Homer artist Rika Mouw has had a work of art selected for the U.S. Secretary of Interior’s office in Washington, D.C. The building also features murals from the Works Progress Administration era and art representing National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks. 

Mouw’s “The Gift of the Arctic Refuge” was made to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Alaska. Mouw describes her art as “a hand fabricated box that unfolds and contains a necklace of hand-made paper birds, with each bird carrying a different quote in its wings from those who campaigned tirelessly for the establishment of the Arctic Refuge. The birds are strung on sinew and are clasped with a piece of carved caribou bone. The gift box is lined inside with the text of the Land Order that established the Arctic Refuge in 1960.”

close-ups of the art and its display box

close-ups of the art and its display box