Terresa “Michuar” White is Yup’ik Eskimo. Her grandmother’s family is from the Kuskokwim River region near what is today the Alaskan village of Bethel. Her mother was born in Fairbanks, Alaska and her father’s family is French Canadian. Terresa now lives with her partner and their two pups in Portland, Oregon.

Her “Granny” Clara impressed upon Terresa, her brother, and their cousins traditional Yup’ik values in the untraditional setting of rural Oregon. She was taught at an early age the importance of family ties and ancestry, of sharing food and work, of listening to children and elders, of showing respect to all people whether human or animal.

Inspired by the art of traditional Yup’ik mask-making and Yup’ik stories of transformation between animals and humans, Terresa works with clay, chalk, charcoal, pastels, and watercolors to create multi-media masks. She incorporates feathers, driftwood and seaweed that she and her family collect on kayaking excursions throughout the Pacific Northwest.