Foundation laid for art centre
SAO calls project important part of hamlet
Beth Brown
Northern News Services
Monday, November 21, 2016
KINNGAIT/CAPE DORSET
Construction for Cape Dorset's Kenojuak Cultural Centre and Print Shop is finally underway.
Construction for the Kenojuak Cultural Centre and Print Shop in Cape Dorset is underway after decades of planning. - Illustration courtesy of Kate Dillon |
"It's been a wish for the community," hamlet senior administration officer Ed Deveraux said. "We're excited to actually see it get started. It's a project that's been on the go for at least two decades. So this is positive energy in the community."
Kudlik Construction started the project following arrival of sealift supplies, and has been putting pipes in the ground and pilings over the last few weeks.
The centre's expected completion is March 2018.
"It's pretty much just chunks of metal in the ground right now, containers and building supplies," said Jason Paul, general manager of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative. "It's an excellent start."
The up-and-coming art hub will provide a community gathering space, visitor centre and exhibition gallery for tourism. The 10,000 sq. ft building will also house modern print studios for artists of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative so visitors can see how Cape Dorset prints are made.
"There's no real space in town now to show what it is that the community does," says Paul. "The print shops themselves are problematic in terms of accommodating a group of people."
The current print studio is more than 40 years old.
"It's just really old," said Paul.
The $11 million project is being led by the municipality, with funding provided by the Nunavut and federal governments, and also through fundraising efforts and private donors.
The project has more than 46 donors, said Kate Dillon, spokesperson for the Kenojuak campaign, including Canadian corporations, small businesses, foundations and individuals.
"They see how Canadian this project is and how culturally significant this project is for Canada. Cape Dorset is the centre or the capital for Inuit art in Canada," she said.
The project requires $3 million in private funding, $2.5 million of which has been raised. The committee is looking to finish the campaign within the next 12 months, said Dillon.
Government funding sits at $7.8 million, with $4.5 million from Heritage Canada announced this past June, $22 million jointly from the federal Infrastructure and Communities Fund and Nunavut's Community and Government Services, and additional funding from Economic Development and Transportation, and Culture and Heritage.
The exterior of the building is designed to be a sort of artist's billboard, or self-poster for the centre, said project manager and architect Maud Francoeur of Panaq Design Inc.
"When you come from the airport, you arrive directly in front of the building," Francoeur said. "On its main facade, it will have the art of Cape Dorset artists."
The artwork for the outer building has yet to be chosen.
Her team visited the hamlet on multiple occasions to consult with the community on a design that would serve their needs.
"It was decided it would be a simple shape, so that it is easy to construct and maintain."
The centre is named after famed Cape Dorset artist Kenojuak Ashevak, who died in 2013.
"New generations of artists can be developed and it is also going to be used to preserve all the past art that has been done," said Deveraux. "It's going to be a very important piece of infrastructure for the community."
