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Young artists showcase talent in Carving our Path

Artwork from the Northern Cultural Expressions Society is on display at Yukon College. The Carving our Path exhibit runs until April. About 20 pieces, carvings and prints are for sale.
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Artwork from the Northern Cultural Expressions Society is on display at Yukon College.

The Carving our Path exhibit runs until April.

About 20 pieces, carvings and prints are for sale. They include work from beginners to senior carvers.

The exhibit is a mix of prints, masks, paddles, plaques and panel carvings in the Tlingit and Southern Tutchone traditions. Everything is on display at the college’s Hilltop Bistro.

Shows like this, done outside of the society’s own space, are rare, said Colin Teramura, carving and education programs supervisor for the society.

“The bistro as well is very busy during the week. At this time of year traffic is pretty slow down here, that bistro is open three days a week and there’s a high volume of people going through there,” he said.

“You’re reaching a different audience for sure.”

The college does not take a commission on the pieces that are for sale.

The society is a non-profit organization that aims to help struggling youth by showing them how to channel their energy into carving.

Most of the work they do there is driven by the artists, Teramura said.

For the advanced carvers, these shows allow them to get their name out in the public, he said.

“For the younger kids it’s first-hand experience in the business of art, which is really the most effective learning tool you can have.”

This won’t be the last time the artists get a chance to show off their wares.

The society is currently in talks with the renowned Inuit Gallery in Vancouver to put on a show sometime in the summer, Teramura said.

“Typically they don’t accept any work into their gallery that isn’t essentially world class. Our senior carvers, they’re definitely on par,” he said.

But in this case, the manager of the gallery is highly supportive of the program and is accepting pieces from beginners as well.

“It’s a massive opportunity for them.”

The Hilltop Bistro is open for lunch Tuesdays to Thursdays with seatings from 11 to 12:30.

Contact Ashley Joannou at

ashleyj@yukon-news.com