Anne-Marie Jennings
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 18/98) - The Great Northern Arts Festival will be marking 10 years this summer, and organizers are already busy making sure visitors to the festival will not be disappointed.

Organizer Tanya Van Valkenberg says this year's event will include some new surprises as part of the lineup.

"The festival includes demonstrations, workshops, and many other activities planned over the 10-day period," Van Valkenberg says.

"There is also a huge cultural festival on the weekend, which will bring in artists from across the Yukon and the NWT."

Marilyn Dzaman, who is in charge of the scheduling of the artists, says the lineup of artists is one of the larger ones in a number of years.

"This year's Friday Night Concert will have three major Northern acts appearing," Dzaman says. "The concert will be one of the larger ones in recent years, which will help to promote the celebration of our 10th year."

Among the musicians which are scheduled to appear at the festival are Lucy Idlout, Tom Hudson, Gerry Alfred and the Medicine Beat, George Case, Ann Kassouk and the Lonesome Indian Band, among others.

Van Valkenberg says while music makes up an important part of the Great Northern Arts Festival, the heart and soul of the event is the demonstrations and workshops organized during the event.

"The workshops allow people who are interested in art to watch people work and learn from those who are working," she says.

"That way, people are drawn into the event and feel as if they are participating.

"Last year, we had one woman who was doing tuftings during one workshop. She started working when the workshops opened for the day at 10 a.m. and she was still there at 9 p.m. that night working.

"She had been working at her craft all day, but she had also answered questions and let other people try their hand at tufting."

Van Valkenberg also notes that a statue carved by five artists will also be unveiled during the festival to commemorate the 10 year life of the festival.

"The statue will be completed during the festival, and people will be invited to help with the finishing," she says. "Those people who want to learn more about carving will be able to learn from the carvers and will also learn about working with marble, which few artists in the North have experience working with.

"Once the statue is completed, it will be presented to Economic Development Minister Steven Kakfwi during the Friday Night Concert."

The Great Northern Arts Festival will take place at the Sir Alexander Mackenzie school in Inuvik from July 17 through 26.