But these rivers, located 200 kilometers south of Inuvik, are part of the immense Peel River watershed that sits near the natural gas-rich Mackenzie Delta area. The area is in a potentially lucrative oil and gas region and lies near the paths of proposed pipeline routes. Although the Bonnet Plume River has Canadian Heritage River Status, there is not a shred of real protection for any of these rivers that are considered among the best wilderness canoeing destinations in the country. Due to the current pace of development, the region is vulnerable to ecological damage before the planning has taken place to set aside key conservation areas. The Three Rivers exhibit is a partnership of CPAWS-Yukon, Yukon Art Centre, Yukon Conservation Society and the Wilderness Tourism Association of the Yukon. “The Yukon Art Centre Public Art Gallery is very pleased to be part of this multi-disciplinary, artistic journey down the Wind, Snake and Bonnet Plume rivers. The Three Rivers Journey and art exhibition is an exciting cultural event that will produce a significant body of visual art representative of the Yukon,” says Chris Dray, Executive Director of the Yukon Art Centre. The artists were chosen by a jury who reviewed the proposals of more than 200 applicants. The selected artists include Joyce Majiski and Jane Isakson from the Yukon, Newfoundland´s Marlene Creates, Vancouver´s Haruko Okano, Gwen Curry from BC and three Ontario artists including Ron Bolt, Ojibway artist Michael Belmore, and Ottawa´s Jose Mansilla-Miranda. “I was very impressed by the applicants,” says Sara Diamond, director of visual arts at the Banff Centre and member of the jury. “It is a significant project in the Canadian art world because of the cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary aspect. Artists will work very differently because of the science and art component and they will be experiencing the place with the people who live there. There is also the challenging, expedition quality to it. All this can generate powerful images. The Three Rivers Journey begins July 22 with a send-off in Mayo and ends with a Gathering on August 7 when Elders from Ft. McPherson will travel up the Peel River by riverboat to join the paddlers for a feast. The Three Rivers: Wild Waters, Sacred Places exhibition will open at the Yukon Arts Centre October 2004 as the first stop on it´s tour of the North and major Canadian cities.
For information
the CPAWS-Yukon website: www.cpawsyukon.org