Window to My Soul by Amy Noon
And
Drawn in Place by Kristin Link
On View: September 4 – September 26, 2026
First Friday Opening Reception: Friday, September 4, 5–7 pm
(Gallery opens at noon on First Fridays.)
The Bear Gallery is located on the third floor of the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts in Pioneer Park, 2300 Airport Way, Fairbanks, Alaska.
Admission to the Bear Gallery is free of charge and open to the public Monday–Saturday, noon–6 pm.
September in the Bear Gallery brings together two concurrent solo exhibitions by Alaska artists Amy Noon and Kristin Link — two distinct practices of looking closely at the botanical world and drawing what they find there.
In Window to My Soul, Amy Noon presents a collection of new oil paintings drawn from a deep-seated interest in color and form as it is presented through the Interior Alaska botanical world. Noon finds her subjects in the garden and on the trail — a flower in bloom, a leaf shimmering in the sun, a cluster of buds about to explode — stopping to look closely, photograph, and, when time allows, sketch. Back in the studio, those photographs and sketches become the seeds for larger, more thoroughly developed drawings that come alive on canvas. Layer by layer, colors grow bolder, shapes evolve, and details are sorted, with creative liberties taken in perspective and form until the story has been told. For Noon, every flower, every leaf, every wild berry has a story to tell, and these paintings are her interpretation of the botanical stories each subject tells her.
In Drawn in Place, Kristin Link gathers the work of a sustained field sketching practice — what happens when we go outside, pay attention, and build a practice around what we find. Loose daily diary sketches layer contour drawing with wet-on-wet watercolor washes to capture moods, weather, and the passage of time. Botanical studies track what plants are doing at different times of year, returning to the same plant across weeks and seasons to observe changes, with notes that leave room for questions, research, and thinking on paper. The nature studies of plants, animals, and landscapes were developed through years of teaching field sketching in Alaska — a practice that became a book in April 2026 with the publication of Discover the Art of Field Sketching by Timber Press.
The First Friday opening reception takes place Friday, September 4, 5–7 pm.
About the Artists
Amy Noon
Amy Noon is a painter based in Fairbanks, Alaska, specializing in vibrant botanical oil paintings and drawings of Alaska’s Interior flora. Inspired by a lifelong love of plants, flowers, leaves, buds, berries and seasonal change, her passion for color, form and intimate perspective shines through in her work. Noon received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Colorado State University and completed the Post Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her work has been selected for the 64th Parallel Juried Art Shows and Fairbanks Arts member shows, and her Alphabet Garden collection is on permanent public display at Noel Wien Library. Retired from teaching since 2021, she paints nearly every day in her home studio.
Kristin Link
Kristin Link is a science illustrator, visual artist, and educator based in McCarthy, Alaska. Her work explores the intersection of art, ecology, and place, focusing on northern landscapes including glaciers, tundra, and the boreal forest. Her first book, Discover the Art of Field Sketching (Timber Press, 2026), draws on over a decade of teaching field sketching in Alaska and beyond. Kristin’s illustrations have been featured in museum exhibits, educational materials, and her long-running nature journal column in her local newspaper, the Copper River Record. She teaches field sketching and science communication across Alaska and online. Learn more at KristinLink.com.
About Fairbanks Arts Association
Since 1966, Fairbanks Arts has worked to connect, support, and showcase the artists and audiences who make creativity a defining part of life in Alaska’s Interior.
As a nonprofit organization and Interior Alaska’s local arts agency, Fairbanks Arts serves as a hub for the region’s cultural activity — coordinating exhibitions, workshops, arts education programs, and community initiatives across visual and literary arts. From the Bear Gallery in Pioneer Park to community events and educational outreach, Fairbanks Arts exists to make the arts accessible to everyone and to strengthen the creative ecosystem that sustains local culture, health, and connection.
Learn more about opportunities to get involved with Fairbanks Arts by clicking here, sign up for our Fairbanks Arts News e-newsletters, and follow @fairbanksarts on Instagram and Facebook.
Celebrating 60 years of arts and community, Fairbanks Arts Association has served as a creative home for artists, audiences, and cultural experiences since 1966. We are proud to continue supporting the arts and fostering connection through creativity across Interior Alaska. As we celebrate this milestone year, we invite community members to join us in sustaining the arts for future generations. Learn how you can get involved with Fairbanks Arts today by volunteering, becoming a new or renewing member, or making a charitable gift. Fairbanks Arts is your local arts council, and its work is not possible without you!
Fairbanks Arts Association programs are made possible in part by support from the Fairbanks North Star Borough, National Endowment for the Arts, Alaska State Council on the Arts, Lotto Alaska, the Richard L. and Diane M. Block Foundation, Mt. McKinley Bank, the City of Fairbanks Hotel/Motel Discretionary Fund, and individual and corporate contributions from supporters like you.
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