Art Express’d / art exprimé – A Canada 150 Signature Initiative

Jessie Buchanan’s ART EXPRESS’D project, Voices of the Landscape, reflects the spiritual geography of the vast, northern Canadian landscape, found in both urban and natural spaces. She will explore the connections in each of the locations visited on the tour. From townscape to mountain and stream, the mobile art studio itself will come to represent Canada in the north. Working with Jessie, you will create acrylic paintings in response to questions: “How do you understand yourself as a Canadian?” and “Do you feel connected with your land and/or environment?”

The Winnipeg Art Gallery is celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary with ART EXPRESS’D / ART EXPRIMÉ, a coast-to-coast-to-coast adventure that is uniting our vast country in summer 2017. Three 20-foot shipping containers transformed into mobile art studios will traverse every province and territory via train, truck, and cargo ship, stopping in at least 15 communities, ultimately converging in Winnipeg, the heart of the country.

A nationwide call for submissions was made to find three contemporary artists to travel one of the three routes. Jessie Buchanan (North Route), Evin Collis (East Route), and Becky Thiessen (West Route) were selected from dozens of applicants to be part of this historic journey. Each artist will lead collaborative art-making projects inspiring the public to express their visions of Canada. Everyone is invited to contribute to the art produced!

ART EXPRESS’D / ART EXPRIMÉ highlights this country’s unique natural geography and its linguistic and cultural diversity, while speaking to Canada’s deeply-rooted history of travel, transport, exploration, and communication. The movement of people, goods, and information over great distances and challenging terrain continues to define Canada today.

Events in Whitehorse:

Wednesday June 28 – Workshop with Jessie 1:00pm – 4:00pm, Old Fire Hall
Thursday June 29 – Workshops with Jessie 9:00am -12:00pm & 1:00pm – 4:00pm, Old Fire Hall
Friday June 30 – Workshop with Jessie 1:00pm – 4:00pm, Old Fire Hall
Saturday July 1 – Canada Day Community Mural and Build your own Shipping Container Activity with Jessie at Shipyard Park along the banks of the Yukon River and 2nd Avenue. 1:00pm – 6:00pm
Canada Day Community Mural and Container Activities are open for all – drop by to help paint a community mural or to build and create your own mini-shipping container.