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NNSL Photo/graphic

Pitalousie Sila, arts manager Jimmy Manning, Suvuni Ashoona and Annie Pootoogook survey some artwork in the West Baffin Eskimo Co-op in Cape Dorset. The hamlet was named the most artistic municipality in Canada last week by Hill Strategies Research. - photo courtesy of William Ritchie

Artistry in Cape Dorset

Northern News Services

Cape Dorset (Feb 20/06) - It's official. Cape Dorset is Canada's most artistic municipality.

A report released last week by Hill Strategies Research identified the community as having the highest concentration of artists as a percentage of the labour force among all small and rural municipalities in the country.

The artistic concentration is 21 per cent, the report reads, representing 110 artists out of a population of 485 as listed in Statistics Canada's 2001 census.

Other highlights of the report reveal that Cape Dorset has more than double the concentration found in the second most artistic municipality (Squamish-Lillooet, B.C.) and is almost 30 times the national average.

The report was funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canadian Cultural Observatory and Arts Policy Branch) and the Ontario Arts Council.

There are a number of internationally-renowned artists from the community, including printmaker Kenojuak Ashevak, a recipient of the Order of Canada, and Ohito Ashoona, a recipient of the 2002 National Aboriginal Achievement Award for arts and culture.