Call for Applications: Kluane National Park Artist Residency for 2023 & 2024

The residency takes place at the Kluane Research Centre. Photo courtesy of Kluane Lake Research Station.

Call for Applications: Kluane National Park Artist Residency

Residency Period: 2 weeks in July and September of 2023 and 2024.
Application Deadline: March 20, 2023

The Kluane National Park Artist Residency provides an opportunity for established visual artists to pursue work that brings together science and art through connection with the spectacular landscape of Kluane National Park and Reserve in the southwest Yukon. With the support of the Yukon Arts Centre, Parks Canada and the Arctic Institute of North America’s (AINA) Kluane Lake Research Station (KLRS), artists are given valuable time to retreat, reflect, and focus on their work with access to researchers and scientists. The residency is the perfect setting to explore the interplay between science, conservation, and art, and give artists a chance to share and connect with people from all over the world.

Eligibility:

• This residency is open to Canadian applicants for both 2023 and 2024
• Two artists, one Northern Artist and one Artist from Canada, will be selected for each year
• Northern Artist is defined as from Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik (northern Quebec) and Nunatsiavut (northern Labrador) including Indigenous artists from these regions living elsewhere in Canada.
• Preference will be given to qualified candidates who self-identify as Yukon First Nation or another Canadian Indigenous ancestry.

About the Residency:

There are two seperate 2-week residencies available each year. These are to occur in July and September of 2023 and 2024.

During the residency artists will be expected to present:

• three public workshops, talks, demonstrations, or events
• two ‘artist at work’ drop in sessions

These programs will be planned and delivered in collaboration with Parks Canada and Kluane Lake Research Station staff. The possible locations for these programs are the Kathleen Lake day use area, the Thechàl Dhâl’ Visitor Centre, and the Kluane Lake Research Station.

Artists will provide Partners with at least one image of a work that was initiated or worked on during the residency (by November 31st).

The residency is on the shores of Kluane Lake. Photo courtesy of Kluane Lake Research Station.

Residency Includes:

• $3000 CAD honorarium from the Yukon Arts Centre
• Accommodations and meals for two weeks in a cabin at the Kluane Lake Research Station which is located 220 km northwest of Whitehorse, Yukon, on the south shore of Kluane Lake (Lhù’ààn Mânʼ). The research station is close to the northern limit of Kluane National Park and Reserve and is located equidistant to Burwash Landing and Haines Junction, Yukon.
• Artists are responsible for their own transportation to and from the residency. A vehicle is strongly recommended during the residency.
• Basic art supplies for participants attending public programs will be provided
• Artists will have opportunities to access scientists, ecological experts, and Parks Canada staff to help inspire their work and plan their public programs
• Artists will be given access to the two Kluane National Park Visitor Centres and to any public spaces in the park. Please note that Kluane National Park is a remote wilderness park. To access the majority of the park requires hiking or other forms of non-motorized travel.

Things to consider:

• The Kluane Lake Research Station is located 62 km from the community of Haines Junction on the Alaska Highway. The community of Haines Junction has a grocery store, gas stations, restaurants, medical services, a laundromat, and other amenities. KLRS is 220 km from Whitehorse.
• Artists are responsible for their own transportation to and from the residency. A vehicle is strongly recommended during the residency.
• Please ensure that you obtain appropriate travel insurance for your visit to avoid any medical expenses. The nearest nurse’s stations to the KLRS are at Destruction Bay (~40 km) and Haines Junction (~60 km).
• KLRS is an off-grid facility powered mainly by solar energy. Although the Artists will have a private cabin, the eating, work, and leisure spaces are shared. A washhouse facility has toilets and showers with hot water. There is no cell reception at the station. Power and limited wifi are available in common spaces, but not in cabins. Meals are prepared by a full-time Chef and we cater to variety of dietary needs. For more information and a virtual tour, see klrs.ca
• Ground surface around the research station is unpaved, and some areas of the site, like the beach, are only accessible by foot.
• Kathleen Lake day use area does not have electricity, wifi or reliable cell service.
• There is an enclosed day use shelter at Kathleen Lake with windows looking onto the lake and surrounding mountains.

Application deadline for both 2023 and 2024 is March 20, 2023 at 5PM Yukon time. Complete the online application form.

Contact:
Mary Bradshaw, Director of Visual Arts
Yukon Arts Centre
300 University Drive
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 5X9
mary.bradshaw@yac.ca

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