Salgado and Washburn featured in new Haines Junction exhibition “Encounters with the Sublime”
Haines Junction, Yukon, November 1, 2013 -- On behalf of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Canada’s Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Mr. Ryan Leef, Member of Parliament for the Yukon, today announced that a new free exhibition of black and white photographs of Kluane National Park and Reserve’s high mountain country will open on November 3, 2013 at the Haines Junction Convention Centre.
“I am very proud of the collaboration that has made this event possible,” said Mr. Leef. “It is a good example of how Parks Canada is working closely with other levels of government and with the arts community to bring world class public art to the Yukon in celebration of one of our great national parks.”
Parks Canada, the Yukon Arts Centre, and the Village of Haines Junction have partnered to produce the exhibition, which will run in the Convention Centre foyer until the end of November. All are welcome at the free opening event, from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, November 3. Light refreshments will be provided.
The exhibition, curated by the Yukon Arts Centre’s Jessica Vellenga, compares and contrasts works by two internationally known photographers of different eras: Sebastião Salgado, a renowned contemporary photojournalist from Brazil, and the late Bradford Washburn, a pioneering American mountaineer and geographer. Funding is being provided by the Yukon Government through an Arts Fund grant to the Village of Haines Junction. The exhibit will also be offered in Whitehorse in March 2014.
“Although these two photographers belonged to different generations and each had a unique perspective of the park, they both captured the incredible beauty and serenity of the park,” said Mr. Leef.
Former Kluane park interpreter, Brent Liddle, remembers Bradford Washburn well. He will give a presentation on early explorations of the highest mountains in Canada, including the exploits of Washburn and other "Pioneers of the St. Elias" in the Haines Junction Convention Centre at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday November 12, 2013.
Parks Canada works to ensure Canada’s historic and natural heritage is protected and, through a network of 44 national parks, 167 national historic sites, and four national marine conservation areas, invites Canadians and people around the world to engage in personal moments of inspiring discovery at our treasured natural and historic places.
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