Andrea Markey
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (June 20/05) - The Nunavut Arts Festival will be held in Iqaluit from now on.

This year's festival was scheduled for Cambridge Bay but was moved because of "unforeseen difficulties."

Those difficulties include lack of interest from artists and decreased funding for the sixth annual festival, said festival director Beth Beattie. Beattie is also the executive director of the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association, the organization that puts on the festival each year.

"After extending the deadline, we still only had 23 applications from artists," she said.

When the festival was held in Rankin Inlet last year, there were more than 50 applications. There were more than 100 applications when the festival was held in Iqaluit in 2003, she said.

A desire to see the festival grow is another reason for the move. Iqaluit has more accommodation room for artists and visitors, and larger facilities, she said.

The festival costs between $250,000 and $270,000 to operate each year, Beattie said. That money covers airfare for approximately 50 artists, accommodations and meals, and security and insurance for the artwork while it is in Iqaluit.

Some previous funders may not come through this year, another reason the decision was made to hold the festival in Iqaluit, she said.

All funding allocations will be made by the new July 15 deadline for artist applications.

Deborah Hudson arrived in Rankin just two weeks before the Nunavut Arts Festival last year.

She is the general manager of the Siniktarvik Hotel and Conference Centre.

"We were swamped for a week - booked solid," she said. "And to some extent we count on those reservations."

The hotel has 50 rooms and had to book rooms outside the hotel, also.

"In my personal opinion, I would really like to see the festival go to different communities each year."

The idea to hold the festival only in Iqaluit is something that has been talked about for a couple of years, said carver Inuk Charlie, of Taloyoak.

No longer on the festival's board of directors, Charlie could only give his personal opinions on the decision, he said.

"Moving from place to place with limited funds makes organizing difficult," he said. "Costs and art sales are the two biggest obstacles to having it in different communities."

Artists are often disappointed if sales don't reach expectations, he said.

But many artists do want the festival to rotate between communities so the decision will perhaps be reversed if they are in the majority, he said.

"Ideally, the festival would be held in different communities so people can find out what the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association is all about," he said.

"If the festival is going to survive, the funding issue must be addressed."

Charlie has participated in the previous festivals and was planning on going to Cambridge Bay.

Due to work commitments, the trek to Iqaluit would require too much time away, he said.

The mayor and economic development officer of Cambridge Bay were not available for comment last week.