What happens when art meets history?
I found an answer to this question when I went to a well-attended art opening on Dec. 7th. “This Must Be the Place,” was unveiled at the Yukon Archives. Featured was the creative work of Yukon artist Tara Kolla, who was selected as the artist-in-residence for this special project.
The exhibit was the last of a suite of events that occurred at the archives, which turned 50 years old in December 2022. Let me share a secret – I was making use of the newly minted archives the summer before it was officially opened. Books were still stacked in the back room, as the shelves in the reading room had not been completely filled. The staff were the prime asset then – and now.
According to records archivist, Kira Quinsey, the aim of the residency was “to celebrate the archives’ 50th anniversary while also demonstrating some diverse ways people can use the resources we hold here.”
A panel of three judges reviewed 11 submissions from new and emerging Yukon artists, and Tara Kolla was the unanimous choice.
During the nine-week residency, Kolla had access to the vast collections of the archives, a dedicated workspace, and support from archives staff. There were no limitations to how she could express herself.
Tara Kolla is a well-known long-time member of the Yukon arts scene. She was born in Whitehorse when it was emerging from the impact of the Alaska Highway construction project. She is described as a “multidisciplinary artist known for her colourful, maximalist work.” Her work, “1905-1907,” was acquired for the Yukon permanent art collection seven years ago.
Kolla is also the owner of the Wish Factory, located on Third Avenue, a second-hand store with a difference. It was difficult to interview her during the hectic Christmas season, but the art speaks for her.
According to Kolla in a press release issued when her appointment was announced, “I feel my art had always spoke of this place we call home. I call myself a ‘little bit of everything’ artist. My work is small scale, huge scale, multi-disciplinary art that finds inspiration in the world around us using everything from traditional mediums, pieces of the natural world to old newspapers, vintage ephemera and bits of lives past that I have collected over the years.”
The resu lt of her residency is a whimsical 13-piece, multi-media three-dimensional creation that is full of colour and rich in imagery - and history. It is on display to the public, free of charge, in the reference room of the Yukon Archives until March 9.
“This Must Be the Place” consists of 13 elements mounted in a cluster on the wall in the reference room of the archives. Some are framed, others are hanging free-form. There is an explosion of colour and fanciful arrangements of flowers, mushrooms and birds. There are cloth mushrooms sprouting from an old Nabob spice tin, and two paper frames, each containing small birds, fashioned from cloth, adorned with feathers. One bird is red, the other yellow, behind them are cancelled New Zealand postage stamps portraying roses in colours that echo the birds.
In one of the other frames are two birds with a nest in which are two blue eggs. These are mounted on a page from a book depicting a variety of birds’ eggs. Below them is a small sample card upon which are attached several green buttons.
What intrigued me the most, however, was the use of historical items in many elements of the art piece. In one frame is a page taken from an Order of the Eastern Star cookbook, upon which is hand written the recipe for Tom and Jerry cocktails: “2 dozen eggs, 4 cups sugar, a pinch of soda, 4 cans of milk, 4 cans of water, one bottle of rum, a bottle of brandy, and nutmeg.” Below is inscribed “Mrs. G. Black. Used at Gov’t House in Dawson.”
George and Martha Black occupied the Commissioner’s Residence in Dawson (officially referred to as Government House at the time), from 1912 to 1916. They were well-known for the social functions they organized in the huge mansion that was occupied by a succession of commissioners, until the Blacks. After their departure for the European theatre of the Great War in 1916, it was never again occupied by a commissioner. Today, the cocktail shaker used by the Blacks is part of the collection at the Dawson City Museum.
Tom and Jerry was a popular drink, which has been mentioned to me in accounts by old time residents of the Bear Creek mining camp just outside Dawson City. When the mining company (The Yukon Consolidated Gold Corporation) shut down its operation at Christmas each year, the staff living in the compound would entertain each other with servings of Tom and Jerry.
In the same frame, beside the drink recipe is a newspaper advertisement for the Taylor and Drury store (“7-pound bag of flour – 89 cents”). In another frame is an old Taylor and Drury bag, a draw ticket for the 1963 May Queen candidate, Ann Loney and a label from a tin of Wildcliffe Farm Pure Blueberry Jam.
Each component of this assemblage includes items that link to the past. To understand what these elements are, and what they mean, supplies the viewer with a glimpse of Yukon history. In another, smaller frame is a receipt from Nelson’s Hardware (which stood where the Tim Horton’s now operates on Second Avenue, just off Main Street). Beside it is a small cardstock folder containing 12 Watson brand sewing needles, visible through a cellophane window on the front side of the folder.
All of this is adorned by gaily coloured birds, flowers and mushrooms and a selection of personal mementos. Every time you look at each of the elements of the display, you will find something new that ties you back in time to an earlier Yukon. Explore this art piece and you will find your own entry to the past. Tara Kolla’s creation speaks for itself, but also speaks to each of us as individuals.
Michael Gates is Yukon’s first Story Laureate. His latest book, “Hollywood in the Klondike,” is now available in Whitehorse stores. You can contact him at msgates@northwestel.net