Art gallery in Yellowknife visitor centre set to host full roster of shows in 2023

It seems 2023 will be busy for the Yellowknife Artist Run Community Centre (YK ARCC).

Alongside running its own mobile art trailer, the non-profit is set to bring a full roster of new art shows to the city's visitor centre gallery, which opened last year.

"It's a very exciting season for us coming up," said Sarah Swan, a longtime director with YK ARCC. 

The group — which also curated the gallery's first two shows — is aiming to do four to five shows throughout the year, according to Swan. It will use most of the $20,000 allocated to the space in the city's 2023 budget to pay the artists for their work. 

On the schedule so far are Emelie Robertson from Fort Smith, N.W.T., who paints acrylic abstracts of northern landscapes, and Tłı̨chǫ artist Matthew Vuskon, who uses traditional beadwork techniques to create contemporary sculptures. 

There are also plans to mentor any curious community members wanting to learn how to curate themselves, Swan added. 

"We don't want it to just be a YK ARCC project," she said. "We really want artists in this town, and interested art-adjacent people, to grow and learn along with us." 

Community members have praised the addition of a new non-commercial gallery in the city since its doors opened last September.

Already, Swan said it's helped to fill a need in the city for spaces where people can gather to share ideas and perspectives, and simply enjoy art for art's sake.

Mike Mitchell agrees. He's one of eight artists whose work is currently on display in the gallery as part of the show, YellowknifeNOW! His contribution is a replica hot dog machine, made from recycled wood.

With this marking his third-ever show, Mitchell still describes himself as an "ingénue" within the city's arts community. However, he said the exhibit has been a personal boon for determining his own artistic practice.

"The fact that I was even part of a show with a lot of other sort of semi-pro artists helped me understand that I kind of belong," he said. "I can identify with this small art scene, see what other people are doing, and gain some inspiration from that."

Mitchell said he's also gained a better appreciation for the importance of opportunities like this, where newer artists can cut their teeth and cultivate a professional body of work. 

"The gallery isn't very big, and it's an add-on to a visitor centre, but it's pretty good for Yellowknife — for now. I think it'll perhaps give people a taste of what could be coming."