Создательницы 50-летних гобеленов в Юконе требуют перенести экспонаты из закрытого зала парламента в общедоступное пространство

'They're legacy': 50-year-old Yukon tapestries deserve more public display, creators say Women's Tapestries have hung in members' lounge at Yukon legislative building since 1970s When Eve McBride recently phoned the Yukon legislature building in Whitehorse hoping to visit the collection of large, colourful tapestries that she helped design a half century ago, she got a bit of a shock — the tapestries had been taken down. The territorial government, which owns the five tapestries, says the artworks are undergoing restoration work and will eventually be on display again. “These are works of art. They’re legacy. They’re a history of women that hasn’t been defined before,” McBride said. McBride, 80, was the lead designer of the community artwork called Women’s Tapestries. The five panels, each measuring 2.1 x 3.9 metres, were meant to represent the strength of northern women. Each depicts one of the four seasons, with the fifth representing "breakup" season, according to McBride. They were stitched by thousands of volunteers in communities across the territory. For the last 50 years, they've hung in the members' lounge at the legislative assembly building in Whitehorse. When the wall of the members’ lounge needed repairs, the tapestries were removed for protection in late June. That offered a chance to fully clean and restore them. McBride says she was told that it wasn't yet decided where the tapestries would go after their restoration. That prompted her to organize a reception earlier this month at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, to mark the 50th anniversary of the tapestries and advocate for their return to public display. The territorial government and the Yukon Legislative Assembly have since told CBC News that the tapestries will go back to the members’ lounge by next spring, following the restoration work. Carolyn Moore, manager of policy and communications at the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Culture, says the public will be invited to view the restored tapestries at a celebratory event in honour of the 50th anniversary of the official installation. The tapestries were designed in 1976 by McBride and her sister, Julie Aldis, following a commission from the Whitehorse branch of the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women, to mark International Women’s Year. That was the same year that the new Yukon government building was scheduled to open, and something was needed to hang on a huge, blank wall in the proposed members’ lounge. It then became a community effort to create the tapestries. Each of the panels was divided into smaller, more workable sizes and the pieces were circulated to communities where volunteers did the actual stitching. Nearly 3,000 people dedicated over 6,000 hours of work to the project. McBride says she's relieved to know that the artworks will go back on display, but she wishes it would be somewhere that's more accessible to everyone. “I think all of the public should see them,” McBride said. “They’re going to be hanging in the members’ lounge, which means that access will be restricted and I think that’s too bad.” McBride is not the only one who thinks that. Laurel Parry was a teenager when the tapestries were being stitched. She went to the event McBride organized this month, to celebrate a lifetime of knowing the artwork. “I think it’s beautiful that these tapestries sort of reflect the hearts of someone in the hands of so many women,” Parry said. “My only sadness is that the Yukon government building is not such a centre where the public goes as often. “If I could just wish for the future in the next 50 years, I would love to see a way for the public to appreciate these pieces more.” Marilyn Smith, who along with her mother helped stitch one of the tapestries, also agrees — though she admits the artwork looks spectacular on the high walls of the members’ lounge. “I hope that wherever it’s hung, it’s a permanent installation that does allow at least some access to the public to see it,” Smith said. The tourism department's arts unit is approaching the restoration work with extreme care. The wool and the tapestries themselves held up extremely well given their age, but Larissa Stanley, the visual art project coordinator, says the work will take many hours. Allison Lloyd, clerk of the Yukon Legislative Assembly, says the artwork is an important part of the history and would not be hidden away, even as the assembly building evolves. As the artwork belongs to the Yukon government, Lloyd told CBC News that any decision to relocate the tapestries would require discussion and would be communicated to the public. McBride says she wants the community to feel enlarged through the legacy of Women’s Tapestries. “I just hope that people will stop and think about how important the role of women is in developing a community, particularly a community as wild and remote as the Yukon is.”