Exhibition Opening
Martha Jane Ritchie + Sarah Lennie
OPENING RECEPTION:
Friday, February 3, 5-7pm
ON VIEW: February 3 - 25, 2023
Please join us on Friday, February 3, 5-7pm for the opening of our two new exhibitions, 'Understories' by Martha Jane Ritchie and 'Taught by Moms' by Sarah Lennie.
All are welcome to attend this free event. A chairlift is available for those who require mobility assistance. We are pleased to announce that food and drink will be making a return to our monthly exhibitions starting this Friday.
Thank you to our sponsors and funders: Hougen Group of Companies, Government of Yukon, Lotteries Yukon, and the City of Whitehorse, Yukon.
UNDERSTORIES | MARTHA JANE RITCHIE
"There is always more than meets the eye. Everything has a story.
When something has been discarded, I imagine all of the experiences that it might have had in its lifetime and see all the wonderful new potential that it has as well.
As I walk through the forest around my home I am drawn to the weathered and the worn, the moss and the lichen, and the naturally sculpted. I look for signs of life stories in the boreal forest, real or imagined.
In ‘Understories’ repurposed clothing, relief printing, sewing and a variety of other mediums tell the tales of the magical and ever-changing natural world that surrounds our home in the Yukon."
TAUGHT BY MOMS | SARAH LENNIE
"In November, when trapping season opens, Nanuks (Grandmothers), moms, sisters, aunties, daughters and children gather to eat, share stories and begin sewing the embroidery and wool for (Atteghe) parka, mukluks, hats and mitts.
Sewing circle is the time to pass on patterns, ideas and material. These highly organized women take turns hosting, cooking and performing childcare in their homes. A beautiful teaching, learning and bonding tradition, sewing circle eases the long, cold winter evenings. The skinned hides the trappers, hunters and gatherers bring home are then shed, cleaned, dried and scraped to be cut to use.
Sealskin and caribou hides are made into outerwear. Pieces are embroidered, beaded and inlayed for feasting and dancing festivities. For up to 10 days and nights, we sing, dance, play and eat. Stories, delectables, furs, tools and thoughts are traded during this time of celebration.
Taught by Moms honours the sacredness of this practice. It highlights the bonds that are built through sewing circle; the hidden labour that goes into crafting clothing for specific northern landscapes; and the voices and lives of the women that echo through the finished pieces. "