Government of Yukon
Government
FOR RELEASE #07-189
September 13, 2007
The Box of Light Sculpture Officially Unveiled
WHITEHORSE – The Government of Yukon in partnership with the City of Whitehorse, Canada Council for the Arts, and Friends of the Gallery unveiled The Box of Light sculpture at the Department of Education building today.
Education Minister Patrick Rouble, Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor, City of Whitehorse Deputy Mayor Florence Roberts, and Co-chair of the Yukon First Nation Education Advisory Committee, Peter Johnston, welcomed guests and artist Ken Anderson to the unveiling.
"Since it began in 1981, Friends of the Gallery has acquired nearly 300 works of art for the Yukon Permanent Art Collection, which gives Yukoners and visitors an opportunity to experience our cultural legacy expressed through the visual arts," Taylor said. "It gives me great pleasure to see this new work by renowned Yukon artist Ken Anderson added to the collection. Congratulations to all."
The sculpture The Box of Light was created by Tlingit artist Ken Anderson and commissioned by Friends of the Gallery in 2006. It is a metal cube that tells the Tlingit story of how Raven stole a box containing the sun and brought light to the world. The six sides of the cube are cut out to represent the characters in the story: Raven, Headman, Headman’s daughter, the moon, the stars and the sun.
"I think it’s very appropriate that Ken Anderson’s outstanding artwork has been installed on the grounds of the Department of Education building," Rouble said. "It’s symbolic of the importance we place on culture and heritage in Yukon’s classrooms."
The sculpture, installed Aug. 8 and unveiled today, is the second public sculpture that Anderson has completed. The first, Building on the Past, Looking to the Future, is located next to the Tourism and Culture building on Second Avenue in Whitehorse.
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Roxanne Vallevand |
Alicia Debreceni |
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Clea Roberts |
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