The Fernie Museum was alive with energy on opening night as a packed crowd gathered to celebrate From the Source, a new exhibition honouring the landscapes of Elk Lakes Provincial Park and the vital headwaters of the Elk River. For curator and participating artist Melanie MacVoy, the turnout was overwhelming in the best possible way.

“What a night!” she said. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for the overwhelming turnout at the opening of our exhibition. And thank you to the Fernie Museum for hosting From The Source.”

The exhibition brings together the work of eight women artists from across British Columbia and Alberta, each offering their own perspective on the region’s rugged and fragile natural environments. Visiting artists Valerie Speer (Rosebud, AB), Julia Keenliside (Edmonton, AB), Christina Olson (Calgary, AB) and Maria Christine Claveau (Rosswood, BC) travelled to Fernie for the opening. They were joined by local artists Anne Anderson, Laura Nelson, and Anie Radish, whose work is woven deeply into the Elk Valley landscape.

A Journey to the Headwaters

The project began in early September 2024 at the Alpine Club of Canada Hut, nestled in the heart of Elk Lakes Provincial Park. For a week, the eight artists immersed themselves in the headwaters of the Elk River—hiking, painting, sharing meals and stories, and weathering the full personality of early fall in the Rockies.

What emerged was more than a collection of paintings—it was a creative community.

MacVoy describes it as an “organic evolution,” a group of women who came together as strangers and left as collaborators, forming a movement rooted in art, friendship, place, and stewardship.

The landscapes they captured are as varied as the artists themselves:
moss-draped forests, still glacial lakes, roaring waterfalls, high mountain strata, and the subtle colours and textures that define one of the Elk Valley’s most ecologically important regions.

Art as Stewardship

Recognizing the deep connection between their work and the places that inspired it, the group invited the Elk River Alliance to speak on opening night about the origins of the Elk River and the importance of watershed stewardship.

“We have the privilege to immerse ourselves in these fragile environments as a source of inspiration,” said MacVoy. “We want to give back.”

In that spirit, the artists will donate a portion of exhibition sales to the Elk River Alliance, supporting local education, monitoring, and stewardship initiatives across the watershed.

From the Source invites viewers to experience Elk Lakes Park through the eyes of those who know it intimately—artists who painted outdoors, on the land, in all conditions, capturing not just geography but emotion.

It is an exhibition about admiration, awe, and responsibility. About the places that nourish us. About the stories that flow from the headwaters down through the Elk Valley, shaping communities like Fernie in ways both visible and unseen.

Participating Artists

Laura Nelson (Fernie, BC)

Melanie MacVoy (Fernie, BC)

Anie Hepher (Fernie, BC)

Anne Aitken Anderson (Jaffray, BC)

Valerie Speer (Rosebud, AB)

Julia Keenliside (Edmonton, AB)

Christina Olson (Calgary, AB)

Maria Christine Claveau (Rosswood, BC)

Visit the Exhibit

From the Source runs throughout the winter during regular Fernie Museum hours:

11am–4pm, seven days a week

Donations to the Fernie Museum are gratefully accepted, and 2026 membership renewals are now available.