ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A Southeast Alaska Native artist is finding new fame this year after one of the largest coffee brands in the world picked up on her talents.
Alison Bremner, a multidisciplinary Tlingit artist from Juneau, is gaining new exposure this year with the reveal of Starbucks’ Artist Collaboration Series cups and tumblers. Bremner’s Indigenous art is part of the series, which showcases independent artists’ work from around the world.
Bremner’s work featured three unique designs on Starbucks cups, which were announced this week.
“It’s been such a joy to see them out, to see them used, like to see the reception that they’re getting,” Bremner said. “It’s just been fabulous.”
Bremner is the latest Alaska artist to have her Indigenous artwork prominently featured on a national scale, following up on Alaska Airlines planes and U.S. Post Office stamps inspired by fellow Juneau artist Crystal Worl. Worl’s artwork has also been used to create the behemoth mural adjacent to Anchorage’s City Hall.
The official launch date was Jan. 3, with the first media release coming Jan. 8, but Bremner said a fan post on social media with a photo of her cups helped them go viral on the internet.
“It had like, over 22,000 likes the last time I saw it, and so a lot of the stores in Alaska are already sold out,” she said.
Bremner said she’s even heard of folks in Lower 48 states like Texas and Florida wanting a piece of the merchandise sale.
“People found out about them kind of immediately, and I have heard of stores telling people that if you want to get those cups, you had to have been here at 5 a.m. when we opened,” she said.
“It’s been really cool to see just how ‘nationwide’ nationwide really is, and I like hearing from folks all over the country. It’s been really amazing.”
The artist collaboration series by Starbucks debuted in efforts to celebrate and elevate the “diverse voices and stories in its communities,” according to company officials. Starbucks said Bremner’s work is the fourth to be featured in the series.
Born and raised in Juneau, Bremner attributed her inspiration to do art to her parents — her father is from Yakutat and her mother is from the Seattle area — and two mentors whom she learned the art of formline from; David Robert Boxley and his brother David Albert Boxley. Both brothers are recognized Alaskan artists whom Bremner worked with as part of a four-year apprenticeship.
Since formline adheres to a rigid set of rules that defines its characteristics, Bremner said she personalizes her artwork by superimposing floral patterns into the spaces between lines.
She also appreciates the wider recognition that Tlingit art and Alaska Native styles on a broader level are getting, comparing the Southeast traditions to much more well-known Native American artwork in the Southwest United States.
“Formline isn’t quite there yet, which is like, a blessing in a sense where it doesn’t get appropriated on a wide scale,” she said. “But it’s been really wonderful to have something that’s so specialized to Alaska and the Northwest coast be shared all over.”
Bremner said Starbucks first took notice of her art about two years ago when the company’s Instagram account followed her own Instagram account. After initial discussions about collaborating, Bremner said months went by before Starbucks representatives reached out with the idea of using her designs on merchandise.
The ideas for all three designs began on paper, Bremner said, which she then transferred to the digital sphere, using computer programs to recreate her designs exactly.
From there, Starbucks creators were able to transfer that imagery onto a three-dimensional space, leading to the official debut of Bremner’s creative designs on a national level.
“It’s just a thrill to have mine showcased on such a massive scale.”
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