Three Rivers: Wild Waters, Sacred Places
Art Exhibition Continues to Tour Canada

by Juri Peepre

CPAWS-Yukon board member Larry Duguay and Sue Johnson admire Haruko Okano’s Legacy installation Photo by Juri Peepre

The long-awaited opening of the Three Rivers: Wild Waters, Sacred Places art exhibition drew an enthusiastic crowd to the Yukon Arts Centre in October, eager to see the paintings, sculptures and installations created by the 8 visual artists who took part in the Three Rivers Journey. In 2003, CPAWS-Yukon invited 11 nationally prominent artists, writers, journalists and photographers to join 26 people from the Yukon and Northwest Territories on three separate but simultaneous journeys along the Snake, the Wind, and the Bonnet Plume rivers.

More than 300 people joined the opening night celebration, featuring 17 visual art works, and a fine introductory exhibition video produced by Marten Berkman. They immersed themselves in the beautiful and powerful images straight from the wild heart of the Three Rivers - the Wind, Snake and Bonnet Plume. The sheer scale of the works, their intensity, variety and depth of interpretation was impressive and bodes well for the prospects of a national tour.

Vivid colours and intricate boreal lichen detail in Ron Bolt's "Yukon Micro" captured the attention of many, while Haruko Okano's intriguing installation depicting a moose skin boat over water and sand pulled in others. The Yukon's Joyce Majiski created a very unusual and engaging hanging river valley made of raw silk, lush with blues and sepias, detailed with maps and impressions of the Wind River. Jane Isakson, also of Whitehorse, painted four large canvasses of iconic Yukon landscapes, each appealing to our image of the North. Her "Peel River Canyon: Marking Time" painting struck a chord.

Gwen Curry created two mesmerizing installations featuring a multi-coloured tapestry of Bonnet Plume rocks, water and light, while Michael Belmore hammered out two inspired Wind River landscape sculptures in copper and silver. Marlene Creates' large photo-panels evoked her experiences and memory of place, strongly influenced by the stories of Gwich'in elders. Jose Mansilla-Miranda produced three highly symbolic paintings reflecting the spiritual dimensions of life and his encounters with danger on the Snake River.

On the Friday following the exhibition opening, about 100 people joined former Yukon Premier Tony Penikett at a Public Forum on the theme of art, nature and conservation. Many thoughtful questions were raised on the role of art in advocacy, the inherent challenges when we convert nature and art into commodities, and the links to community and protected areas. Well-attended public lectures on a wide range of topics were hosted by the Yukon Arts Centre Public Art Gallery throughout the weekend and CPAWS invited Yukon writers to discuss nature writing and conservation. Scribes Richard Nelson of Sitka, Alaska and Brian Brett of Salt Spring Island joined two dozen local writers in a lively debate moderated by Miche Genest.

The Three Rivers: Wild Waters, Sacred Places exhibition will help foster a new appreciation for the Wind, Snake and Bonnet Plume watersheds, along with the entire expanse of Yukon's wild beauty that too many take for granted. The exhibition challenges the way we perceive the links between art and nature, and perhaps it will compel many to re-think their notions about conservation. This exhibition and the events to launch it were an important milestone in the evolution of art and conservation in the Yukon. It is particularly rewarding for CPAWS to have forged new partnerships, and worked with so many talented individuals. A whole new set of possibilities is now open to consider and pursue.

It's hard to imagine all this hasn't spurred some interesting conversations around town, and maybe even renewed hope that the Yukon will want to protect more of the splendour and mystery that is now depicted at the Art Gallery.

Three Rivers: Wild Waters, Sacred Places View a slideshow of selections from the show. (Acrobat [PDF] file, ~1.2 Mb)