Welcome signs
We're updating the welcome signs at all nine main entry points to Yukon.
The new signs feature artwork from Yukon artists chosen to represent a region to which they share a connection. The colours are inspired by the Yukon landscapes.
As each sign is installed, the closest Government of Yukon Visitor Information Centre will host a small public event. Keep an eye on social media for announcements about the dates and times of events near you.
Where can I see the old signs?
One old sign will be installed at the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake, and another will be displayed at the Yukon Transportation Museum in Whitehorse.
You can get stickers and postcards of the sign artwork at Visitor Information Centres. Discover the history of our welcome signs and create your own artwork on the Explore Yukon History page.
Find the sign locations and artist information on the Sights and Sites mobile app.
Location of the signs
| Artist and title of artwork | Sign location |
|---|---|
| Terrence Shorty – Wild River | Atlin Road |
| Maegan Garrett – The Renegade | South Klondike Highway – south of Carcross |
| Chantal Rousseau – Top of the World | Top of the World Highway |
| Kimberly Edgar – Dempster Highway | Dempster Highway |
| Ferryn Nowatzki – Alpine Tapestry | Haines Road |
| Leslie Leong – Moose forages in Yukon Landscape | Alaska Highway – near Beaver Creek |
| Justien Senoa – Boreal Magic | Whitehorse Airport |
| Tara Easley – Just Over the Rise | Alaska Highway – south of Watson Lake |
| Dustin Sheldon – Tatshenshini River | Stewart-Cassiar Highway |
Terrence Shorty – Wild River
Atlin Road
Terrence Shorty was born in Whitehorse, Yukon and is of Northern Tutchone, Tlingit, Norwegian and French descent. He comes from an artistic family, and honed his skills in Alberta and Vancouver, BC, before coming home to the Yukon.
"Salmon are the lifeline of our First Nation culture," Terrence says about his work, Wild River. "The salmon, a female laying her eggs, represents everything that we are as the Original Peoples of this land. We are matrilineal, and our mothers and grandmothers bring life to us. As each of us moves through the land and the water we are reminded to look after one another and our sacred animals."
Maegan Garrett – The Renegade
South Klondike Highway – south of Carcross
Some places just seep into your heart, your bones, your soul. For Maegan, the Yukon is this place. The people and the land drew her in decades ago, and she’s been making art ever since. Working in various mediums, she paints on canvas, antlers, saw blades – pretty much anything that can take paint. Recently, Maegan was diagnosed with a form of incurable, degenerative vision loss, which changes the style of her paintings over time.
In this piece, Maegan uses a vivid palette to transform a white Dall sheep into a technicolour beast. The artwork is a playful nod to the independences and creativity of Yukoners. As Maegan says, “the Yukon wilderness fosters a spirit of untamed freedom”.
Chantal Rousseau - Top of the World
Top of the World Highway
Chantal Rousseau is a settler artist based in Dawson City, Yukon on the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Traditional Territory. Through painting and animation, her multidisciplinary practice explores points of connection between humans and non-humans, species diversity, and personal relationships with the natural world.
Top of the World highlights some key species of the Yukon: a Savannah Sparrow, willow, and fireweed, each of which play an integral role in the rich biodiversity of the region. The territory’s floral emblem, fireweed, blooms from the bottom up – when the top flowers open it signals that the first snow is on its way.
Kimberly Edgar – Dempster Highway
Dempster Highway
Kimberly Edgar is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist living on the Traditional Territory of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in in Dawson City, Yukon. Kim’s work is varied, ranging from comics to music, large-scale painting to natural textiles, and they also run a small comics press.
Dempster Highway depicts a view of the Richardson Mountain range and the foliage that can be seen along the scenic drive from Dawson City to Eagle Plains, Yukon, and Inuvik, Northwest Territories
Ferryn Nowatzki – Alpine Tapestry
Haines Road
Ferryn Nowatzki grew up in Marsh Lake, surrounded by the stunning natural areas of the Southern Lakes Region. This fostered a deep appreciation for the beauty of the boreal forest and a fascination with the flora and fauna found there, which Ferryn continually strives to incorporate into her art.
Driving the Haines Road during the golden hours of evening, you may see a grizzly bear digging for roots. The fading sun shines on his fur, making this powerful king of the landscape even more majestic, as he happily plods along through the alpine landscape in search of food.
Justien Senoa Wood - Boreal Magic
Whitehorse Airport
Justien Senoa Wood is a multi-talented Northern Tutchone/Dene artist from Yukon, Canada. She is a citizen of Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation and belongs to the Wolf Clan. Justien is the owner and operator of My Little Aunty. Her business name comes from her middle name, Senoa, which means ”my little aunty” in the Dene language.
“Boreal Magic conveys the enchanting feeling of the Aurora Borealis embracing us on a summer night,” Justien says of her work. “Our Yukon is abundant in healing energy, where land, sky, waters, flora and fauna from the magical boreal can heal and replenish our spirits.”
Tara Easley - Just Over the Rise
Alaska Highway – south of Watson Lake
Tara Easley is a mixed-media artist who lives in a cabin on Teslin Lake, Yukon with her husband and dog. Tara’s art is inspired by the shapes, textures and colours of nature. She’s trying to figure out how to paint scents as well!
Just Over the Rise showcases the Southern Lakes Caribou herd, one of 27 Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) herds in the Yukon. Keep your eyes on the road and roadsides, and you may have a fortuitous caribou sighting, such as the one shown here. They are calm, yet watchful, as you are on their territory.
This painting is based on a photo by Minnie Clark, a friend and fellow Teslin resident.
Leslie Leong – Moose Forages in Yukon Landscape
Alaska Highway – near Beaver Creek
Leslie Leong lives and works in Whitehorse, Yukon. She has an inquiring mind and an obsessive drive to create. While her practice began with photography, it became multi-disciplinary, often involving nontraditional materials and techniques. She is currently focusing her artistic expression in five areas: jewellery, ceramics, mixed-media art, photography and linocut printmaking.
Yukon’s majestic outdoors and wildlife are illustrated by a dynamic landscape of forest, mountains, and the iconic moose, all lit by the golden midnight sun in a motif depicting the stages of the sun that never sets in the summer.
Dustin Sheldon – Tatshenshini River
Stewart-Cassiar Highway
Dustin Sheldon is Teslin Tlingit, born in Victoria, BC, and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon. Dustin has been drawing all his life from character art to landscapes. He is just getting back into painting after ten years, last having done so while attending the School of Visual Arts in Dawson City in 2013. He hopes you enjoy his artworks and the culture from which he draws his inspiration from.
Tatshenshini River depicts the First Nation's view of the Tatshenshini River that flows through the Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Wilderness Park to the Yukon. This river was used as a vital trade route for the coastal Tlingit people.