When the BYTE team came up with the idea to do a photography workshop in Old Crow and Inuvik in order to capture climate change through the eyes of youth, we talked briefly about the possibility of putting together a photography exhibit with the youth’s photographs, but decided to wait to see the results before making any commitments. As we sifted through the hundreds of photographs taken by Old Crow and Inuvik youth after our workshop, we decided that the images were too beautiful and compelling to pass up the opportunity to create a photography exhibit.
Over 900 images emerged as a result of our photography workshop in Inuvik and Old Crow last October. Although the high quality of the photographs made it difficult, we selected about 30 photographs that captured climate change and the lives of youth in the two Arctic communities, and had them professionally printed in order to put them into the exhibit.
This past Friday, January 10th, we launched This Is Our Arctic at the Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse. It’s the first installation of an exhibit that we hope will travel around Canada to share visions of Arctic communities facing rapid climate change. Our reception was well attended, and we’re hoping that more people go to visit the exhibit at the Yukon Electrical Youth Gallery at the Yukon Arts Centre between now and February 1st.
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- Photographs taken in Old Crow
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- The public checks out the exhibit at the Yukon Electrical Youth Gallery at the Yukon Arts Centre
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- BYTE Director Chris Rider talks with another photographer about the images
Our youth photographers in Inuvik were Faith, Tristin, Kyla, Delaney, Michela, Jessica, Lesli, Katelyn, Madison, and Alexa. The Old Crow youth photographers were Taryn, Dakota, Tyrone, Aaron, Percilla, Willow, Cheyanne, and Shaylene. They did a fantastic job, and we’re so excited that they made this project and exhibit happen.
We’d also like to thank the Small Change Fund, Environment Yukon, Air North, the Yukon Arts Centre, and Yukon Electrical: An ATCO Company for making the project and the exhibit possible.
We’re planning on bringing this exhibit to the ArtStarts Gallery in Vancouver this spring. If you know of any exhibit space in other Canadian cities that would be interested in housing This Is Our Arctic, please contact communications@www.yukonyouth.com!