NACC’s mentorship program is designed to prepare local emerging artists to launch their careers over a span of two years. Each mentee is given business and artistic support to help them hone their show, plan out their promotional strategy, meet important contacts in their discipline and make the leap into professional performance. This is the second year for these mentees and the last year for the mentorship program.
MIRANDA CURRIE
MIRANDA CURRIE Children’s entertainer Miranda Currie writes fun, catchy, and original kid-friendly songs with a northern Indigenous flair! Miranda uses fiddle and guitar to convey through song the beauty and adventure she finds near her Yellowknife home, where she lives with her two sled dogs. Her show includes references to the Tlicho language, and songs about her favourite animal – the busy beaver! Miranda is an outdoor educator and author of 3 children’s books.
Social media contacts:
CROOK THE KID
CROOK THE KID Dylan Jones is a hiphop artist who grew up in the Sahtu community of Fort Good Hope. Under the stage name Crook The Kid, he uses his own life experience and gritty sound to tell a tale of hardship and overcoming one’s obstacles in the face of adversity. Dylan recently performed at Ottawa Blues Fest with Wu Tang Clan on the bill and has a European tour booked.
Social media contacts:
Reverbnation, Spotify, Facebook
KAREN NOVAK
KAREN NOVAK is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music advocate, and full-time performer for over 30 years. An actress with theatre and TV credits, she is currently preparing to relaunch her original music with a theatrical rock trilogy. Wide Open is a fantasy story about a mist-being warrior, Satori, who travels to earth to try and save her world from being destroyed. This show incorporates visuals, technology, and special tunings to make this live movie an experience.
Social media contacts:
Linkedin, Band Website, NWT Arts
MIRAJ
MIRAJ is an audiovisual electroacoustic duo between Harrison Roberts (DJ Flora) and Sami Blanco (Temple Volant). They collect sounds and visuals from northern field recordings and instruments to blend shape-shifting colors synchronized to electronic soundscapes of dub techno and ambient house. Music and visuals are recorded live using analog sequencers, synthesizers, and drum machines mixed in a DJ hybrid format, inspired by the surroundings and the moment.
Social media contacts:
WESLEY HARDISTY
WESLEY HARDISTY is a fiddler and composer who blends rock, country, folk, Celtic and Métis sounds into his music. Wesley is from the Dene First Nation and took up the fiddle at age 13 in Fort Simpson through the Kole Crook Fiddle Association. He attended the prestigious Gulf Islands School of Performing Arts on Saltspring Island, BC. His debut CD 12:12 won the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award for Best Fiddle CD.
Social media contacts:
Facebook, Reverbnation, Twitter
MARTIN REHAK
MARTIN REHAK is a multi-disciplinary artist and standup comedian who primarily produces comedic video shorts that incorporate practical effects such as stop-motion and puppetry; oftentimes designing and creating props and sets all by hand. Currently, he is writing and developing a multimedia stage performance consisting of live humouristic storytelling assisted by video projections that will take you on a journey into the absurd.
Social media contacts:
KIERA-DAWN KOLSON
KIERA-DAWN KOLSON is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, performer, and young leader. For over 20 years, she has been involved internationally in advocacy work on Indigenous people’s rights, the environment, cultural preservation, decolonization, and empowerment through art and culture. She is passionate about the revitalization of Indigenous heritage and will continue to inspire the next generations to live their gifts.
Social media contacts:
NWT Arts profile , Twitter, Facebook
aMORAL HOUSE OF CARDS
aMORAL HOUSE OF CARDS is a post-disciplinary practice crystallizing from a diverse collection of experiences. With an MFA from Glasgow School of Art and an extensive background in art fabrication in New York and Glasgow, the practice relocated to Yellowknife in 2013, joining local projects such as the build crew at Snowking’s Winter Festival. Headquartered in Yellowknife Bay, the practice works to find a nexus between art-making, autobiographical mythology, and pragmatic living.
Social media contacts:
