Christine Grimard
Northern News Services
Wednesday, July 18, 2007

KIVALLIQ - Two Kivalliq artists shared the first Nunavut Commissioner's arts award last week, taking home $5,000 each.

Although the total was originally supposed to go to one artist, the board decided to split it as they found two candidates equally deserving.

"It's consistent with the idea of sharing and not being too rigid in honouring people," said Jim Shirley, one of the board members.

Shirley noted that the award was granted based on community service and generosity of knowledge, rather than judging the visual arts in themselves.

John Towtongie said he was rather surprised to receive the award. He said that in his 50 years of carving traditional Inuit tools, he didn't think anyone noticed his work.

Towtongie is a traditional artist from Rankin Inlet. He started carving and fabricating tools using stone, ivory, antlers and bones with techniques he said he taught himself.

He said his favourite thing about doing artwork is when people like was he does.

For Thomas Iksiraq, the second award winner from Baker Lake, art is about relaxing.

He took up art after seeing a presentation in 1969 on artwork and started to make prints.

It became a hobby for him as the years progressed. Now he does stone block cutting, stencilling and woodblock printing.

Artwork is a form of passing along traditional stories, according to Iksiraq. He said that a lot of hard work goes into this, and it's nice to get the award and know that someone is noticing.

"So many of our artists create items from legends, old songs, Inuktitut and nature, that brings attention to Inuit culture," said Nunavut Commissioner Ann Meekitjuk Hanson in May upon announcing the award.

Shirley said they had some problems with the application process, in that not all the communities had equal access to sponsorship, technology and the ability to compose application letters in English.

For next year, applications will require accompanying photographs so that the board will be able to judge the art itself.

Shirley also said that while they will continue to focus on visual arts next year, the board will be also be recognizing performance arts, photography, and music in future years.