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Thorunn Howatt
Northern News Services
Inuvik (July 30/01) - Thirteen is the lucky number for happy organizers of Inuvik's Great Northern Arts Festival.
"It did the best yet," said the festival's executive director Darrin White.
 Arden Parker, an art hunter from Colorado, buys an ookpik from Great Northern Arts Festival volunteer Susan Mulherin. The piece was crafted by Clara Gully in Inuvik. - Michele LeTourneau/NNSL photo |
The art show pulled in $94,165 in carving sales alone compared to last year's $69,292. Nearly half of those sales were made on the first day -- $40,000, or double last year's number.
"To put that figure into artists' terms, the artists will be leaving with, spread amongst themselves, $109,000."
White said the total net sales, before GST and staff discounts, were $156,805.
He estimated the budget for the exhibition at $600,000. The festival is run as a non-profit organization and receives money from the territorial and federal governments.
Canadian North Airlines donates shipping and some free airfares as well as good rates for transportation for artists to the show.
There were 1,539 passes sold for the exhibition and $4,438 was made at the gate.
White said the festival presents the artists with an opportunity to provide and attend workshops, saying that was "one of the main impetuses of the festival and one of the reasons why we receive huge funding."
Money comes from the Canadian Heritage Program and the Canada Council for the Arts.
The festival keeps a 30 per cent commission of artists' works sold at the show.
Artists are given free display space at the exhibition and pay only a nominal fee of $100 for accommodation.
"All this funding requires a huge obligation for fiscal responsibility," said White of the huge amount of government and private money used to keep the festival on its feet.
The non-profit group employs three full-time staff who organize the festival and arrange funding.
A contractor is employed to do thegraphic arts.
