Expression of Interest for Indigenous Visual Artists 

The Yukon First Nations Culture & Tourism Association (YFNCT), in partnership with the NWT Arts Program and the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), are excited to announce an initiative to bring a cohort of up to 10 Indigenous visual artists from the Yukon and the Northwest Territories (NWT) to the prestigious Santa Fe Indian Market, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from August 17 - 18, 2024. Up to five Indigenous visual artists from the NWT and up to five from the Yukon will be chosen for this Northern Canadian Showcase.

NWT Arts and YFNCT are calling for Indigenous visual artists from the NWT and Yukon to express their interest in this initiative. NWT Arts and YFNCT will work with interested artists to help submit their application online direct to SWAIA, which closes on February 16, 2024.

This initiative is specifically for Indigenous visual artists who:

• Currently reside in the Yukon;
• Have the required quantity and quality of artwork to show and sell their artwork outside Canada;
• Have past experience selling their artwork direct-to-consumers at markets;
• Can conduct their own sales with a point-of-sale system in the United States;
• Have a passport to travel to the United States and are able to travel with the cohort of artists from August 13 – 20, 2024;
• Can provide certified paperwork showing Indigeneity per SWAIA requirements; and
• Create handmade work that can be submitted in up to three of the artwork classifications sold at the Santa Fe Indian Market, including jewelry, pottery, sculpture, textiles, basketry, beadwork, quillwork, diverse artforms and 2D art. These classifications evaluate the source and quality of materials used, as well as the combination of form, design, and technique.

Next steps for Indigenous visual artists that are interested in this initiative:

• Attend an online meeting over Zoom, Thursday, January 18, from 1:00 to 2:00 MST.
• The meeting will review:
  • This unique partnership with SWAIA;
  • The application process – how YFNCT can help Indigenous visual artists apply, what is needed to apply, and finally how artists will be juried and selected for the cohort; and
  • How YFNCT and NWT Arts will support the cohort of chosen artists.
• This session will be recorded and can be shared upon request to artists who are interested in this initiative but cannot attend this information session.

If you have any questions or to receive the Zoom meeting link for Thursday January 18, please contact Alicia Harry, YFNCT at visual.arts@yfnct.ca.

Support to YFNCT is made possible thanks to the funding of the Economic Development Fund administered through the Government of Yukon and through the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor)’s Blueprint for Yukon Indigenous Culture and Tourism Industry Development project funding.