The Kluane National Park and Reserve Artist in Residence Program
How might you draw the sound of aspen leaves in the breeze of a late June day? Or paint the smell of a prickly rose? How do you capture the feeling you get from seeing that burst of yellow from a blooming arnica?
On June 30, Yukon-based science illustrator and artist Misha Donohoe invited people to explore such questions during an artist walk called Mapping the Landscape at Mät’àtäna Män (Kathleen Lake) in Kluane National Park and Reserve.
At several stops along the Cottonwood Trail, participants used their senses to interact with the environment around them, translating their experiences onto squares of paper with pencil and paint.
Unbeknownst to the participants, on the flipside of those squares were sections from a topographic map of the area. When pieced together like a puzzle, the topographic map—with its lines, numbers and scale bar—provided a geographical representation of the area’s features, while the sensory “map” on the other side told a different kind of story.
Erin Jamieson, Public Education Outreach Officer for Parks Canada, helped facilitate the walk.
“We had the [topographic] map put together, taped it together, and then we had this lovely map of the area. When we flipped it over, there we had all of our drawings of things we’d smelled and things we’d listened to and things we touched.”
The activity led to discussions amongst participants about the different ways of knowing and interpreting a place. “You could have a really in-depth conversation about how one side of that thing that we ended up making is purposeful, but then the other is maybe more indicative of connections we make with our bodies,” Jamieson shared.
The artist walk was one of three public activities Donohoe hosted as part of her Kluane National Park and Reserve Artist in Residence experience, along with a botanical illustration talk and a field sketching workshop.
With support from the Yukon Arts Centre, Parks Canada and the University of Calgary, two residencies are offered each summer, hosted at the Arctic Institute of North America’s Kluane Lake Research Station, providing access to the richness of nearby Kluane National Park and Reserve.
The residency aims to give artists space to explore the interplay between science, conservation, and art, with opportunities to connect with researchers and scientists in the Kluane region. In turn, artists share their skills and perspectives with visitors and residents through public workshops, talks, or ‘artist at work’ drop-in sessions.
“At this point in my practice,” Donohoe shared in an interview with the Yukon Arts Centre, “it’s the connection between things, between people, between communities, and land that is the most rewarding pursuit.”
Trained in evolutionary biology and science communication, Donohoe brought a unique perspective to the residency, and allowed herself to be open to how the experience might change that perspective.
“I’ve been able to think really differently about the art that I’m making and just explore open-ended questions with the art that I make. And that has been such a joy and so liberating, especially given the context and the beauty of the place that I’m in,” Donohoe said of her time in the region.
“This opportunity to create art without an economic agenda, without a client in mind, and certainly without a scientific outcome in mind, has been wonderful to see the whole in every individual flower and plant and insect and bird and just notice how they all connect.”
The second artist in residence for 2024 is contemporary fibre artist Bettina Matzkuhn. Using embroidery, paint and fabric collage, Matzkuhn explores themes of ecology, weather, and geography in her work. Matzkuhn will be at the Kluane Lake Research Station from August 20 to September 3.
Upcoming workshops with Kluane National Park and Reserve Artist in Residence Bettina Matzkuhn
Artist Talk and Tea
August 23, 2024, from 6 to 7:30 pm
At the Kluane Lake Research Station
Bettina Matzkuhn will discuss her use of fibres and textiles as a language and a means of depicting contemporary concerns. She will describe her process as her works trace a love of maps, weather, natural history, and landscapes.
Stitch Vocabulary Workshop
August 24, 2024, from 2 to 3:30 pm
At the Mät’àtäna Män (Kathleen Lake) Day Use Shelter
Learn five basic stitches that will allow you to make lively and expressive marks on cloth. Take a thread for a walk and see where it goes! No experience necessary and all materials provided. Tea and hot chocolate will be served.
Open Studio and Shared Project
August 31, 2024, from 1 to 2:30 pm
At the Kluane National Park and Reserve Visitor Centre theatre in the Da Kų Cultural Centre
See how fabric and embroidery allow Bettina Matzkuhn to speak about nature. She will have work in progress, samples to handle, and some finished pieces to help answer your questions. All are welcome to contribute to a communal embroidery project!
