Yukon Arts Centre
Yukon Arts Centre, Parks Canada, US National Park Service and Skagway Arts Council are seeking three visual artists – one regional (Yukon or Alaskan residents) and two artists within the applicants of any nationality, to participate in a cross-border creative journey within Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Alaska and Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site in British Columbia. The partner organizations are thrilled to offer this one-of-a-kind residency once again in 2019, its ninth consecutive season.
Selected artists will follow the infamous Chilkoot Trail “once trod by Tlingit First Nation traders and Klondike Gold Rush stampeders” for two weeks. Average hikers take four to five days to complete the trek, whereas with support from Trail staff and from a friend or family member of their choice, artists are able to take time to interact with hikers, make art, and soak in the natural and historic beauty of the Trail.
The residency program holds a joint goal for the US National Park Service and Parks Canada: to increase public awareness of the Chilkoot Trail, particularly in major cities. By creating art during and after the hike, and by leading workshops and/or art talks on the trail and in nearby communities, artists inspire Canadians and Americans to appreciate the legacy of the Chilkoot Trail.
For the Yukon Arts Centre, the residencies are a way of fostering the Yukon’s creative and cultural economy by developing ties with tourism, bringing new and broader audiences into contact with contemporary artists; providing a stimulating working experience for artists; and encouraging art making that explores and even challenges ideas and issues in landscape art.
Artists are expected to lead two campground programs during their residency (i.e. exploring with visitors their art experience on the Chilkoot Trail through a talk or workshop), one program on the US and one on the Canadian section of the Trail. Each artist will present short Art Talks or workshops in Skagway and Whitehorse.
Artists are encouraged, but not required, to produce art while on the Trail. Artists do not have to deliver finished pieces until after the residency, as specified in the deadlines of the contract with the Yukon Arts Centre. Each artist is expected to provide the rights to use a high resolution digital image of a finished piece of work that was initiated during the residency to Parks Canada and the Yukon Arts Centre and the US National Parks Service. This image will be used for information, display and publicity purposes, internal documents, program records and as a reference tool for future exhibitions. This digital image is to be received within one year of the residency.
Artists must provide low resolution digital files of work produced during the residency for archival and promotional purposes (to be received within two months of the residency). Artists may also choose to donate artwork to Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (optional). The partner organizations will provide wording and logos for artists to include in future exhibits, web pages, etc.
The Chilkoot Trail is accessed from the town of Skagway, Alaska. Skagway is accessible by road from Whitehorse, Yukon, via the South Klondike Highway. Prior to, as well as during the Gold Rush, the Chilkoot Trail was an important trade and travel link for First Nation peoples. After the Gold Rush the area continued to be important for a variety of subsistence activities. Local First Nations people have the right to hunt, fish, and gather wild food within Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site of Canada. Site visitors are not allowed to harvest, remove or disturb any natural resources.
The trail will become the artist's studio for the two week residency. The National historic site regulations apply to everyone on the Trail, and artists and their support people must comply.
During the residency, artists hike the Chilkoot Trail and stay in visitor campgrounds.
Artists are required to carry all their own gear. They are supported by Trail staff through the provision of food/supply caches, daily radio check-ins and use of some staff facilities.
Alaska and Yukon - The Chilkoot Trail is a 33 miles / 53 km trail through the Coast Mountains that leads from Skagway, Alaska in the United States, to Bennett, British Columbia in Canada. The Trail was the historic gateway to the Yukon once tread by Tlingit First Nation traders and Klondike Gold Rush prospectors. The Chilkoot Trail has been officially designated by Canada and the United States as a component of the Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park.