Let Your Creativity Shine All Year-Round
We’re nearing the end of the year and soon we’ll all be gathered with our friends and families, glasses of champagne in hand…
Crafts
The quilt of many poppies
Joseph Novak is a World War ll veteran and possibly the last in the Yukon who served overseas. Joe moved into Whistle Bend Place early this year and has delighted co-residents and staff with his passionate storytelling, unshakable love of music and gratitude for life. In October of last year, Joe was given a 7×7-foot …
Colourful bookmarks
Today we’ll make our own colourful bookmarks. connecting reading and art with other fields in our life—let’s start!
Recycled mixed media art cards
Go outside for inspiration, then we’ll take our ideas inside, and, using some of that recycling that’s been piling up around the house, make some colourful art!
It’s beginning to look a lot like … (you know)
The pre-Christmas season will soon be underway here in the Klondike, actually beginning a few days before this piece can see print. It’s a season of bazaars and open houses that lead up to the actual holidays. It begins with the oldest and largest of the bazaars, the Little Blue Daycare Christmas Bazaar. This will …
It’s (almost) that most wonderful time of the year …
This year’s Spruce Bog Craft Fair features a wide array of crafts, from quilts that mirror paintings, to paintings that mirror nature, to knit designs that are seen in current fashion, or to locally-made gourmet coffee Spruce Bog. Two inspiring and motivational words that bring back many pleasant memories, both of crafting and shopping; they …
It’s (almost) that most wonderful time of the year … Read More »
Geek the Halls, a craft fair for the geeks-of-us
The second annual Geek the Halls craft fair is a different affair than the larger, more established craft fairs. But the vendors participating are a different sort of crafters and artists than the traditional Yukon crafters. Carrie Jackson, the Yukon Comic Culture Society president, explained that the society hosts creators who are focused on geek …
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The Yukon’s exclusive arts and crafts
Only two weeks to go until the 2018 Cranberry Fair, when, again, over 40 artists will gather to present the Yukon’s exceptional artistic craftsmanship.
Drinking with Scissors
Do you like crafting, socializing with friends—perhaps with a beverage or two—in a casual, relaxed yet well-lit atmosphere, complete with pinball machines to take a break and try your game expertise? Then Drinking with Scissors is for you.
Rope wreaths and Yukon steamers
Ruth Treskatis, volunteer and Janna Swales, executive director, proudly display their creations in front of the popsicle stick model of the SS Klondike at the Yukon Transportation Museum on Oct 15/18 What a history-packed day November 3, 2018, will be at our local Yukon Transportation Museum (YTM). The special activities start at 3 p.m. with …
Myth Buster: Oils are too messy, toxic and expensive
Many people of all walks of life enjoy painting. Most of the time, acrylics trump oils in popularity. Children, starting out in school, are offered tempera, watercolour and acrylics. The general belief is that oil paints are too messy, toxic, stinky and expensive. While oils can get messy without guidance, they are superior in colour, …
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What’s with all the brushes?
Painters need brushes to create the best marks and strokes to convey their visual messages.
The art of pelts, skulls and antlers
Cindy Klippenstein is a small-business owner with a degree in fine arts degree, who spends her days fleshing, tanning and mounting hunting trophies as the Yukon’s only full-time taxidermist. And she couldn’t be happier.
Not all canvases are created equal
I’d like to share what I know about canvases that are available locally. It is the most important part of your painting. It’s also known as the “support.”
Celebrating 30 years of northern art and artists
First Nations artists and performers, from across the North, will gather with artists from around the world for the Great Northern Arts Festival on July 13–22.
Magic in Tombstone
“Art Magic in Tombstone” is a series of workshops hosted by the Friends of Dempster Country society, and Yukon Parks, and will take place in Tombstone Territorial Park/ Ddhäl Ch’èl Cha Nän, throughout the summer.
Cranberry Fair … where ‘Quality, Originality, Creativity and Diversity’ meet
Each year, in Whitehorse, the Northern Fibres Guild invites the world to one of the Yukon‘s most exclusive sales events—Cranberry Fair.
Stream of Dreams
A team of facilitators from the Stream of Dreams program was in Dawson this week to promote environmental stewardship and facilitate a community art project.
A Whitehorse hub for visual and performing arts
For 22 years and going strong, LePage Park has become a hub for arts and culture during the summer months. The new season of Arts in the Park launches on May 22 with a free barbecue.
Celebrating First Nations’ achievements and culture
The Skookum Jim Folklore Show has become an annual tradition that celebrates First Nation traditions, community and culture.
Handmade with passion
Take a drive south of Whitehorse, using the mountain range and tall pines as your guide, you will find yourself in the lovely community of Carcross. In this little hub works a very talented jeweller, Shelley MacDonald.
A conversation with Niki Greenough
People want to be creative, but they don’t necessarily want to have to have all the stuff it takes to do a craft. They can come here, pay the one price, and then take their piece home with them.
Art is in the eyes of the beholder
Some 30 years ago, as a way of managing his writer’s block, Murray decided to go out to the garage, turn his scroll saw on and put the scroll blade to work to carve away.
Christmas shopping at the Old Fire Hall
The third annual Christmas Market at the Old Fire Hall will be held Friday, December 1 and Saturday, December 2. Once again the event is being organized by Judy Matechuk and Elena Joss. They are the same two women who were responsible for the very successful Etsy Made in Canada event held in Whitehorse earlier …
A community living craft fair
On Saturday, December 2, the Yukon Association for Community Living (YACL) is having its annual Christmas Craft Fair and Open House.
Gifts for geeks
If you don’t know what to get the geek on your Christmas list, the Yukon Comic Culture Society (YCCS) is coming to the rescue. The Society is hosting an event called Geek the Halls on Sunday, December 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Gold Rush Inn. According to Tracy Erman, president of …
Spruce things up
This year’s Spruce Bog Craft Sale takes place Saturday, November 18. There are plenty of returning vendors, as well as a few newbies, for a total of roughly 100 booths.
Local Artists Team Up for a Night of Live Hip Hop
“You’re Doing Great Work” reads the massive block letters on the front of Splintered Craft’s building on 4th Avenue. Other messages, pictures and tags cover nearly the entire exterior, and all have been made by local youth. The arts studio is a place where the youth of Whitehorse can discover, practice and hone their artistry …
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Who knit you?
In 2015 my husband, Roger, and I visited Newfoundland; we rented a vehicle and hit the road. The breathtaking western shore drive took us through Gros Morne National Park and along the coast to L’Anse aux Meadows. A knitter for most of my life, I was struck at the knitting industry alive and thriving on …
A Stitch in Time
Anna Taylor spent this winter stitching the stories of Dawson City women. In March, the Halifax-based textile artist completed a month-long residency at the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture. There, her embroidery practice focused on Dawson’s relationship with prostitution during the gold rush, and on the lives of the individual women who traveled north …
Artistic Announcements in Beads and Bells
Moses found nine other women to take on creating a dog blanket. The sewing group started up again in September, and they cut the materials out in October. She was happy she had such a good team of committed artists working with her. Each blanket takes many hours to design, bead and complete. They worked …
Arts, Culture and Creation
“Artists show the world unseen,” says Tahltan First Nation artist Rhoda Merkel. “Teachers show students a better form of themselves.” Merkel, who was raised in Whitehorse but lives in Atlin, combines both talents in her newest project, the Sam Johnston Storytelling Festival, which takes place Tuesday, March 7 in Teslin. The festival is a collaboration, …
Better When It’s Bitter
Jennifer Tyldesley has spent her life behind the controls of aeroplanes: in the Air Force, flying search and rescue and most recently for Air North. I imagine her in a crisp white shirt with epaulettes gleaming, watching the Klondike Valley sweep away beneath an old Hawker Siddeley when she is struck by an epiphany: “One …
About a Fair
From stunning jewelery, fine arts and unique crafts to quality prepared foods and personal care products hand made by Yukon artisans, the 12 Days of Christmas has become one of the largest Yukon craft fairs over the past decade. From its humble beginnings as a one day Christmas market in 2005 it has gradually grown …
Wool Gathering
The Heart of Riverdale Community Centre, located at 38 Lewes Boulevard, is a unique location in Whitehorse. Involvement of community members across generations is the focus of the centre. There is programming to nurture children and youth as well as adult programs. I have been asked to speak about The Sock Project – 2017 Canada …
Karen Nicloux: Stitching a Healthy Future
To talk to her, you wouldn’t think the quiet needleworker Karen Nicloux was once in the upper echelons of our local drug circuit. She was one of two debut artists chosen to display work at the newly opened Art House Carcross, a permanent visual showcase to promote Yukon art in the Carcross Commons in partnership …
Braided rugs, just like Grandma used to make
There I was at the end of August looking through Salvation Army for wool coats. August. What was I thinking? I know it’s the Yukon, but we still had beautiful summer weather and I was looking for a wool winter coat. I had to laugh at myself, maybe making rugs was an addiction. It all …
Dawson Quilts
But the hottest gift for Dawson City babies is a handmade quilt. It’s been the most popular gift since 1980.
Imagination & Artistry at the Whitehorse Etsy Sale
Etsy.com’s coast-to-coast pop-up event is back in Whitehorse for a second year, celebrating local artisans. Over a dozen vendors will be there with wares for you to touch, smell, see and drool over, and buy. The event takes place in 38 communities across Canada on the same day. Etsy.com is a online forum where …
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Hidden Treasure in Haines Junction
Another successful year has ended for the local gallery in Haines Junction. For the last five years, the gallery has been housed in the basement of St. Christopher’s Church. It started when Lynn De Brabandere, the minister, was having coffee with local artist Marty Ritchie and the conversation turned to the need for a display …
A Colouring Book for Adults
When Kyley Henderson was in elementary school her mother, Elaine, encouraged her to draw, and one year a drawing of hers was used in the Robert Service School yearbook. Elaine, who is herself a landscape painter and sculptor, says that she always encouraged Kyley to develop her art as a kid. Kyley remembers her mother telling …
Hands-On Haute Couture in the Junction
From beading to working with hide and hair, “Textile and fashion endeavours are followed by a huge number of locals,” says Heiko Hähnsen. He’s the director of the Junction Arts and Music, or JAM, an organization that “nurtures the arts”, according to its website, and is hosting Haines Junction’s first Hands-On Craft Weekend. Given that …
How Foster Care Shapes Lives
Amelia Merhar knows what it’s like to be a foster child, to go from home to home, and to be without a home at all. She wonders how that movement affects young people today, so she’s asking them to tell us, through art. Merhar, also known as Yukon’s singing, ukulele-playing Big Mama Lele, has just …
Artists Going Flat-Out
Question: What does a steam roller have in common with wood block printing? Answer: Joyce Majiski and Linda Leon. The two Yukon artists are hosting a spectacular event from August 5 to 7. Each day between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the skating oval in Shipyards Park a road packer will be rolling over …
Saturday is Market Time in the Klondike
Saturday in Dawson’s Waterfront Park means it’s time for a couple of markets to open for business. The Farmers’ Market has been running for many years. While it began with growers selling produce, vegetables, garden plants and bushes, it has expanded in offerings to the point where the name might be better rendered as a …
Atlin Arts and Music Festival: A Feast for the Senses
The Atlin Arts and Music Festival, music, visual arts, film and food, is about building community through music and art.
A Canada Day Celebration Worth Driving To
Mayo Arts Festival offers a unique way to celebrate Canada’s birthday with artists, workshops and musicians from the Stewart River Valley
Come On Out To the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre
On June 21st the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Society will be hosting National Aboriginal Day at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. The festivities are open to the public and will include games, music, food, kids activities and cultural displays. Krista Reid, the cultural programing coordinator for the society, says they are excited about this year’s event, …
Art Nights in Alaska
Haines is said to have more artists per capita than any town in Southeast Alaska. On Friday April 1st, the creative spirit of Haines was clearly demonstrated as artists, artisans, craftsmen and members of the public gathered for the unveiling of an exhibit compiled by renowned scrimshaw artist Heidi Robichaud. The exhibit, which is sponsored …
A March Break Staycation to Remember
If you are looking for a memorable and activity-packed March Break, there is no reason to leave town. In addition to normal family-friendly programming, many organizations are offering special camps for kids. If you missed your chance to get your kids into one of the camps – don’t fret. There are still lots of daytime …
Crafts to Brighten Up Your Spring
“We’re very excited about the warm welcome at our new location,” says Pam Charman, events organizer for the Yukon Crafts Society. After many years hosting the Spring Spruce Bog Craft Fair at the Gold Rush, they’ve moved to the Westmark. And with a higher-than-normal number of vendors, this year’s fair needs two rooms to fit …
A welcoming sewing circle
Have you got a beading project you’ve been trying to finish? Do you want to learn more about First Nations traditional sewing? Florence Moses hosts a sewing circle Wednesday evenings from 5-9 p.m. in the office of the Nacho Nyak Dun Development Corporation, located in the Yukon Inn Plaza on 4th Ave. You can come …
Next Stop, Serab
I love to travel; seeing new places, meeting new people. Experience, after all is priceless. I also love to knit. Imagine my delight when I purchased Silk Road Socks by Hunter Hammersen, with 93 pages of history and knitting. The book is published by Cooperative Press, Cleveland, Ohio, 2010. Hunter Hammersen has designed 14 sock …
Didee & Didoo: I MADE A FIDDLE
FIDDLES COST TOO MUCH THEY WOULDN’T LET ME TOUCH. SO WHEN I WAS LITTLE I MADE MY OWN FIDDLE. IT SOUNDED LIKE A LOON BUT I CAN PLAY A TUNE. I USED WOOD GUM TO MAKE IT HUM. I USED AL KINDS OF THINGS AN’ RABBIT SNARES FOR STRINGS. DIDOO GAVE ME SINEW AND I …
The Steampunk Ball starts here
If you were on a committee to provide decorations for a dance, your shopping list will likely include balloons, streamers and crepe… lots of crepe. But not if you were decorating the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre for the Steampunk Ball 2.0 Tesla Boogaloo. Instead, you will need polished brass, iron, wood and leather for the …
Teen Valentine
What are teen relationships like on Valentine’s Day? The answer may surprise you. It is actually one of the most stressful days of the year.
Say it with a Craft Project
Valentine Craft Night. If you are interested in community sharing of equipment and knowledge, the craft night is just the beginning.
Dawson Entrepreneur Finds her own Klondike Gold
Not just gold glitters in the Klondike. For Dawson City single-mother & entrepreneur, the pasties she makes sparkle too.
Holiday Gift Guide
As we enter the holiday season where advertising, social media, and storefronts are shouting at us about all the things there are to buy, one might wonder whether all this shopping will lead to anyone’s happiness. Researchers out of Cornell University had a similar thought. Thomas Gilovich and Amit Kumar published their research in the …
Tannenbaum
Historians agree that our modern Christmas tree tradition originated in the German Renaissance period (circa 1500). Martin Luther added candles as decoration. Prior to candles, Tannenbaum (or Christmas tree in English) were decorated with apples and nuts. The practice of bringing evergreen boughs into the home at Solstice is much older. Egyptian culture used evergreen …
Rallying together to honour and protect women
In a community as small as the Yukon, when people begin to stand together, change is a very real possibility. The 2015 annual 12 Days to End Violence Against Women campaign launches on Nov. 25. During these 12 days Whitehorse residents will come together in support of women in our community and take a stand …
‘Tis the season: Christmas 2015
Jessica Vellenga will offer antique lace pendants and cowls created from old sweaters. A graduate of McMaster University with study abroad experience at University of Leeds, England, Vellenga brings a wonderful fine arts sensibility to her work. There will be at least 10 vendors with incredible products participating in re:design. A personal favourite is the …
Freestyle Beading in Dawson
Dawson City resident Debbie Winston has a love of making art with beads – including antique glass and china chickens. A child of the sixties, Debbie first arrived in Whitehorse on July 1, 1967. She was traveling with her boyfriend. His father had paid her way – traveling in style on CP Air, Debbie remembers …
Bringing Variety to the Rural School Experience
Students in rural schools can miss out on a number of things in terms of course offerings and opportunities. There are specialty programs in the city that attract a number of rural students to spend time in Whitehorse. Our daughter, for instance, spent half of her Grade 11 year attending the Music Arts and Drama …
Double knots on a thread
My sister Marion Dale and I share many wonderful childhood memories. One of our favourites is the summers we spent with our Great Auntie Kate. In her 70’s when we visited she raised sheep on a family farm near Renfrew, Ontario. No inside plumbing, no electricity, our days were spent exploring the sheep pasture and …
Folk Art in the Forest
A chance meeting a long time ago started a friendship and a quilting group that has been meeting now for three decades. As it happened, Yukoners Dorothy Smith and Karen McIver enrolled in an embroidery class at the public library in the early 1980’s. Upon leaving they began to chat. The course was great, …
Ancestral Ways
Juanita Growing Thunder-Fogarty lives in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in the tiny community of North San Juan, on the same property her paternal ancestors settled during the California Gold Rush of 1849. But her heart is inextricably linked to the Great Plains territory of her Sioux and Assiniboine forebears, and the beading …
The Brush Stroke
Hi, I’m Joslyn, and I’m afraid of…painting. More specifically, I’m afraid of looking silly because I’m bad at painting in front of those who are good at it. And so, though I have long longed to walk up to an easel and express myself all over it, I have shyly avoided every opportunity to do …
Old Cabin in Space
Over the spring break for Whitehorse schools, the open art studio, Splintered Craft, will be filming a music video. By no means a small undertaking, the community studio — a Skookum Jim Friendship Centre program — is pulling in all the help it can get, which means everyone is welcome to pitch in. They began …
Burn Away the Dark Times
The Yukon winter is so long that Dawson City-based filmmaker Suzanne Crocker once said winter has its own seasons. Most Yukoners I know divide their very existence between their “winter” and “summer” selves. More often than not, winter versions mirror the still, silent, and slow environment outside our frosty windows. Unfailingly, I spend each spring …
Artists Disguised as Carpenters
Ogilvie General Contracting is a small company; Graydon Keenan is it. And he and his long time friend Jona Barr took his first big project together. It wasn’t just any job. This was for their friend Elijah Stick’s mom, Jan. “I knew I wanted to make it special for Jan,” he says. “She’s like family …
Quilting Hotbed
To descend the stairs into Bear’s Paw Quilts is to descend into colour. Quilts and colourful fabric samples line the walls. This is more than a fabric store. It’s a school, and a conduit to a world where quilting is the art of choice. Quilter, business owner, and teacher Ruth Headley attributes Bear’s Paw’s twelve years …
Homemade Seed Tapes
Winter can be frustrating for gardeners. There are days when it feels like spring won’t get here soon enough. Combine this with the knowledge that when it does, there is only a small window of time available, and a gardener can become anxious. Last year, I tried to get a head start on planting the …
Hooked on Hand-Dyeing
Baby alpaca and baby camel grow some very nice wool that can be sheared off and spun into beautifully soft balls of yarn. Skeins of yarn, actually – that’s the term that Whitehorse artist Sophie Jessome uses. She and her boyfriend Yann Le Roy have a passion for natural fibre. They’re also interested in learning old …
Artrepreneur: Spruce Bog in the Summer
One of Whitehorse’s favourite Christmas craft fairs has reproduced. About 40 different craft makers, artists, authors and artisans will showcase their work at the Yukon Crafts Society’s Artisans’ Market Gift Shop this summer. The Yukon Crafts Society is best known for producing the Spruce Bog Christmas craft sale. The society has turned the old Trapper’s …
