Erin Ggaadimits Ivalu Gingrich
Erin Ggaadimits Ivalu Gingrich is a carver, painter, and beadworker from Anchorage and Cohoe, Alaska. Her work connects with her ancestor’s historically traditional principles: that our natural environment provides natural gifts gathered from the land.
Born in Fairbanks, Alaska, and raised in the communities of Fairbanks, Galena, Nome, Sitka, and Anchorage, Ivalu’s Indigenous heritages are Inupiaq and Koyukon Athabascan, with direct connection to the communities of Nome, Utqiagvik, and Nulato. She developed a passion for beading, sewing, and photography from a young age and continued her studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Native Arts Center. Accompanied also by prominent travels across the state of Alaska, she became experienced with its biological diversity and its sacred subsistence habitats.
“Maintaining that relationship [to wild places] is what feeds my work.”
Erin Ggaadimits Ivalu Gingrich
Cultural subsistence practices passed down by her grandparents, parents, and family built the foundation for her relationship with wild places and what is harvested and gathered from them. Her deep love for her environment, whether berry picking, hunting, and fishing, fuel her passion and are consequently highlighted in her sculptures and beadings. Ivalu’s work represents Alaska’s plants and wildlife, “honoring the presence of these wild beings in our environment and in our lives.”
Titirgak from Sitnasuaq, 2022
Ivalu’s work has been exhibited at the 2022 Contemporary Native Art Biennial (BACA), the 2022 Armory Show, and the 2022 Art Basel Miami. After an extended hiatus due to the pandemic, her recent work is already in the permanent collections of the Institute of American Indian Art, New Mexico; The Anchorage Museum, Alaska; and numerous private collections. Her accolades and grants include Nia Tero Foundation Pacific Northwest Art Fellowship Award (2021), Native Arts & Cultures Foundation LIFT – Early Career Support for Native Artists Award (2021), and many more.