Sambaa K'e Print Studio

I had the opportunity to visit the emerging Sambaa K'e Print Studio located in the remote subarctic community of Trout Lake in the Northwest Territories. When I first moved to the North in 2010, I read a newspaper article about a small Aboriginal community that was starting up a print studio as a way to encourage their residents to make art, tell stories, and record their history and culture.

The first workshops that were done there were gyotaku or making prints from the bodies of real fish. I thought it was an interesting way to introduce a group to printmaking while still incorporating an essential element of the life, culture of the area and people.
Ever since I read that article, I have been interested in seeing it with my own eyes and I serendipitously had the chance to visit it in person while on duty travel for work.
 During my extremely short visit,  I had the opportunity to meet Gavin Renwick, who in partnership with the Sambaa Ke Dene "invited printmakers Paul Harrison, of the Visual Research Centre, University of Dundee, and Scott Hudson, of Dundee Contemporary Arts, to develop a series of training workshops based on, and through, the medium and practice of printmaking."[1]

I sat down with Gavin for a few minutes to chat about printmaking, the Sambaa K'e Studio and their plans for the future. I told him about the print exchange I started as a way to bring together northern printmakers from around the globe who were more likely to be working in isolation. The goal of the exchange project is to auction off one of the works from each edition with the proceeds of the auction going to help a remote studio purchase supplies.
My hope was to donate the proceeds from the first exchange to the Sambaa K'e Print Studio. I invited them to participate and hope that I will have a few artists from Trout Lake participate.

 The Studio self published a book as well that details the beginnings of the program and features some of the work that has been done. You can purchase a copy of the book on blurb. Visit their website to see more about the studio, programs, and more of their work.