Donald Burrus was born in Alta, Iowa in 1904, and educated in Washington State, with a BA from Spokane University in 1931 and an MA in education from Washington State in 1935. He became the manager of Alaska Native Arts & Crafts in 1944, retiring on December 31, 1971 at the age of 67.

Prior to arriving in Alaska, Burrus climbed both Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams in 1939. Upon arriving in Juneau he continued to climb and ascended most of the peaks in the Juneau area. He build a cabin in the Lena Beach area with his wife and friends.

Burrus traveled in northern coastal Alaska on the Alaska Native Service vessel North Star and in interior Alaska with several of the famous bush pilots, photographing the communities which he visited.

Alaska Native Arts and Crafts Clearing House was established in 1937 by the Arts and Crafts Division of the Alaska Native Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs to help Alaska Natives crafts persons find markets for their work and supply raw materials. Virgil Farrell was the Bureau’s Seattle officer, and was the agency’s first arts and crafts supervisor in Alaska.

ANAC was reorganized in 1956 as Alaska Native Arts and Crafts Cooperative Association, becoming a private cooperative, separate from the BIA. In 1961, the cooperative’s only retail shop, ANAC Cache, was opened to test the retail market and acquaint the public with Alaska crafted products.

In 1984 the name was changed to Alaska Native Arts and Crafts Association, Inc.