🌱 What’s sprouting after a long winter?
Snow one day, sunshine the next, but temperatures are finally creeping above zero!
As the season shifts, here’s a quick roundup of how Yukon Prize artists have been staying busy: performing, exhibiting, publishing, and connecting across the North and beyond. Here’s a look at what’s been happening (and what’s coming).
🐜 Save the Date
or those of you who need time to plan (and book your flights)… the next biennial Yukon Prize Festival Weekend dates have been set: October 1–3, 2027!
☀️ What Makes Yukon Prize Artists Shine?
As we begin the fourth edition of the Yukon Prize, we’re excited to continue creating opportunities for Yukon artists to connect with audiences and arts communities across Canada. We also hope you’ll join us for the Yukon Prize Festival, October 1–3, 2027, as we celebrate the finalists and the richness of Yukon contemporary art.
🍀 Alumni News
Our alumni community has been busy! Here are just a few recent highlights:
🎤 On Stage + On Air
Jeneen Frei Njootli performed at the Yukon Arts Centre on March 31 as part of The Caribou Project by Lianne Charlie and Nicholas Hyatt.
Jeneen joined Momus: The Podcast, to reflect on language, land, and “being witnessed by the stars.”
👉🏼Full interview
Omar Reyna was on EARS HAVE EYES, a sound art radio program exploring grief and transformation.
👉🏼 Listen here
👀 Exhibitions + Features
Omar Reyna was part of Topographies of Self, an online exhibition by Griffin Museum of Photography (March 1-April 14).
Jeneen Frei Njootli had artwork in The Structure of Smoke at the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery (Jan 9 – April 12).
Jeneen also had a solo exhibition The Skies Closed Themselves When We Averted Our Gaze at The Power Plant (Nov 7–Mar 22).
Krystle Silverfox opened Distant Relatives, a solo exhibition at United Contemporary (Feb 5 -March 14) + is now represented by the gallery.
Krystle was also interviewed by curator Wahsontiio Cross in February about three of her works, all recent acquisitions by the National Gallery of Canada. 👉🏼 Full interview
Cole Pauls‘ comic, Ją Ts’än Äch’äw? (Southern Tutchone for Where is He From?) was part of We Have Travelled at Emily Carr University (Feb 20-March 7).
🚗 On the Road
Randi Nelson was at RES 2026 in Las Vegas (March 23 – 26), including Fashion Row, spotlighting Indigenous designers on an international stage.
Helen O’Connor took part in an artist talk, reflecting on her residency at Farm Studio in Rajasthan, India (March 25).
🎬 Screenings
Joyce Majiski is in the film Mammoth Hunters, which premiered February 8.
Matthew Lien & Diyet are receiving 🌿laurels🌿 at festivals across the world with The Kluane Compositions.
🫶🏼 Creative Momentum
Justin Apperley is on a roll posting his photographic work almost daily since February, definitely worth following along.
🌼 Coming up
Kaylyn Baker and her sister, Amber Baker, are preparing a collection for the Pacific Northwest Creatives Summit Finale: Better Together Gala x Fashion Show April 23 2026, in Victoria BC. 👉🏼 If you’re in Victoria, tickets are available!
Cole Pauls will be featured in the upcoming anthology 30×30: Thirty Years of Conundrum Press (May release), alongside Yukon artist Kim Edgar. 👉🏼 Preorder the anthology
Guná Jensen will be participating in the Arctic Arts Summit in Umeå, Sweden in June 2026. She will be collaborating with Sámi and circumpolar Indigenous artists on a site-specific work.
Randi Nelson will be part of the exhibition Always in Fashion at the Textile Museum of Canada from May 1, 2026 – January 3, 2027, so there is plenty of time to see it if you’re in or heading to Toronto.
🍃 That’s a Wrap (for now)
Spring is just getting started! Whether it’s on the land, in the studio, or across the world, we are proud of how Yukon Prize artists are continuing to shape meaningful conversations through their work.
Thanks for following along.
💛
🌷 Help Art Bloom in the Yukon
Spring is a season of growth. Your gift helps Yukon artists plant new ideas, grow projects, and reach audiences near and far.
✔ Donate through our partner, the Yukon Arts Foundation via Canada Helps.
✔ Receive an instant charitable donation receipt by email
✔ Make an impact on the Yukon arts community
🙌🏽 Thank you for helping creativity take root in the North.