Petersburg’s “Our Town” mural, which was repainted in 2018.

The Petersburg Arts Council held its annual board meeting last week. KFSK’s Alanna Elder spoke with board president and Firelight Gallery co-owner Mark Kubo to talk about the group’s plans for the coming year.

Much of the council’s work involves bringing performance art to Petersburg, but this year it supported the rehabilitation of the “Our Town” mural downtown. The group is currently raising money for a new mural that would honor Elizabeth Peratrovich, an Alaska Native civil rights leader born in Petersburg. She was instrumental in the 1945 passage of Alaska’s Anti-Discrimination Act, which banned racial discrimination in public spaces. The project’s organizers are hoping to complete the mural in 2020, the year the U.S. Mint will release a one dollar coin honoring Peratrovich.