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Creative outlet found at workshop Weekly event provides space and materials to art enthusiasts
Myles Dolphin
Northern News Services
Published Monday, September 23, 2013
IKPIARJUK/ARCTIC BAY
A creative outlet for Arctic Bay residents is entering its seventh year.
The Spark Art Project is the brainchild of Inuujaq School teacher Paulette Campbell, who began the program when she moved to the community in 2007.
The weekly workshop, held on Thursday evenings at the school, gives residents a place and opportunity to be creative in a warm and supportive atmosphere.
Nick Muckpa, whose favourite activity is sketching landscapes with polar bears, has been attending because it's a way to interact with friends and keep busy.
"Art is the main thing that helps me forget about all the problems that occur," he said.
"I can talk to my friends there. It's a good thing there is a program for art, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do and where to go. Maybe I'd just stay home and watch television and have nothing to do."
Campbell, the school's art teacher, acts as a facilitator at the workshop and guides art enthusiasts on how to use materials.
She said the program has really grown in the small community over the years, where the population is approximately 820 people.
"People have come to rely on it and look forward to it," she said.
"Young people really feel like they have something to do during the week. It's creative and people make beautiful and interesting things they're proud of - it seems to be therapeutic for all of us to be there."
Funding from the Brighter Futures Fund allows Campbell to purchase materials for the program. Participants also have access to professional material once they're ready to tackle more elaborate projects.
So far, two art exhibits - called Art Attack - have featured work from the program.
Proceeds from the events have gone towards helping students from the community travel abroad.
"We sold tickets for $35 and everyone was guaranteed a piece of artwork," Campbell said.
"Numbers were drawn from a hat and people could choose what art they wanted. We did it two years in a row and I'm entertaining the idea of doing it again this coming spring."
Campbell said the program is beneficial for the community in so many ways. She's seen participants develop their artistic skills, so much so that some of them have had their artwork featured at the community's heritage centre.
"People have been working on personal projects, whether they're portraits or just greeting cards for relatives," she said.
"I think it's quite satisfying for them. It becomes something more rewarding and in some cases, an extra source of income."
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