabulary and deepened his appreciation for craft and modern form.
Oscar credits Alvin Amason, a major Native influence, for guiding his structural approach through Amason’s finely flowing marble sculptures. “I credit Alvin for what I do in format,” Oscar often says, acknowledging the way Amason’s dimensional artistry pushed him to explore sculpture in framed paintings and carving multimedia in flowing form.
Kesler Woodward further sharpened Oscar’s artistic eye. Woodward’s masterful contrasts—color against color, light against dark, symmetry in motion—instilled in Oscar a deep respect for intentional detail and composition.
Once Our Way
Produced, Directed and Filmed By
Andrew J. Chikoyak, Tununak
Chris Weber, Filmkraft Services, Editing
Joseph L. Chikoyak, Sound
Richard R. McCurdy, Music
Documentary Reflection: “Once Our Way”
“Once Our Way” is a poignant documentary spotlighting the Yup’ik residents of Tununak, a village nestled along the windswept Bering Sea coast of Alaska. The film opens with the mountain and cliffs of Tununak, then Francis Lincoln—one of the last living Yup’ik elders—recounting the ancient history of the area. He speaks with reverence of the Qas’giq, a traditional communal sod house, once the heartbeat of celebration and ceremony for his people.
Echoes of the Ancients
For generations, the Qas’giq served as a sacred gathering place filled with dancers, storytellers, and wisdom-keepers. But Francis expresses concern: the bond between younger and older generations is fraying. Ancient knowledge and cultural practices, once passed down seamlessly, now risk being forgotten. Yet, he holds onto a quiet hope—the Qas’giq itself may still serve as a symbol of preservation, anchoring future generations to their roots.
Living Off the Land
Before the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) established a permanent school in Tununak, families like Francis Lincoln’s lived by the rhythms of the land and sea. As late as the 1960s, at the time, many still resided in seasonal sod homes who just relocated from the wilderness to be near the BIA School, deeply connected to their environment and ancestral lifeways.
Reviving the Sacred Space
In a powerful scene, local men replace weathered logs on the old Qas’giq—reviving the ancient space once used to honor first catches, host naming ceremonies, prepare for dances, and take dry steam baths warmed by a central bonfire. It was a place where stories were passed down and celebrations stirred the spirit of the community.
Asta’s Memory
Artist Atsa John Oscar shares a personal reflection from his childhood home beside the Qas’giq. He recalls waking—more than once—at exactly 3:00 a.m., stirred by the slow beat of a ceremonial drum echoing softly as if beckoning him in the early morning darkness. Besides, his bedroom was directly near its entrance. Even now, he finds himself waking at that hour, drawn by a sense of spiritual presence.
Gallery
Grass Baskets of the Delta
Beautiful baskets from the Yukon Kukoskwim Delta
Collection
Alaska Native Medical Center
Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation
