Born in Ketchikan, Alaska, Allie High is Tsimshian, Raven, Haida, and Aleut. She received her BS in education from the University of Oregon and her MA from the University of Texas.

Strongly influenced by her Native American culture and ancestral artistic traditions, High creates intricately carved masks subtly detailed with symbolic elements and mythological details. In her paintings of animals and figures, she uses geometric shapes, simplified patterns, and colors to emphasize form and line. High has taught art in public schools and universities in Alaska and Louisiana, and has exhibited widely both domestically and internationally.

Her work can be found in collections of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Anchorage Museum, and Alaska Airlines.