The Esker Artist-in-Residence (AiR) Program provides an opportunity for Northern artists to pursue work that brings together science and art through connection with the spectacular landscape of NWT at the GNWT’s Tundra Ecosystem Research Station (TERS) along North America’s longest esker. The residency is an ideal setting for exploring the interplay between art, science, and conservation.

In 2025, the residency ran from July 31 to August 8, and gave one artist valuable time to retreat, reflect, and focus on their work alongside researchers and scientists.

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About the 2025 Esker AiR artist:

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Jen Walden is a visual artist and film director living and working in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Her distinctive style of artwork explores Canadian and Northern life through people, wildlife and topography. Jen works primarily in acrylics, using vibrant colour, rich texture, dynamic line and three-dimensional relief to create a truly sensual experience. Her work is deeply influenced by the natural and human environment, in particular the geography and culture of her immediate surroundings.

During the Esker AiR, Jen worked in paint, as well as photography and videography, to represent the tundra landscape.