by Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 18/97) - Northern Art is valued all over the world, but getting the goods to market is easier for some artists than for others.

The issue of marketing was a focus at the Great Northern Arts Festival, held in Inuvik last month.

At one of a series of marketing seminars, a number of western artists took exception to being excluded by co-op retailers, specifically Northern Images.

Owned and operated by Arctic Co-operatives Ltd., the Northern Images chain has stores in Yellowknife, Inuvik, Churchill, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Whitehorse.

"Eastern artists have the co-operatives, they don't have to do any marketing whatsoever," noted Inuvik artist Martin Goodlife. "Delta artists have no such outlet."

Goodlife said the Inuvik store has effectively shut out local artists.

That sentiment was echoed by Lyle Trimble, a Northern artist now living in B.C. "Local artists really have no support; they have to do their selling themselves," said Trimble.

David Wilson, manager of Arctic Co-op's marketing division, said the co-op system was designed to serve the artists that sell to its stores in 39 communities across the North, each owned and by residents of the communities in which they exist.

"I understand why there's a real desire for artists to come into the system," said Wilson. "I don't think there's any other system where the artist is paid immediately for his work and doesn't have to worry about it any more."

The co-ops arose from a federal government initiative, and still exist today to market Inuit art, said Wilson.

"It was initially the federal government and the co-operatives of the North, then it was totally taken over by the co-operatives in the early '80s."

The Northern Images stores, he said, were designed to retail members' art, but use the creations of outside artists to augment the assortment.

But the Arctic Co-operatives Ltd. is not the only place for artists to trade their creations for cash.

"Other players have come on the scene since the co-ops," said Leslie Boyd, manager of Dorset Fine Arts, the downtown Toronto wholesaler of art produced by members of the Cape Dorset Eskimo Co-op.

"Northern Stores are active in most communities, and the DevCorp in some."

Dorset Fine Arts is an anomaly in the Northern co-op network, wholesaling only art produced by members of Cape Dorset's West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative at a showroom in downtown Toronto.

Cape Dorset was also home to the first Northern art-producing co-op, established in 1959.

Art produced by members of other co-ops is wholesaled through Arctic Co-ops Ltd., based in Winnipeg.

Inuit Art Marketing Service, near Pearson International Airport in Toronto, is the wholesaler for art bought by Northern Stores. Arctic Co-op's wholesale outlet is in the same airport strip area.

For artists outside either of the systems, marketing means establishing a relationship with galleries.

"My metaphor is it's like a dance, and you really have to find the right partner," said Iqaluit artist Janet Ripley.

In most cases, it's a long-distance relationship, since most galleries are hundreds or thousands of miles from artists' home communities.

Still, Ripley said, connecting with a gallery is a critical move for any independent artist.

"It makes the difference between whether you can make a go of it or not," said Ripley. "With the right gallery you feel well represented, feel your work is important -- that will help you go a long way."