Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Oct 07/02) - It's not every day a statue sculpted by an Inuit artist is dedicated by the Queen.

For well-known Repulse Bay artist Paul Mallaki, it was an honour. He sculpted a series of faces into a large granite stone unveiled by Queen Elizabeth as she dedicated the legislative assembly Friday. Mallaki was introduced to the Queen during the ceremony.

As he prepared for the meeting, he admitted to being a little nervous.

The sculpture reflects the diversity of Nunavut's population.

"We wanted to have the stone represent all of the people of Nunavut," said Tony Rose, public affairs officer for the legislature.

Rose said Mallaki was chosen to create the work because of his "artistic calibre."

"He's been involved in another couple projects around the legislative assembly, so we knew that his work was very, very good and that the quality of his work would be very high," he said.