KUAC names Hutchquist volunteer of year

Naomi Hutchquist uses her professional skills along with a dose of her fun side to volunteer for KUAC. She is the recipient of the 2022 Spirit of KUAC award, given to the volunteer of the year.

For several years Hutchquist has created KUAC’s graphic design work, from mugs to masks, annual reporting projects to postcards.

“KUAC is a good cause and I like helping out,” she said. “I like the people at KUAC and the mission and I like seeing my art all over town.”

Hutchquist moved to Alaska when she was 2 and grew up in Fairbanks. At 18 she relocated to Miami, then Oregon for a couple years, before returning to Fairbanks to earn a bachelor of fine arts degree in computer art and printmaking at UAF. She works as a communications specialist for Alaska EPSCoR's Fire and Ice project.

“I’ve always been art focused,” she said. Her mother is an artist and Hutchquist tagged along to UAF art classes with her as a kid. “I felt the art department was where I belonged.”

She began volunteering for KUAC when her husband was working there and decided to stick around and use her skills for the good of public broadcasting. Hutchquist helps KUAC participate in community events, taking characters such as Kitt from KUAC Kids Club and Molly of Denali to the Golden Days Parade, school events and other venues.

“I love seeing how excited kids get over Kitt and Molly,” she said. Hutchquist also volunteers for Stone Soup Café and the LION program (Learning Inside Out Network). For fun, she walks her dogs, paints, makes linoleum and woodcut prints, creates jewelry and plays video games. She and her husband, Christopher Hutchquist, raise goats and ducks, and grow plants and vegetables on their family farm.

 “Naomi’s volunteerism has saved us thousands of dollars by donating her graphic design expertise for our outreach efforts,” said KUAC General Manager Gretchen Gordon. “She understands KUAC's mission and works hard to create meaningful messages with her unique artistic style. She is driven to create eye-catching images we can use in print and digital formats. Naomi is such a joy to work with and a true example of the Spirit of KUAC.”