Banff Artist Fundraiser for Exhibition in Venice
Donation protected
Artist Statement: My name is Nahanni, I am a Metis artist from Banff, Alberta. I have a connection to the land of the Canadian Rockies where I grew up. I communicate this unique connection through film based photography namely 35mm film.
My creative practice involves the human impact on the environment, focusing on national parks in Canada. Growing up in Banff has influenced my practice to promote the coexistence of people and wildlife.
My project Loop 14 has been selected to exhibit in the European Cultural Centre. This project had its origins in the summer of 2016 when I was working at the Two Jack Main Campground. That summer a female wolf with pups became human-food habituated in and around the campground. She was shot by Park’s personnel in loop 14 of Two Jack Main campground, but tragically it wasn’t a clean shot and the wolf’s location was uncertain. After several days the wolf was located. It had taken a long time to die. Without a mother to care for them, her pups died too. This was the second food-habituated wolf killed by Parks Canada that summer. In total six wolves died of unnatural causes in Banff National Park in the summer of 2016.
This experience had a lasting effect on me. Over the next two and a half years, I thought a great deal about these wolves. I was distressed by their suffering and ensuing deaths. I questioned the location of the Two Jack campgrounds in a wildlife corridor; the almost impossible task of persuading thousands of campers to keep hundreds of campsites free of animal-attractants and the true purpose of a national park. Loop 14 honours these wolves and seeks to bring peace to their spirits and to mine.
Covid - 19 has caused a lot of stress on the world. There will be no doubt that there will be an influx of art coming from this unique era. During isolation I used my time to work on myself, my art and creating community projects.
Through my hard work I received an invitation to be a part of the Personal Structures, in 2022 in Venice, Italy.
This no doubt is one of the biggest stepping stone in my career and my first international exhibition and I am currently looking for support to help me achieve this dream of mine as a young artist.
It would not be possible to achieve this dream without asking for financial support. Though most of the costs are covered by the European Cultural Centre the room to be rented is not. It is exactly 15,000 euros. Which is calculated to be around 23,000 CAD, this does not include gear, travel or materials.
I know it has been a hard year for all, and as awkward as it is asking for financial assistance any discussion about support would be greatly appreciated.
My creative practice involves the human impact on the environment, focusing on national parks in Canada. Growing up in Banff has influenced my practice to promote the coexistence of people and wildlife.
My project Loop 14 has been selected to exhibit in the European Cultural Centre. This project had its origins in the summer of 2016 when I was working at the Two Jack Main Campground. That summer a female wolf with pups became human-food habituated in and around the campground. She was shot by Park’s personnel in loop 14 of Two Jack Main campground, but tragically it wasn’t a clean shot and the wolf’s location was uncertain. After several days the wolf was located. It had taken a long time to die. Without a mother to care for them, her pups died too. This was the second food-habituated wolf killed by Parks Canada that summer. In total six wolves died of unnatural causes in Banff National Park in the summer of 2016.
This experience had a lasting effect on me. Over the next two and a half years, I thought a great deal about these wolves. I was distressed by their suffering and ensuing deaths. I questioned the location of the Two Jack campgrounds in a wildlife corridor; the almost impossible task of persuading thousands of campers to keep hundreds of campsites free of animal-attractants and the true purpose of a national park. Loop 14 honours these wolves and seeks to bring peace to their spirits and to mine.
Covid - 19 has caused a lot of stress on the world. There will be no doubt that there will be an influx of art coming from this unique era. During isolation I used my time to work on myself, my art and creating community projects.
Through my hard work I received an invitation to be a part of the Personal Structures, in 2022 in Venice, Italy.
This no doubt is one of the biggest stepping stone in my career and my first international exhibition and I am currently looking for support to help me achieve this dream of mine as a young artist.
It would not be possible to achieve this dream without asking for financial support. Though most of the costs are covered by the European Cultural Centre the room to be rented is not. It is exactly 15,000 euros. Which is calculated to be around 23,000 CAD, this does not include gear, travel or materials.
I know it has been a hard year for all, and as awkward as it is asking for financial assistance any discussion about support would be greatly appreciated.
Fundraising team (2)
Nahanni McKay
Organizer
Banff, AB
Jay Nigro
Team member
