Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 16/02) - Three generations of Marion Tuu'luq's family were on hand for the opening of the Baker Lake artist's first solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada Oct. 12.

Untitled 1975 piece by Marion Tuu'luq -- felt, embroidery floss, and thread on stroud. - photo courtesy of the National Gallery of Canada

Tuu'luq, 92, died mere weeks before the opening after battling a long illness.

Born near Black River, Tuu'luq lived a traditional lifestyle for more than half her life before moving to Baker Lake with her family in the 1960s.

The artist taught herself how to sew and began her career selling wall hangings and other works when the Baker Lake sewing project began around 1967.

Marie Bouchard was the driving force behind the Tuu'luq exhibition.

She lived in Baker from 1986-97, running Baker Lake Fine Arts and operating as an independent art advisor.

Bouchard supplied a number of local artists with the material required to create their work and arranged commercial exhibitions in Southern galleries.

"I spent about three years with Marion while she was still producing work," says Bouchard.

"A skin allergy to the wool she worked with and a weakness in her arm forced her to stop in 1989."

Tuu'luq had 26 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

Her bond with Bouchard grew when she became a surrogate grandmother to her son.

Bouchard says Tuu'luq became part of her own family, which remains quite special to her.

"The close relationship she formed with my family gave Marion a lot of confidence in the way she produced her last works.

"I was very sad with the news of her passing, but I know she'll be at the exhibition with us in spirit."

Bouchard first proposed the exhibition to the National Gallery five years ago and has worked diligently at it ever since.

Although Tuu'luq never lived to see the exhibition, Bouchard made sure she enjoyed her own special night.

She travelled to Baker one last time to present a slide show on the 37 works selected for the exhibition.

"We had a huge pizza party for all the family and I showed the slides on a wall.

"She was the star of the evening and, in some aspects, I sense that recognition from her family may have meant more to her than the actual exhibition."

Remarkable work

Marie Routledge is the associate curator of Inuit art with the National Gallery of Canada and co-organized the Tuu'luq exhibition with Bouchard.

She says Tuu'luq's work is made special by her eye for design, and the skills she developed in a traditional context and was able to bring to a contemporary art expression.

"Tuu'luq's sense of colour, pattern and design are really quite remarkable," says Routledge.

"Some of the pieces in the exhibition are almost abstract."

Routledge says Tuu'luq had an innate sense for the texture and feel for her material, which she put into perfectly sewn elaborate and sophisticated compositions.

At the same time, she says, Tuu'luq brought her feelings and thoughts of the North into her work.

"In one of her pieces from the early '70s, My Homeland, she shows us the people, animals and spirits of the land, all kind of interwoven together in that closeness Northerners have for the land.

"Then there are other pieces where it's just the stitchery, lines and colours that are the subject of her work.

"There's not really a story to them. It's just the pure joy of the shapes and colours she was working with.

"Her work truly is most remarkable."

The Tuu'luq exhibition will be on display in Ottawa until Jan. 12, before travelling to Winnipeg, Toronto and Guelph, Ont.