Yukon who is who

Charlene Alexander

Charlene Alexander attended the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design in 1980-1981 and Ryerson University for photographic arts from 1982 to 1987.¹⁾ In 1989, Alexander (Whitehorse) and Susan Rose (Sackville, New Brunswick) founded the Great Northern Arts Festival in Inuvik, NWT. The ten-day festival grew into a premier event celebrating northern arts and culture that showcased Canada’s diversity and creativity. Alexander and Rose were awarded the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division) in 2004.²⁾ Charlene moved to the Yukon in 1998 and took the lead on many projects including the Yukon Buyers Show and the 2008 Yukon First Nations Arts Festival. She co-produced Project YFN 2010, a presentation of fifty visual and performing Yukon First Nations artists on the stage at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. In 2011, Charlene co-founded the Adäka Cultural Festival - an annual, seven-day gathering of Indigenous artists and performers. Charlene took on the role of Executive Director for the Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association (YFNCT) in 2012. The organization continues to host the Adäka Festival.³⁾