Madison Thompson’s artwork is part of a colorful display at the Dimond Center, marked with a white arrow to highlight her creature among the collaborative cardboard cutout installation created by Anchorage students.
By Gina Hill | Alaska Headline Living | March 26, 2026 | *Disclosure: Madison Thompson is the author’s granddaughter*
Shoppers passing through the mall might not expect to stumble into an art gallery.
But that’s exactly what happens at the Dimond Center, where colorful student artwork now fills a storefront that once held retail displays.
For Anchorage student Madison Thompson, it became a moment worth pausing for. Standing beside her piece on the gallery wall, Madison waits patiently while her mom, Mey Saephan, snaps a photo. Around them, mallgoers drift past, some slowing down to study the artwork created by students from across the city. What began as a classroom project now hangs in a public gallery where hundreds of people can see it each day.
The gallery is part of a growing effort by the Anchorage School District to bring student creativity out of the classroom and into the community. One of the newest spaces for that effort sits inside the Dimond Center, between Hot Topic and Verizon. The student gallery opened in 2024, transforming a former retail storefront into a rotating exhibition space dedicated to young artists.
This current exhibition, titled “In Space With Major Tom,” is a collaborative cardboard cutout installation, where students cut shapes out of cardboard and decorated them to create imaginative, three-dimensional art. The project brings together artwork from more than a dozen schools, including Airport Heights Elementary School, Aquarian Charter School, North Star Elementary School, Bear Valley Elementary School, Lake Otis Elementary School, Taku Elementary School, Bayshore Elementary School, Ptarmigan Elementary School, Inlet View Elementary School, Trailside Elementary School, Orion Elementary School, JBER Elementary School, and Ocean View Elementary School – Home of the Seals.
The project was guided by Dimi Macheras and Casey Silver of 80% Studios, creators of the popular Chickaloonies series. Their team helped students conceptualize the space theme and encouraged creativity in both cutting and decorating the cardboard shapes.
Inside the gallery, the walls are filled with colorful, playful creatures and other space-themed cutouts, creating a three-dimensional story of interstellar adventure. The exhibitions rotate every few weeks, giving more students the opportunity to see their creations in a public setting.
Teachers often say that seeing student work displayed on a gallery wall where anyone can stop and look can change how students think about what they create, turning a classroom project into something that feels meaningful and real. Those who know Madison note her talent stands out.
“At this age, it’s not common to see students who excel both academically and artistically,” said James Hill, who is familiar with her work. “Madison is one of those students. She’s genuinely talented.”
The Dimond Center gallery is part of a broader effort to highlight student art throughout Anchorage, with work also appearing in community venues like the Anchorage Museum. But the mall setting offers something unique: art meets the public where they already are. Families heading to the food court, teenagers meeting friends, and shoppers browsing stores can suddenly find themselves pausing to admire student creations.
For Madison Thompson, that means her art is no longer just something seen by classmates or teachers. It’s something the entire community can experience. And for a young artist standing beside her own work on a gallery wall, that moment can feel pretty extraordinary. 🎨
Visit the gallery in person at the Dimond Center between Hot Topic and Verizon to see “In Space With Major Tom” and other student creations.
