RANKIN INLET - Beautiful dolls are the least of the organizer's worries for the Kivalliq Doll Festival and Exhibition scheduled for Sept. 8 to 15 in Rankin Inlet.

Coral Harbour doll maker Lissie Angootealukshows one of her beautiful creations that will be on display at the Kivalliq Doll Festival and Exhibition this coming September in Rankin Inlet - photo courtesy of Noel Kaludjak

Helen AbenReynen said the festival is in dire need of volunteers and fundraisers if it's going to be successful.

To date, 137 dolls have been completed by artists in Repulse Bay, Arviat, Baker Lake, Coral Harbour and, to a far-lesser extent, Rankin Inlet.

Chesterfield Inlet and Whale Cove have not been able to contribute to the festival as of yet.

AbenReynen said she can't do everything by herself, nor should she be expected to.

She said the festival holds great promise if enough people step up and take ownership of the event.

"The communities contributing to the festival have a location to work on the dolls and that is a huge part of their success," said AbenReynen.

"They've also identified a leader to move the process forward.

"The women in Whale Cove have been trying quite hard to get involved, but the territorial funding system has let them down big time."

There are distinct variations in the style of dolls AbenReynen has received from the communities contributing the most to the festival.

The Baker artists are more traditional in their approach to doll making because they prefer older methods of creation over polymer clay.

AbenReynen said the dolls from each area have their own aura about them.

"Some of the Baker dolls tend to be quite whimsical in nature, while Arviat dolls have a more modern flavour to them and tend to be quite tiny.

"The style used in creating the dolls is unique to each community."

AbenReynen said the differences in the dolls stem from the blend of traditional elders with younger artisans who tend to experiment more with the materials.

She said Coral dolls obviously come from an area where sealskin is readily available, and they have more uniformity in their size, facial expression and outfits.

"Most of the women are taking the time to develop harmony, colour balance and materials.

"They're thinking about how the completed doll will look, and not just throwing materials together.

"The care and attention being put into these dolls is really quite impressive."