This exhibition explores the first generation of artists who contributed to the commercial development of Inuit art in their respective communities across the Arctic. They lived across the Northwest Territories, what is now Nunavut, and Nunavik in Northern Quebec, and were the people responsible for setting up local studios and co-operatives from the 1950s to the 1970s. They were among the first Inuit to make the transition from living on the land to a partially settled life in government-designated communities to access public services and education. They drew, sewed, and carved representations of their childhoods and early adulthoods, describing daily life in the Arctic and including traditional subsistence activities, clothing, laws and taboos, and animals. They did not have access to power tools, electricity, proper drafting tables, or the space needed to conduct printmaking, drawing, tapestry weaving, sewing, and sculpting when they first started, but were able to create meticulously finished works nonetheless. They worked together within and between their communities, creating an extensive network of Inuit-focused co-operatives, many still operating today.
ᐃᓅᓯᕗᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ: ᐃᓅᓯᕗᑦ ᓄᓇᒥ / Inuusivut Nunavummi: Our Lives on the Tundra is guest curated by Nakasuk Alariaq, an Inuk-Finnish curator from Kinngait, Nunavut based in London, Ontario, and a doctoral student at Concordia University in Montreal. In addition to this exhibition, in 2020 Alariaq undertook crucial research of the large and long-standing Inuit art collection at Museum London.
ᐃᓅᓯᕗᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ: ᐃᓅᓯᕗᑦ ᓄᓇᒥ
ᕖᕝᕗᐊᕆ ᖁᓕᑦ ᔫᓂ ᐱᖓᓱᑦ
ᐃᓅᓯᕗᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ: ᐃᓅᓯᕗᑦ ᓄᓇᒥ ᑐᕌᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᑦ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒋᔭᕗᑦ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᑎᓄᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓂᐅᕕᐊᔅᓴᖃᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᓴᖅᑭᑎᑦᑎᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᙳᕐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᓗᒋᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᒥᐅᑕᓄᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ. ᐃᓅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓄᓇᑦᑎᐊᓕᒫᒥ, ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᕕᒃ, ᑯᐱᒃ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᔭᖏᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐃᓂᖅ ᓄᓇᓕᒥ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᕐᕕᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑏᑦ 1950-1970 ᐊᑯᓐᓂᖓᓂ. ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᖑᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐊᓯᙳᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᓅᓂᖅ “ᓄᓇᒥ” ᐊᕕᒃᓯᒪᔪᒃᑯᑦ ᓄᓇᑖᕐᓂᖅ ᐃᓅᓯᒧᑦ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᑦ−ᐊᐅᓚᑕᐅᔪᒃᑯᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓄᑦ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᐅᑎᖃᕐᓂᐊᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᑭᒃᑯᑐᐃᓐᓇᓄᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕋᐅᑎᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ. ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ, ᒥᖅᓱᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᑐᑎᒃ ᐅᔭᕋᕐᓂᒃ ᑕᐃᒪᙵᑦ ᓱᕈᓯᐅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓐᓇᐅᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖃᖅᑐᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᑕᒫᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐃᓚᒋᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᖏᑦ ᐊᒃᓱᕈᕐᓇᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᔅᓴᐃᑦ, ᐊᓐᓄᕌᑦ, ᒪᓕᒐᐃᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᑉᐱᕆᔭᐅᔪᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓂᕐᔪᑏᑦ. ᓴᓇᕐᕈᑎᑕᖃᓚᐅᙱᑦᑐᑦ ᐅᐊᔭᐅᑎᒃᑰᖅᑐᓂᒃ, ᐅᐊᔭᐅᑎᖃᙱᑦᑐᑦ, ᓵᖃᑦᑎᐊᙱᑦᑐᑦ, ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᓴᓇᕝᕕᖃᑦᑎᐊᙱᑦᑐᑦ ᐃᓂᖃᑦᑎᐊᙱᑦᑐᑦ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᕈᓐᓇᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᕐᓂᖅ, ᒥᖅᓱᕐᓂᖅ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᓕᓵᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᑦᑎᐊᕌᓂᒍᓐᓇᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᒃᑲᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ. ᐱᓕᕆᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᖏᕐᕋᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓯᓚᑖᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᑉ, ᓴᖅᑭᑎᑦᑎᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ−ᑐᕌᖓᔪᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑎᒌᑦ−ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᒃᑯᑦ, ᐊᒥᓱᑦ ᓱᓕ ᐊᐅᓚᔪᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥ.
ᐃᓅᓯᕗᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ: ᐃᓅᓯᕗᑦ ᓄᓇᒥ ᑐᙵᓱᒃᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑲᒪᒋᔭᐅᔪᖅ ᓇᑲᓱᒃ ᐊᓚᕆᐊᕐᒧᑦ, ᐃᓄᓪᓚᕆᒃ ᑲᒪᔨ ᑭᙵᐃᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥᐅᑕᖅ ᑐᙵᕝᕕᖓ ᓚᓐᑕᓐ, ᐋᓐᑎᐅᕆᔫ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ Ph.D. ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑎ ᑳᓐᑯᐊᑎᔭ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᖅᓴᕐᕕᒃ ᒪᓐᑐᕆᐋᓪᒥ.
Image: Pudlo Pudlat (1916-1992, Kimmirut/Kinngait (formerly Cape Dorset), Nunavut; Printer: Pitseolak Niviaqsi (1947-2015), Kinngait (formerly Cape Dorset), Nunavut; Landscape with Caribou (Umingmuk Kalunaniituk), 1977, stonecut and stencil print on paper, ed. 44/50, Gift of Richard and Beryl Ivey, London, Ontario, 1996