Yukon Prize Celebration Evening, Feast of Small Plates + Saturday Daytime Events
October 4
Saturday marked the heart of the Yukon Prize Festival Weekend, bringing together lively daytime conversations and a sold-out Celebration Evening: from engaged panel discussions and artist-led tours to an unforgettable night of performances, shared meals, and the announcement of the award!
Saturday daytime events: Talks, Lunch + Art Tour
The Yukon Arts Centre, Yukon University & Yukon Archives | October 4
Saturday’s daytime programming drew enthusiastic, engaged crowds, with attendance more than doubling compared to the previous Yukon Prize Festival. From panel discussions to artist-led tours, audiences arrived eager to learn, ask questions, and connect.
A highlight was the Yukon Prize Jurors’ Panel, What I Look for in Contemporary Art, featuring Sarah Moore Fillmore (Art Gallery of Nova Scotia), Dr. Heather Igloliorte (University of Victoria), and Jonathan Shaughnessy (National Gallery of Canada), and moderated by Casey Prescott, CEO of the Yukon Arts Centre. The conversation offered rare insights into contemporary curatorial perspectives, touching on context, care, risk, and artistic intention.
The morning continued with Artists in Conversation, featuring Adad Hannah and Leslie Leong and hosted by Erin Corbett. Together they spoke candidly about sustaining a creative practice, balancing artistic vision with income, the value of residencies, and ways to build visibility.
Following lunch, the finalists led tours of their work in the exhibition, offering audiences a deeper look into their processes and the stories behind the art. Hearing directly from the artists added valuable context, revealing the research, experimentation, and personal motivations that shaped each piece.
Yukon Prize Celebration Evening and Feast of Small Plates
Yukon Arts CEntre | October 4, 6 – 9 PM
A sold-out crowd gathered for the Celebration Evening, filled with unforgettable moments of art, food, and celebration! Guests dressed to impress (and express!) and sampled extraordinary dishes inspired by the finalist artists. Aubyn O’Grady was named the recipient of the 2025 Yukon Prize for Visual Arts, an acknowledgement of a practice rooted in community, collaboration, and care. The evening’s performances added depth with Rising Sun Singers stepping in at the last minute for a moving performance, and Erica Dee Mah’s music carried a quiet intensity, layered and resonant. The screening of the first movement of Kluane Compositions was stunning in the theatre. Throughout the night, friends and families gathered at the Portrait Parlour photo booth, capturing joyful moments to commemorate a truly special community celebration.
Feast of Small Plates
The energy carried seamlessly from the announcement of the Yukon Prize recipient into the Feast of Small Plates. Some of the most meaningful moments unfolded as the chefs and artists met, sharing stories and inspirations behind both the artwork and the food.
Aubyn O’Grady was named the recipient of the 2025 Yukon Prize for Visual Arts, recognizing a playful, collaborative practice that continues to energize and connect the Yukon arts community.
In her acceptance remarks, Aubyn spoke to the collective nature of making art in the North and the importance of recognition within community:
As anyone who makes artwork in the Yukon knows, we don’t do it alone. And it means a lot that the type of art that I do, that sometimes is not easy to explain and not really meant to travel, is recognized in this forum. To my fellow finalists, longlisted artists and all the other artists in the room – you are my idols, and I am so proud of all of us!
Aubyn shares more in interviews with CBC TV – Northbeat and CBC News.
