Maggie Nylund Cultivates Art, Food, Community, and Pride!
Photo courtesy of Maggie Nyund
Michelle McAfee - CRR Staff
Fourteen years ago, Maggie Nylund needed a job. She had a knack for baking and decided to leave the biochemistry path she was on and create Magpie’s Bakery. As the bakery developed, she noticed the community needed a place to come together, showcase art, and express themselves, so she created a platform, a venue, for local artists. “We had music acts, painters, and even had one woman who made knots with marzipan and coated them in chocolate. She was Coast Guard, so we had all these beautiful Coast Guard Knots on the wall for First Friday. “I gave artists a place to exhibit their art - something Valdez didn’t have a lot of back in 2008,” said Nylund.
A passion for gut health and feeding a community good food led Nylund to work with adventurers and outdoor enthusiasts. But focusing on that niche pulled her away from Valdez more and more. To find her place in the Valdez scene again, she let go of focusing on food for a while and brought together the Far North Follies, a nonprofit organization that supports performing arts.
“We saw a big need to celebrate our gold rush history and provide that kind of tangible experience of what Valdez is for the tourists. I thought I was just going to provide this production and tourist show experience, but I soon learned the food and the production need to go together - there wasn’t one without the other,” said Nylund.
She realized the community was hungry for a place to perform, whether it be music, spoken word, dance, or just a place to play their instruments, so she created a stage and performance space.
“We ended up growing into this conglomerate that supports all the arts. The Serendipity Supper Club, a local farm to table gourmet catering company, is featured alongside The Far North Follies production which talks about the story of Valdez. So you’re experiencing farm to table local food and culture, as well as experiencing community theater through a story written by locals,” said Nylund.
The music scene in Valdez grew, with an open mic available to everybody once a week, which drew dancers and poets who also performed. A lot of locals came out of the woodwork to express themselves and come together on those evenings. People came for good food, to connect with neighbors, and experience the arts. Nylund said her goal is for people to leave with a sense of whole balance, connecting through food and art.
At the performance space, food and drink are available at Nylund’s food truck: Magpie’s On The Fly Cafe. The retro-chic trailer features pastries, sandwiches, and soups and offers healthier choices that promote gut health. Nylund also offers a few decadent items like the buttery and rich ham and cheese croissant.
Photo courtesy of Maggie Nylund
Nylund laughs when asked about the production venue, “It’s way harder than the food!” She knew nothing about theater but did have some knowledge about codes. After building a few kitchens, Nylund understood how to change occupancy, locations, and navigate the fire marshall and city codes to create a safe place for the public to gather.
“But, finding a space has been extremely difficult, which resulted in this wonderful outdoor experience. On sunny summer days, it is amazing, but obviously limiting as our weather starts turning.” She said running an itinerant building, taking it down every summer, is a big physical load on many volunteers and helpful people.
A weather-safe, long-term building is Nylund’s next focus, and wrapping her mind around how to take the summertime Magpie’s energy and transfer that to a year-round venue is challenging.
She said it’s important to “make sure we slow it down for the winter pace we have all grown to love and why we live in Alaska’s environment, but still have that space to go to during the darkest months. We’re working on what that looks like from the programming aspect, as well as the pre-project development, and what kind of building. The artists are all here. It’s just a matter of making it easy for them to come out, do their thing, then go back into artist mode.”
All the way back, kings had their court jesters, and there’s always been that busker or town troubadour. There is always an artist in the community that sings to somebody’s emotion. I feel like it’s equally important as the gas station in town, the grocery store, or the library.
Giving art a platform in Valdez was important to Nylund because she is not an outdoors enthusiast. She loves the mountains and sea but also loves just sitting in view of them - she doesn’t feel the need to hike in them.
“I got involved in the schools in my twenties and didn’t feel like our artistic children had a space. We were doing great with sports, academics, and some music, but Valdez didn’t have a rich, strong space for creative souls to find like friends. I think we sent some kids off for a while without feeling confident they can create and be accepted for their creations.”
Nylund said having a place where different types of people can come together and feel safe to express themselves contributes to a stronger community.
“Having a supportive place that is accessible day in, day out, sending the message, ‘You’re seen, loved, and appreciated,’ is important in developing our souls. It brings excitement to the community.” An audible smile bubbles up in her voice, “I mean, look at what happened during Covid. What did we all do? We went to live streams, the music that pulled us out of our depression, and the poetry that helped place our anger afterward. We really clung as a society to the arts.”
Radiating an evident passion for her work Nylund said, “All the way back, kings had their court jesters, and there’s always been that busker or town troubadour. There is always an artist in the community that sings to somebody’s emotion. I feel like it’s equally important as the gas station in town, the grocery store, or the library. [Magpie’s] is one of those locations where it’s part of what it is to be human. If you don’t have all those parts, you’re missing something in the community.”
Nylund gives credit to the Valdez Arts Council for doing a great job bringing in music, keeping it alive, and making sure Valdez is getting those infusions of great art and culture. She wants to add to that thread. Magpie’s featured all local artists, but they are bringing in Outside talent and blending it with the local scene this year, focusing mostly on Valdez, Copper River Basin, Kenny Lake, and Cordova. She laughed and said, “We’ve yet to get someone over here from Cordova, but we’re trying!” She wants to give those artists a place to come together and perform.
Magpie’s also hosts the Saturday Market, which hasn’t gotten as much energy as the other aspects of Nylund’s business. The goal was to provide regular vendors and a place where locals could set up a booth and sell their eggs, extra greens or starts, or other goods. “We’re trying to connect The Basin, Valdez, and maybe Cordova to see what food security looks like in a market platform. Can we develop what you see around Homer where locals come in with crops and bits and create a vibrant weekly market?” Nylund said it’s been harder getting vendors on board than artists. “We do have Sammie’s bringing stuff and all the bakers. We have people who make earrings, and many kids this year entrepreneuring. It’s a great sampling of the community, but we do look forward to more food coming into the Saturday Market.”
There is a pep in everybody’s step. That tent goes up, and they know there will be something to do, a place to meet. It’s summertime. We’ve made it through winter. There’s an underlying raised energy overall I would say.
Nylund has been at the helm of the business for 14 years and has seen tangible changes in the community. “We have a Pride Weekend!” She lets out a warm laugh referring to the Valdez Pride! event coming up on June 3 - 5, hosted by Magpie’s. “As The Follies grew up and people enjoyed performing in it, our local community became part of it. It’s come as far as it has because of their volunteer work and passion. The platform created confidence that anyone can do this.”
Carl Young came forward with an idea that percolated for years and proposed it to Nylund, who tends to be fearless with a resounding “Yes!” when it comes to the arts. The Valdivas were born and did their first drag show last summer on Labor Day. “That showed more of the community, ‘Hey, you have family and community here, you are loved and supported, it’s a safe place to get together. Then Selah Bower came forward with the idea of hosting a Pride Weekend,” said Nylund.
Maggie Nylund loves what she does, connecting food, art and community. “I got a text the other day from a friend who said, ‘I know you don’t see it, but there’s a gleam in the community’s eye when the tent top goes up.’ And I do have to say I agree with that. There is a pep in everybody’s step. That tent goes up, and they know there will be something to do, a place to meet. It’s summertime. We’ve made it through winter. There’s an underlying raised energy overall I would say.”
Vendors for Saturday Market and Artists can reach out to Magpie’s through the contact form on the website