NWT Visual Artists To Promote Arts And Crafts At 2010 Winter Olympics

February 15, 2010

The NWT arts and fine crafts sector is out in full force at the 2010 Winter Olympics, as territorial artists arrived in Vancouver on February 13th to promote their work and the sector to the world.A total of 10 NWT artists will be in Vancouver during the two weeks of the 2010 Winter Games to showcase their work, but also to strengthen national and international awareness of NWT art and highlight our traditional arts and fine crafts. Two artists from each NWT region were chosen by an independent six-person panel in July 2009. Five of the artists will attend the first week of the Games, while the remaining five artists will be on hand for the second week of the Games.

“There are many great artists in the Northwest Territories and our strong presence at the 2010 Winter Olympics will give these talented NWT residents unprecedented exposure and potentially open up new markets for our arts and fine crafts sector,” says Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment Bob McLeod.

The 10 NWT visual artists attending the Games are:

South Slave:

Brandy Wilson, photography, Fort Smith Cecile Deneyoua, moose hair tufting, Hay River

Inuvik:

Mary Okheena, printmaking, Uluhaktok Elizabeth Drescher, sewing, Inuvik

Sahtu:

Janet Grandjambe, beadwork, Fort Good Hope Lucy Yakelaya, beadwork, Fort Good Hope

North Slave:

Jennifer Walden, painting, Yellowknife Jamie Look, jewellery, Yellowknife

Dehcho:

Karen Cumberland, birchbark basketry, Fort Liard John Sabourin, carving/painting, Fort Simpson

While in Vancouver, the visual artists will put on exhibits at Canada’s Northern House, take part in workshops, tell stories about the land and culture of the NWT, provide onsite demonstrations of their work and interact and collaborate with others artists and the public.

The Visual Arts Program is just one of the initiatives the Government of the Northwest Territories is undertaking during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games to promote the NWT as a place to invest in, work and live. Support for tourism and the traditional arts and fine crafts is a primary component of the GNWT’s work to maximize economic opportunities for NWT residents through the development and diversification of sustainable local economies.

For more information contact:

Camilla MacEachern
Arts and Fine Crafts
Industry, Tourism and Investment
(867) 445 – 6339