Oonpik Ohnotuk, retrospective at the Manhattan Municipal Mansion, 1979.

She/her

Born in Wasilla AK, young Oonpik bunked school lessons to waitress in a hearty truck stop cafe on frozen Route 11. Inspired to take up sculpure after reading an article in a discarded copy of World magazine, she hitched a ride to New York City with four boxes of reindeer sausage. 

Settling in Queens on a converted pedalo boat, she began to make art from material found in trash hoppers of the Midtown garment district. Although an instant success with the public, a mealy-mouthed media were hard won over, labelling it kindergarten art and gaslighting the work with feint praise. When influential Park Avenue gallerist Barbara Kaiser expressed interest in this emerging talent, those opinions quickly U-turned, and within the decade Ohnotuk became “the best show at the Man Muni in my lifetime” according to art critic Mallory Jackson.

On the first sale of her work with Kaiser, she mailed a check to the Caribou Cafe to cover the cost of the reindeer sausage, plus interest and a generous sum to make good possible grevience. Owners Mr and Mrs Ohnotuk framed and proudly displayed the check by the cash register.