SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Aspiring artists and those interested in art history took a trip back in time last weekend to sleuth out landscapes that inspired Group of Seven founder A.Y. Jackson.
"He was painting in Yellowknife from 1949 and the community at that point was about a decade old," said art historian Michael Burtch, who guided the tour.
"Interestingly, he was painting a lot of the history of what Yellowknife looked like at its inception."
About 27 people joined the tour, visiting locations around Yellowknife, including the Pilots' Monument and Con Mine, to see the vistas depicted in well-known paintings and drawings.
"Jackson loved the North," Burtch said. "He said he was like a compass - he kept pointing toward the North."
The tour was inspired by a documentary film Burtch co-produced called Painted Land: In Search of the Group of Seven.
The film followed Burtch, a writer and a photographer as they investigate the exact locations of famous paintings in northern Ontario.
The tour also took participants to Dettah, where A.Y. Jackson did several drawings between 1949 and 1951. Yellowknives Dene band chief Fred Sangris showed the tour the exact locations where the drawings were completed, including several buildings.
"The community church, for example, is in at least two of the drawings - although it has changed somewhat - it is still in the same location," said Burtch. "The cross on the steeple is still there so it allows people get their bearings."
Aside from Burtch, the tour featured local interpreters, including chief Fred Sangris and representatives from the NWT government.
Environment and Natural Resources public education specialist Tasha Stevenson brought an ecological perspective to the tour.
"We looked at how forests changed over time," she said.
"We looked at lowering water levels and the spread of wetlands into that area, and impacts of climate change on the drying ground and melting permafrost. And also the impact of the fire on the landscapes."
The event also drew artists, interested to see where some of Canada's most iconic images were created.
"As a fellow artist, it was really wonderful to walk in the shoes of somebody who actually made such an impact on both Canadian history and art history," said Ariel Fiess, one of the participants. "I loved it. I hope it continues."
