Woodland Caribou - an art show

Tuktu Prayers, celebrating Canadian Art while Preserving Mountain Culture

In 2007 Jasper National Park will celebrate its Centennial. To honour the Park and its natural biodiversity a collection of artwork has been assembled, theme Caribou.

The Woodland Caribou herds in Jasper have declined in the last 100 years and the hope is that this traveling exhibition will not only celebrate the centenary of the Park but also educate Canadians about National Parks and the need to keep these places wild.

When we put out the call to artists for artworks based on the theme Caribou we were surprised by the personal attachment many of them had to the subject matter. Whether is was a childhood memory, a vacation memory, or a wish to raise awareness for the issues that are affecting Canadian wildlife – the 45 pieces in the collection convey exactly what we were hoping for – a distinct connection to wilderness and a desire to see preservation in future considerations.

While 2007 marks the anniversary of a place set aside for the protection of wilderness it could also be a turning point for the Caribou inside the Park, a species now listed as 'Threatened'.

As such the exhibition has been called Tuktu Prayers – Tuktu is Inuit for Caribou and the prayer is that Caribou will continue to be part of wild Canada for the centuries to come.

The Premiere of Tuktu Prayers is August 1, 2007, Alberta's Heritage Day, at the Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum in Banff, Alberta.

It opens in Jasper, Alberta for the National Park’s Centennial on September 14, 2007.

Contact: Marianne Garrah, Box 2397, Jasper, Alberta T0E 1E0, [email protected]
tuktuprayers.com

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