Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Apr 28/04) - The Matchbox Gallery in Rankin Inlet may soon be embarking on a bold new initiative.

Owner and artist Jim Shirley says he would like to see the gallery, which is internationally known for its ceramic work, become a regional printmaking facility.

World renowned artist Janet Kigusiuk of Baker Lake works on a print at the Matchbox Gallery in Rankin Inlet. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

He says a regional facility would promote veteran printmakers in the Kivalliq who are sitting around idle and get them back into their craft.

"We hope the concept would also interest a number of talented young printmakers we have right here in Rankin," says Shirley.

"The most important part of this concept is that we'd focus on the entire region and bring in people from every community to work here."

One such artist, Janet Kigusiuk of Baker Lake, brought some of the tools she uses for various printmaking processes to a workshop at the Matchbox Gallery this past week.

Shirley says Kigusiuk is one of the most foremost artists in the region, with her work being known among collectors around the world.

"Kigusiuk is known as one of the all-time great artists to come out of the Kivalliq, and we're very privileged to have had her here doing work with us."

Shirley says while the business aspects of running the gallery can't be ignored, they are not as important as producing work people want to look at.

He says to him it wouldn't be worth the time and effort to run a gallery if he was only doing it for the money.

"First and foremost, I want to see people do creative work and be involved with something that's worth doing.

"The money aspects are necessary, but money is not my goal in what I do with art."

Although Shirley lists art, itself, as his number one priority, the gallery will still need funding to become a regional printmaking facility.

He says the concept is only at the visionary stage, but it's something he plans to vigorously pursue. "We have all the equipment here and I've been a printmaker for many, many years.

"In fact, printmaking is my medium. Pretty much all the work I show in the South are prints.

"We have the experience and the expertise here, so let's move forward and see what the possibilities are."