Chris Dray
Chris Dray moved to the Yukon in the 1970s and he worked in mining when he first arrived.1) He purchased the Porter Creek Guild Hall for $1 and renovated it himself. He started the Whitehorse organization that supported building the Yukon Arts Centre and the creation of Arts Underground in the Hougen Centre. Dray was the director of the Arts Centre for nine years. In 2005, he and Chris Sorg, on behalf of the Main Street Yukon Society, committed to run a month-long arts fair on the Main Street in Whitehorse. That two-year run was an experiment to gain support for a cultural centre on the waterfront and was a success for the downtown businesses. The business community asked the government to replace the street fair and the government agreed to lease the Old Fire Hall to Artspace North. Chris Dray left his position as executive director of the Yukon Arts Centre and champion of cultural development in Whitehorse in 2007.2)