Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (Apr 26/99) - Since the NWT Arts Council divided -- in tandem with the old territory -- no one quite knows what's happening with arts grants in Nunavut.

"The thing is that all these applications that went into the NWT Arts Council are now coming back here," says a concerned Beth Beattie, co-ordinator for the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association (NACA). "Yeah, I have questions for them too."

NACA has applied for a $10,000 grant for their planned millennium project -- a sculpting symposium that would see master sculptors from across Canada and Nunavut unite in Iqaluit over two summers.

"I really need to know now about our application," Beattie says. "We really need to know about that otherwise we'll have to look elsewhere for the money."

All territorial arts grant applications went to the NWT for the Feb. 15 deadline. With division, all 27 Nunavut applications were then sent back to Nunavut -- specifically, to Iglulik and the office of the assistant deputy minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth (CLEY).

When asked how things were coming along with the granting process, assistant deputy minister George Qullat refused to comment.

Last year, the NWT Arts Council granted $193,000 to 25 individuals and eight arts groups across the East and West, 10 of which were in the East.

Mark Bain, director of policy and planning for CLEY says that the minister, Donald Havioyak, wants to deal with this right away.

"He sees it as a priority to establish a council. Some of the problems we're facing are just operational, being a new government," explains Bain.

"Nothing beyond the ordinary. I think most people in Nunavut will be happy an arts council is going to be struck and it will happen in the summer."

As Bain explains, calls for members of the arts council went out from the minister a short time ago to all mayors and all MLAs of Nunavut asking for names.

Yet, the formation of the arts council does not guarantee the processing of grants.

"They (Nunavut Arts Council) do have some responsibility in that area," Bain says.

"Now that was traditional of the GNWT and in separate areas, as well, throughout Canada but that may not be the wish of the minister. We're not clear on that right now."

According to Bain, some manner of granting responsibilities will be one of their tasks.

"How involved they'll become will depend on what the priority of the minister is," he adds. "There isn't a huge amount of grants for Nunavut to deal with so he may want to play more of a role in ensuring those grants go to the specific areas that the government sees a priority in. That's speculation on my behalf but we'll have to wait and see."

Bain says that the arts council might be responsible in other areas, such as making recommendations to the minister on artistic activities, policies and procedures.

"The minister can put something before the council and ask for the industry views on it. He can ask them for, perhaps, the future role of the Nunavut government in anything from storytelling, festivals, to cultural gatherings, to how we represent ourselves to the other jurisdictions."

Beattie hopes the matter will be dealt will soon. There are, after all, 27 applications in limbo -- and that means artists waiting.

"I just know that the association really wants to make sure that things happen," says Beattie.

"If they need assistance, we would help. We're here, ready and willing. The association is really interested in helping the artists and if we can do anything..."

Beattie suggests that if there are going to be problems, the association could be involved the first year because they already have a board in place made up of artists.

"That may be the first way to deal with it until they really have themselves set up," she says.