May 2022 Newsletter
Yukon Prize Artists Spotlighted at Art Vancouver
Yukon: Where Art is Gold. This was the theme of the Yukon Prize’s booth at Art Vancouver May 5 – 8, where the artwork of five of the finalists was on display. It was a great opportunity to introduce art enthusiasts in the Vancouver area to the tremendous talent and diversity of Yukon artists. Four of the finalists were present and had an opportunity to interact with visitors, and the response to the Yukon Prize booth was overwhelmingly positive.
The life-sized animal heads were made from discarded hotel bed sheets, dyed, and filled with stuffing from old pillows. We decided to position the life-sized animal parts in a pile in the middle of the booth, rather than against a wall, requiring people to confront it and walk around it. This added to the impact – these animals cannot be ignored, like the young bear that Veronica found shot dead near her cabin which inspired the artwork.
Trip to Yukon to see art
Art Vancouver was a wonderful way to show the larger art world what Yukon artists can do. We hope this encourages more art lovers to come to the Yukon to see Yukon art. Thanks to the generosity of Air North and NVD Yukon Hotels, Yukon Prize was able to offer a prize of a trip for two to see art in the Yukon to one lucky visitor to our booth. The winner was artist/designer Giselle Quero, who said she was “beyond thrilled to explore Yukon and see the amazing art”.
Yukon Prize in the News
Here are some highlights of recent media coverage of the Yukon Prize:
Elle Magazine Canada profiled 2021 Yukon Prize recipient Joseph Tisiga and interviewed co-founder Julie Jai for its article Due North: Yukon’s thriving contemporary arts scene is taking centre stage with a new award honouring its visual artists, Elle Canada, May 2022 issue.
What’s Up Yukon interviewed Veronica Verkley and Krystle Silverfox about the women who inspired them on their creative journeys in the article Artists Inspiring Artists.
Check out the current issue, #151 of C Magazine on the newsstand for an insightful review of the Yukon Prize Finalists’ Exhibition at the Yukon Arts Centre.
You can catch these and other articles in the Media section of the Yukon Prize website.
News about the Finalists
In other news, we were delighted to learn that Yukon Prize finalist Krystle Silverfox has been long-listed for the Sobey Art Award, Canada’s richest art prize. Congratulations Krystle!
Joseph Tisiga presented new works at the Independent Art Fair at New York’s Art Week 2022 which got rave reviews in Artsy.
There are still a few days to catch Sho Sho Esquiro’s show, Doctrine of Discovery, at the Bill Reid Gallery in Vancouver.
Get ready for the 2023 Yukon Prize
Planning is well underway for Yukon Prize 2023. In order to learn from the inaugural Yukon Prize, a detailed survey was conducted of the applicants for the 2021 Yukon Prize. We thank all of the artists who took the time to tell us what went well and what might be improved in 2023. Congratulations to John Berryman, who was the winner of a $100 gift card in a draw of survey respondents. Many thanks to Taku Sports Group in Whitehorse for the generous donation.
The Arctic Arts Summit, bringing together representatives of Arctic countries and the Indigenous Nations of the Circumpolar region, will be in Whitehorse from June 27 – 29. The Summit is already underway with rich online content about northern artists, including profiles of Yukon Prize finalists Ken Anderson, Amy Ball, Sho Sho Esquiro, Krystle Silverfox and the Yukon Prize itself. The Summit includes some events open to the public, including an Art Crawl on Wednesday June 29th.
Come see our pop-up show at the Arctic Arts Summit Art Crawl on June 29th!
The Yukon Prize is setting up a pop-up show at Arts Underground in Whitehorse from June 18 – July 3 for Summit delegates, Adaka festival visitors and anyone interested in learning more about the Yukon Prize and Yukon artists. Please come visit us at Arts Underground!
Many thanks to Mark Kelly, Craig Hougen and Julie Jai for the photos used in this newsletter.