Anchorage Arts and Culture Where We're Anchored

Where We’re Anchored: February

February 27, 2026

February_Mesner_04 — The Chugach Mountains are visible from E. Fireweed Lane in Anchorage on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. The mural on the facade of AK Bark was created by London-based artist Cleo Pettitt in 2022. (Photo by Emily Mesner for The Alaska Current)

Welcome to the second installment of Where We’re Anchored, my year-long photographic series that aims to show you Anchorage with intent, admiration and pride for this city and its people.

Each month I use a word or phrase to guide my photographic exploration. Swayed by Valentine’s Day, I thought it could be interesting to let color guide me.

For February, I chose pink. I wondered who I could find and whether I’d come up with enough images for a cohesive set. To my surprise, every time I forced myself to look deeper at my surroundings, I came across an image. From a discarded pink toothbrush on a snowy sidewalk to a service dog roaming Title Wave Books wearing a pink sweater, it became this hidden scavenger hunt I went on for the better part of a month.

Even though I’ve been a professional photographer for a decade, I often still get nervous introducing myself (and my projects) to strangers. It shouldn’t be a surprise though that everyone I approached for these photos were lovely and eager to learn more about the project — I even made a call out on my Instagram in search of someone with bright pink hair and within just a few hours a local hairstylist connected me with one of her clients (thanks Rae and Jelly!).

Because I’m a total sucker for Valentine’s Day, I also asked everyone I photographed what they loved most about living in Anchorage.

“I love that everybody knows everybody that lives here,” said Jessica Adler, manager at Hummel’s Flowers. “Anchorage is so small … I know everybody feels really isolated but you haven’t found your community (yet).”

It felt like Anchorage gave me little gifts throughout the month by way of silly pink odds and ends and heartfelt interactions with strangers I’d only met because I was chasing a color.

These quiet moments softened my views of Anchorage a little, too.

Some cities offer everything they have to you the minute you arrive and there’s a part of me that will always crave that ease because I’ve spent five-and-a-half years falling in and out of love with Anchorage — sometimes daily, often painfully and always confusingly.

I know photographing things that are pink isn’t all that serious, but it really helped show me that Anchorage has a beautiful way of helping you along: Anchorage is messy and nuanced but also full of grit and uncomplicated. These concepts pull against each other in real time and can make it difficult to find your footing. Once you find that footing though, it feels as strong as strutting through downtown on a First Friday in your ice cleats — nothing, and no one, will let you slip.

Thanks to Stewart’s photo Shop for local film supplies and Young Kim with The Stoop PRC for film developing and scanning.