A Dena'ina artist's work is headed for downtown Anchorage's signs

Artwork by Dena'ina artist Sebastian Garber will appear on downtown Anchorage's pedestrian wayfinding signs starting next year, a later phase of a project that began installing signs in 2025.

Garber was commissioned in 2025 by the Assembly's Legislative Services Office and the Anchorage Park Foundation to design the brand for MOA50, the municipality's marking of 50 years since the 1975 unification of the City of Anchorage and the Greater Anchorage Area Borough. His logo pairs a custom font with a stackable pattern drawn from Indigenous quillwork, setting a minimalist icon taken from the municipal seal against a bright civic blue.

"The MOA50 brand celebrates our rich heritage and reflects the gratitude we share for the past, present, and future Indigenous stewardship of this place," Assembly Chair Anna Brawley said.

That seal went through a redesign of its own last year. The Assembly approved a new version in December, after a public survey in which respondents called the process rushed and said the design ultimately approved had not been among the options they were shown.

The Native Village of Eklutna has partnered with the municipality on Indigenous place-name signage.