Ablanna Studios: creative practice rooted in Alaska Native community

Ablanna Studios, LLC is a creative practice founded by Iñupiaq artist and communications professional Quyuq Kathleen Bonnar, who is based on Dena’'ina Ełnena in Dgheyaytnu, also known as Anchorage, Alaska.

The studio is named for Kathleen's mother, whose Iñupiaq name is Ablanna, as an act of honoring her commitment to connecting Kathleen with their culture. Ablanna describes the act of crossing something, such as a creek, with one foot on either side. The concept reminds Kathleen of Two-eyed Seeing, the practice of holding Indigenous knowledge and western ways of understanding together with care and intention. It is a principle she carries into all of her work.

That same spirit shapes everything Ablanna Studios does. The studio brings more than ten years of experience working alongside Tribal health organizations, nonprofits, and Indigenous cultural institutions across Alaska, with deep roots in Alaska Native communities and cultural institutions. Kathleen's work spans communications strategy, curatorial content development, project management, and graphic and web design.

Ablanna Studios believes the most powerful stories are the ones people get to tell themselves