When CKUA set out to create its 2026 summer merch collection, we turned to Erik M. Grice, the JUNO-nominated, Alberta-raised, Métis artist and musician whose work can be found coast-to-coast in Canada’s arts and culture community. For Grice, the creative brief landed squarely in familiar territory.
“[CKUA] reached out and sent me a lot of really good references that were right in my wheelhouse,” Grice recalls. “A lot of retro, 70s, outdoorsy, camping vibes.”
The fit comes from both Grice’s practice and his past. Raised in Edmonton by horticulturalist parents, Grice spent much of his childhood outdoors gardening, hiking, and studying the natural world in a hands-on way.
“We used to go out to Elk Island Park and catch, pin, and categorize insects,” he recalls. “It was a really interesting way to grow up appreciating and studying nature.”
Those early experiences continue to inform his approach, and they’re immediately visible in the CKUA collection. The animals and landscapes are “depictions of Alberta…the wetlands and the environment, and, of course, the radio transmitters. Those are all things that weave the tapestry that is Alberta,” he explains.
It’s a natural choice for a station he sees as deeply rooted in the province’s identity: “CKUA, for me, is Alberta.”
Grice has been involved with numerous projects that CKUA listeners are likely familiar with. His design resumé includes projects and collaborations with Jeff Tweedy/Wilco, The Tragically Hip, Reuben and the Dark, Sled Island Music Festival, the Canadian Country Music Awards, and CKUA audience favourite Wyatt C. Louis. His work with Louis earned him a JUNO nomination for Best Album Artwork in 2025.
While it was his first JUNO nod as a visual designer, Grice’s music has also received recognition on the national stage. As one half of the alt-folk duo Altameda, Grice earned a JUNO nomination in 2023 for Adult Alternative Album of the Year for Born Losers.
For Grice, CKUA has served as both a platform and a touchstone throughout his career.
“When CKUA started supporting the bands that I was playing in, it made a difference,” Grice says. “I think part of that has to do with the listener-funded platform…Because of that, people trust what the [hosts] are playing and people get to know [them] personally,”
“The support and community is unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else.”
Listen to Erik M. Grice talk with CKUA’s Kate Stevens on the June 16 edition of The Upload.
The 2026 CKUA Summer Collection is available now! Come say hi at a CKUA Summer festival to get yours, or browse the entire collection online at store.ckua.com.
CKUA is seeking Alberta-based artists and designers to contribute to, and collaborate on, upcoming merch collections. Think your art would shine in the CKUA merch lineup? Submit your portfolio here.
