The Best of Alaska Business winners thrive in difficult environments. From that observation, artist Emily Longbrake
increased the difficulty by taking away the air. Inspired by her love of scuba diving, Longbrake invites readers to plunge
into aqua incognita.
The setting is not, as might appear, a coral reef. Although Alaska does host deep-water coral gardens, Longbrake envisions
a scene closer to shore. Specifically, the littoral caves of Southeast. Carved into limestone of the Prince of Wales Archipelago,
caves above and below the waterline are troves of climate clues, ancient animals, and human history.
The artist sees a connection between those habitats and the modern-day business environment. “When I work on design
projects in Alaska, they have a different context than working out of state,” she says. “Our environment is very different. You can
get away with some things up here that you can’t anywhere else!”
