March 2024 in Dawson City, YT!
Who: Yukon youth ages 14 – 18 from across the territory!
Program Dates: March Break 2024
Travel Dates: Monday 18th and Saturday 23rd
KIAC Provides:
- Transportation from Whitehorse & communities en route to Dawson
- Chaperoned hotel accommodations
- 3 healthy meals per day
- Evening activities & recreational programming
- All arts supplies
What is Youth Art Enrichment (YAE?)
Youth Art Enrichment is an annual four-day art program for Yukon youth hosted by the Klondike Institute of Art & Culture in Dawson City. Artistically-inclined youth ages 14 – 18 travel from across the Yukon to take part in intensive workshops led by professional artists. Students choose one medium to study for the duration of the program, learning new skills, techniques, and ways to creatively make artwork for the world to see. The mediums change every year: we have offered printmaking, animation, painting, carving, stained glass, illustration, improv, and much more over the last two decades.
The program offers a tour of the Yukon School of Visual Arts in addition to a meet & greet evening of collage and button-making with current students and faculty. Often SOVA students are YAE alumni themselves. Evenings are filled with fun activities in the evenings such as a movie night, sledding & smores, board games and more.
2024 Course Options:
Paid Opportunities: Coordinator & Chaperones
KIAC is hiring a Youth Art Enrichment Coordinator!
Work with the KIAC Programs Manager to plan and host the Youth Art Enrichment program! The position starts January 15th 2024 with part-time hours for January and February and full-time hours for March. Deadline to apply: Wed Jan 3, 2024, 11:59pm YT. For a full job description and how to apply, visit kiac.ca/job-opportunities
KIAC’s Youth Art Enrichment Camp is looking for chaperones!
Are you interested in supporting the youth arts community in the Yukon? Do you have experience with youth ages 14 – 18? The Youth Art Enrichment Camp is a week-long intensive art program where Yukon youth gather in Dawson City from March 18 – 23. Chaperones will be responsible for supervising youth over the course of the camp, including meal-times, evening activities and overnights. Chaperones will receive an honorarium alongside meals, and accommodations and travel expenses where applicable. First Aid and/or harm reduction knowledge is an asset!
Past Course Examples
2D Studio Painting: Fantastic Landscapes
2D Studio Painting: Fantastic Landscapes
Instructor: Aleks Bartosik
Easels, painting, palettes, oh my!
In this Surrealist-inspired painting course, we will be introduced to a variety of experimental painting and composition techniques such as spontaneous sketching, colour mixing, layering, automatism, collage, and more to develop fantasy worlds and dream-like surrealist landscapes to be exhibited at the end of the week!
New Ways of Seeing: Mixed Media Portraiture
New Ways of Seeing: Mixed Media Portraiture
Instructor: Lori Goldberg
Join Lori Goldberg of Emily Carr for a weird, wonderful week of hands-on 2D and 3D art-making. Lori will guide us through a range of conventional and non-conventional art-making materials to create unique representations of ourselves and others. Expect colours, textures, probably a mess, and a whole lot of fun!
Craft & Creation: Leatherwork
Craft & Creation: Leatherwork
Instructor: Jeramy Mattie
Do you like working with your hands? Creating functionable (and sometimes fashionable!) items? Jeramy Mattie of YukonStruct will teach the ins and outs of working with leather. In this class, students will create multiple projects and come away with skills to keep going at home!
Application Details
Youth wishing to attend must fill out a online or paper application form explaining their interest in art, why they wish to participate in the program, and what they hope to learn. The form includes components to be filled out by a parent or guardian.
Youth will also need to provide a reference from someone in their community. This could be a teacher, community leader or mentor, or friend, but cannot be a family member.
The program accommodates 24 – 36 youth.
If you require a paper copy or have difficulty with the online form, please email programs@kiac.ca
I’ve never been… Tell me more!
Many students attend YAE year after year, but the first time can be intimidating. The program instructors, chaperones, and KIAC staff take great pride in ensuring that students feel comfortable, safe, and most importantly, HAVE FUN! YAE is a great opportunity to meet people from other communities, form long-lasting friendships, and have a taste of what a post-secondary education in the arts can look like.
The YAE schedule is designed with the student experience in mind. Evenings range from physical outdoor time to quiet and calm inside activities like board games and movie watching. Students may opt out of evening activities and stay at the hotel instead if they are tired or overwhelmed.
Meal times are fun (not only because there is occasional pancakes and whip cream for breakfast!) but because all students eat together. Shared meals are an important part time for student bonding and a great way to decompress after the art class!
If you are hesitant or have questions for us, feel free to call KIAC at 867-993-5005 or email programs@kiac.ca
2019 Example Schedule
2023 Student Testimonials
Chaperone Testimonials
“This is a well run program! Staff were fabulous- available, enthusiastic, clear communicators. Great schedule, amazing food, positive and encouraging atmosphere. Wonderful teachers.”
“Our session leader was excellent! Great balance between teaching and doing. Well thought out lessons and well prepared.”
“Extracurriculars were a great addition! And the food was phenomenal!”
“It seems like a wonderful opportunity for students who like art to really get immersed. It’s a chance for like-minded students from different schools and communities to meet each other. Dawson is a great community for this.”
“The Youth Art Enrichment program truly ‘enriches’ the lives of participants. Throughout the week, the level of connection amongst everyone involved was a lovely experience. I saw friendships made (and fostered as repeat participants), space for the social needs of youth to be met, as well as collaboration and teamwork.”
