Anto brings artwork into our daily routines
Anto offers products made by a diverse range of artists, some local to the Yukon, and some from across Canada or from other countries
When I walked into Anto, in their new location on Main Street, I was delighted to see Meghan Hildebrand’s paintings. Kym Rempel, owner of Anto, said they were also on display in her previous location but that this new space allows people to enjoy them better.
Rempel first saw Hildebrand’s paintings at an exhibition entitled That Crackle, at the Rah Rah Gallery on Sixth Avenue in Whitehorse, in 2013. Rempel fell in love with all the paintings, then and there. She loved the way Hildebrand evoked the landscape with unexpected colours, including fluorescents.
Then in 2018, Rempel was rebranding her soap and asked Hildebrand if she could use her paintings in the new designs. They also agreed to exhibit Hildebrand’s paintings in the shop, where they sell at a better commission rate for Hildebrand than in other galleries.
Hildebrand sent up four paintings from the original exhibition. Rempel bought one of the paintings herself at that time, ruefully wishing she had bought it earlier when it was less expensive.
With her newly-designed products, Rempel quit her government job and opened Whoa Bear (in a hut on the Carcross Commons), operating there for years before moving to Whitehorse.
Hildebrand recalls first hearing from Rempel in 2018. “Being a Yukoner, a craft-soap fiend and a scent-o-holic, I was into it!” While Hildebrand doesn’t take on many graphic jobs, she is interested in licensing her existing work, she says, “if it’s for a product or service I feel aligned with.”
Hildebrand’s mother was Dereen Hildebrand, who, along with Steve Slade, founded Arts in the Park in 1996. Growing up in the Yukon arts scene, Hildebrand never doubted she could make it as an artist, and while there have been challenging times, she’s kept the faith. She now makes her home and has her studio on the Sunshine Coast in B.C. You can visit meghanhildebrand.com to see her work.
Hildebrand offered Rempel a flat rate for each piece of artwork she wanted to licence. They have a simple contract that the art is only to be used for the stated purpose and that any other use will require an additional agreement. Hildebrand often requests soap as payment. “Her soaps make the perfect gifts, especially for my friends who are into my work.”
I, myself, remember winning a door prize at a national arts-education conference, in Ottawa, and being delighted to see Rempel’s soap in the bag, adorned with the immediately-recognizable colours and textures of Hildebrand’s paintings.
After some time working together, Hildebrand agreed to paint a few custom pieces for Rempel’s soap and bath products. As with the other licenses, Hildebrand keeps the original, and Rempel buys the printing rights for a specific purpose. In this case, there was also a fee charged for the creation of the new work. Hildebrand trusts Rempel’s design decisions about how to use her paintings in the soap packaging, and she loves the results.
Rempel’s soaps have names like Carcross Desert, Yukon River, Rocky Mountains, and so on. Rempel reflects that both she and Hildebrand represent landscape through abstract means; Rempel, through scent-memories of specific places; and Hildebrand, through colour, texture, pattern and repetition—the tools of an abstract artist.
Hildebrand resonated with that idea. “My work is an exploration of the places I love and experience and remember, through the lens of abstract painting. Almost everything I create becomes some version of a landscape. I really like her idea of adding smell and touch to recreate the experience of place. Kym’s soaps, inside their wrappers, are a joy to behold. Satisfying shapes, colours, textures, scents … a complete and artful offering.”
Hildebrand has also known Meg Kinney, a New-York–based clothing designer, for years. Kinney saw Hildebrand’s work in a magazine and reached out. Hildebrand had coveted and collected Kinney’s pieces for 10 years when Kinney asked if she would like to collaborate.
Like Anto, Kinney’s brand has values that Hildebrand aligns with: “sustainability, ethical production, and beautiful products.” Hildebrand says that she finds the pieces Kinney created from her paintings to be “original, in that the prints are so large that the placement of the print totally changes the look of each piece.” She notes that these pieces are “beautifully-made garments that, like art, a person can enjoy for many years.” For Hildebrand, herself, she finds that wearing her own work in public becomes a “conversation starter.”
“You can style it differently and transform its purpose. It lets the wearer take part in the artistic expression.”
Last spring, Hildebrand attended the launch of this clothing line in New York City. Kinney has a store in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn. She got to spend the day at the store in Brooklyn, as she says, “trying on all the clothes.” She and her husband packed their five days in New York full with exhibitions and museums, soaking up inspiration.
Over the past 12 months, Hildebrand attended the Venice Biennale and exhibited in Portland, Oregon. She has just completed a community mural. Now, she says “It’s time “to dream and consider the work” that she wants to do. She feels a shift coming and knows it will take “rest and focus” to get there. She has a solo exhibit planned for the fall of 2026 at Mayberry Fine Art, in Winnipeg.
Anto, pronounced on-toe (antoyukon.com), moved to Main Street this year to find a larger space to hold more people and more products. Rempel enjoyed the challenge of designing the new space. For her, this is a kind of artwork, creating a space as unique and as beautiful as the products inside it.
Anto offers products made by a diverse range of artists, some local to the Yukon, and some from across Canada or from other countries. Rempel focuses on small businesses. She knows the artists and she hand-picks all of the works she carries. She wants to support people who are making things with artistic design, thoughtfulness and beauty.
Rempel sees her artform as making ways for people to bring beauty and art into their everyday routines. This could as easily be a beautiful coffee mug that makes you stop in the morning and enjoy it. It can include beautiful things in your bathroom or clothing, but also wall art.
“This is the philosophy I live by. This is what I love. Making my everyday routine full of things that bring me joy.”
Anto, located at 106 Main Street, is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays.
