A Night in the Big Wild

Cooper adds his future vision of the Yukon at A Night in the Big Wild Photo by Marten Berkman CPAWS members Go Wild in Whitehorse streets, inviting Yukoners to attend A Night in the Big Wild, May 24, 2008 Photo by Jean-François Papillon

Yukon Arts Centre
May 24th, 2008

On a gorgeous Yukon spring evening, nearly 350 people filled the Yukon Arts Centre to honour and celebrate our Big Wild through imagery, video, music, dance, speakers and art.

On Saturday May 24th, Whitehorse ended the national, month long launch of Big Wild with an evening of entertainment.

We took a poignant visual and audio journey across Yukon’s wild places with local photographer and videographer Marten Berkman. Marten presented a stunning collection of local photographers’ work to live music and song. We traveled virtually from the Yukon’s north slope to the western St. Elias mountains, to the lush southeast Yukon, the stunning Peel watershed glimpsing mountains and rivers, lakes and wildlife. Audience members were inspired to pause and envision their present and future relation with Yukon’s wild places. Inspiring words were shared and added to a large billboard illustrating Yukoners’ respect for and appreciation of their home.

Marten Berkman presented his award-winning film Cascade of Light, depicting a group of friends rafting down the north Yukon’s Firth River – an excellent example of a Big Wild Challenge.

Interspersed throughout the evening, we enjoyed live performances from the Persephone Singers, Manfred Janssen and Jude Wong.

May 24th also marked the opening of Wild Child, an exhibit of Yukon children’s art inspired by nature.

Overall, it was a fantastic, heartfelt and moving evening celebrating Big Wild, a CPAWS and Mountain Equipment Co-op initiative to create a cross-Canada movement that will advance the vision of keeping at least 50% of our public land and water permanently wild.

Thanks to everyone involved!

www.thebigwild.org