Government of Yukon
Archives
FOR RELEASE #08-227
September 22, 2008
Culture Quest Brings Out Yukon Talent
WHITEHORSE - What began as a fund to develop and showcase Yukon talent and heritage for the Canada Winter Games (CWG) and beyond has evolved to an established program that continues to develop and highlight Yukon talent, Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor announced.
"The Canada Winter Games allowed us the opportunity to really showcase our excellence and uniqueness on the national stage," Taylor said. "Since then, Culture Quest has shifted its focus towards supporting the creation of new work and enabling it to reach an audience outside of Yukon, while continuing to support community celebration and arts development projects."
Brothers Galen and Daniel Ashley, who performed at the CWG Opening and Closing Ceremonies, also traveled to Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics to perform at Canada House. Culture Quest provided support for the brothers to create their "Dig the Planet" music and multimedia project, elements of which were performed in China.
In March 2008, Yukon dancers Jude Wong and Charlie Wilson danced on the walls of the Vancouver Public Library as part of Vancouver's Cultural Olympiad, celebrating Vancouver arts and culture, leading up to the 2010 Olympics of which Yukon is a contributing partner.
"With Yukon's status as a contributing partner in the upcoming 2010 Olympics, this fund is well positioned to ensure that Yukon talent is showcased at such an important event," Taylor said.
Other projects, such as the North Klondyke Highway music program, which is based in Carmacks and develops young musicians in fiddling, songwriting, touring and sound recording, are also identifying and developing young Yukon talent.
"This investment has had enormous impacts on the growth and creative development of Yukon community and professional arts," said Michele Emslie, Culture Quest coordinator. "The arts flourish when there is targeted funding for skill development, original productions and showcasing opportunities. Culture Quest has provided funds to achieve this."
Culture Quest was initiated in celebration of Yukon's Decade of Sport and Culture, with the Yukon Arts Centre managing the program for the Department of Tourism and Culture.
Since its inception in 2003, the Yukon government has provided annual funding of $157,000 for Culture Quest.
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A list of projects funded is attached.
| Contact: | |
| Matthew Grant Cabinet Communications 867-633-7961 matthew.grant@gov.yk.ca |
Alicia Debreceni Communications, Tourism & Culture 867-667-5318 alicia.debreceni@gov.yk.ca |
Projects funded by Culture Quest for 2007/08 and 2008/09 as of August 31, 2008
| Year | Applicant | Project Description |
Allocated |
| 2007/08 | Way up Here Dance Residency | Aeriosa Dance, a company that uses aerial climbing techniques, carried out a residency in Whitehorse culminating in a sold out performance that featured the work of Yukon dancers. Dancers Jude Wong and Charlie Wilson performed with Aeriosa at the 2008 Cultural Olympiad. |
$10,000 |
| 2007/08 | Yukon Art Society –Arts in the Park | A contribution towards summer visual and performing arts in downtown Whitehorse. |
$2,500 |
| 2007/08 | Leaping Feats | Breakdancing and Hip Hop skill development, touring and performance by and for young people. |
$10,500 |
| 2007/08 | Fiddleheads Fiddle Rush | This youth performing arts group, comprised of 23 fiddlers, relocated to Dawson City for 8 performances at the Palace Grand Theatre featuring theatre, fiddling and song. |
$3,000 |
| 2007/08 | Sour Brides Theatre | Sour Brides premiered its original production of So Many Doors in Whitehorse and traveled to Ottawa to showcase at Canada’s major arts presenters event, CAPACOA, to establish a national tour. |
$7,500 |
| 2007/08 | Ramshackle Theatre | Brian Fidler traveled to Nova Scotia for an artist residency at Mermaid Theatre for professional development and to create a new show. Culture Quest supported the production costs for this piece to take place in Yukon and build towards a national tour. |
$18,000 |
| 2007/08 | North Klondyke Highway Children's Sound Recording Project | This project, based in Carmacks, provides youth participants the opportunity to learn and perform fiddle music, song writing, sound recording technology towards producing a CD of original songs co-written by students and professional music mentors. |
$9,000 |
| 2007/08 | 2008 Arctic Winter Games cultural component | Funding towards the creation of a Yukon arts contingent for the cultural festival of the 2008 AWG in Yellowknife. This included a performing arts contingent of multidisciplinary performances featuring Yukon youth. Yukon filmmakers had their work featured at a northern film festival. Yukon visual artists and photographers were also a part of northern art displays. |
$3,925 |
| 2007/08 | Guild Society | A contribution towards "Born Yesterday", a theatre production mounted at the Yukon Arts Centre. |
$8,000 |
| 2007/08 | Nakai Theatre | Towards Home Grown Festival – a festival of new theatre and performing arts. |
$12,000 |
| 2007/08 | Fire Hall Cultural Programming | The Yukon Arts Centre presented an array of arts and cultural activities in the Old Fire Hall Building in Whitehorse. These activities were carried out in concert with community groups, artists and cultural agencies. |
$40,575 |
| 2008/09 | Breakdancing Yukon | Emerging Artist Development Program – breakdancing workshops, tour and summer employment for dancers. |
$10,000 |
| 2008/09 | L'Association Franco-Yukonnaise | Towards Festival de Solstice – Whitehorse and Dawson. |
$2,000 |
| 2008/09 | Ben Barrett-Forrest | To attend Victoria Conservatory of Music to study at the Summer String Academy. |
$1,755 |
| 2008/09 | Brave New Works – Root Sellers project (Galen & Daniel Ashley) | To create and produce a music and multimedia production for a local performance and tour. |
$12,500 |
| 2008/09 | Jude Wong | "Out of Dodge" creative dance piece. Collaboration with: Jude Wong, Andrea Simpson-Fowler, Kim Barlow. |
$2,600 |
| 2008/09 | Fiddleheads | To create and perform a new production, "Fiddleheads Too", a fiddle, theatre and dance performance featuring young performers. |
$4,000 |
| 2008/09 | Whitehorse Heritage Festival | Towards Whitehorse Heritage Festival – a weekend festival showcasing over 20 different ethnic groups residing in Yukon. |
$13,000 |
| 2008/09 | Champagne/Aishihik First Nation | Towards the Yukon River Leadership Expedition – a project to take youth from the Tr'ondëk Hwëch’in and Champagne/Aishihik First Nation in Voyageur canoes from Carmacks to the 2008 Moosehide Gathering. |
$3,900 |
| 2008/09 | Carcross/Tagish First Nation | Towards the Tagish Tlingit Immersion Summer Camp – a project that focuses on Tagish & Tlingit culture through art creation, learning of history, traditional practices and language in a recreational setting. |
$7,500 |
| 2008/09 | Yukon Art Society | Towards summer programming. |
$2,500 |
| 2008/09 | Chris Clarke | Towards Sound Gathering Workshop – a three hour educational workshop on sound gathering given to Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in youth where they learn the value and technique of proper sound collection using film & video techniques. The footage will be used to produce an educational DVD. |
$1,500 |
| 2008/09 | Yukon Women In Music (YWIM) | Towards the YWIM CD release concert and Yukon tour. |
$12,200 |
Total 2007/08: $125,000
Total 2008/09 to date: $73,455