Maureen Meyer recently graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with her bachelor’s degree in art and is setting her sights on somewhere warmer to celebrate: the Philippines.
“I’m very excited to see my family over there, and I’m hoping to bring some of my material so I can continue doing my work,” Meyer said. “Especially guided towards you know, my heritage pieces, but also just to spend time with family.”
Known for her murals and painting, Meyer was born and raised in Fairbanks and moved to Anchorage for school. Initially, she was interested in pursuing a degree in graphic design until she took a beginner’s painting class with Thomas Chung.
“That was the first time I played with acrylic paint and oil paint, and realized it was something that I really, really wanted to do,” Meyer said.
It was a full-circle moment this summer when Meyer worked alongside Chung on a 70-foot outdoor mural for the McLaughlin Youth Center, which took about a month to complete.
“I think I have more to explore [in Anchorage],” Meyer said. “I think I’ll probably take another class at the university so that I can have access to the painting studio and really round out this body of work.”
Meyer says that the main body of work she is currently working on right now are her heritage pieces, which include elements of folklore and her personal experiences as someone part of the Filipino diaspora.
In addition to her main body of work, Meyer creates miniature paintings on tiny canvases and paints on top of old records. In 2022, Meyer hosted a community mural event through UAA for the Filipino-American community of Anchorage. The piece, “Bangka Under Srii’” can be viewed outside the ARC Gallery by the Consortium Library on campus.
Meyer says the piece is inspired by the Alaskeros, seasonal cannery workers who were among the first Filipinos to settle in Alaska . “Bangka” references the boats used by Filipino fishermen, and “Srii” translates to “sun” in Gwich’in.
“I have met people and they told me that they have seen it and that they felt like they really belong here at UAA,” Meyer said.
Meyer says that she hopes to have her body of work completed next year and on display somewhere in Anchorage, either at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art or the Anchorage Museum.
Sam Davenport is a writer residing in Anchorage. She's a leo and a plant-person, and loves spending quality time with her dog, Aspen. She is a Real Housewives fan and has been called a Bravo historian.
