Spotlight on art
Festival returns to Rankin Inlet for first time in a decade
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
RANKIN INLET/KIVALLIQ
Artists from across Nunavut and beyond descended upon Rankin Inlet, as the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Festival made its return to the community Aug. 20 to 26.
Elizabeth Kolb of the Yukon chats with fellow artist Piona Keyuakjuk of Panniqtuuq, left, during the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Festival in Rankin Inlet this past month. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo |
The previous visit to Rankin by the festival took place in 2004.
The event was cloaked in a festive atmosphere as artists took part in various workshops, displayed their wares in an art fair and caught up with each other socially during the six-day event.
Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association executive director Rowena House said the organization was very excited to be making its first return to Rankin in about a decade.
She said the festival exceeded all expectations and she's looking forward to when Rankin hosts it again somewhere down the road.
"The community was very supportive, with lots of people wandering in to see what was for sale and taking part in some of the workshops," said House.
"It was great to see so many people meet the artists, connect with them on creative levels and make new products together.
"The opening was pretty spectacular with the square dance, because we've never done one like that before.
"The geese feet basket was my favourite workshop of the week because there's not many people, really, who does geese feet baskets."
House said she's received amazing feedback concerning the workshops.
She said everyone she spoke with said the workshops provided them with something they could incorporate into their own artistic endeavours.
"Many of the artists I spoke with told me they learned things they can take back, do at home and make additional income from where they are, and that's the most important thing.
"That's the kind of thing we're trying to accomplish.
"It's not about coming to an event, doing one workshop and never doing it again.
"We want to make sure it goes home with them and they can spin qiviut, make geese feet baskets, improve their jewellery making or do some sealskin blocking or mitt trimming in the Kivalliq, Baffin or Kitikmeot, so those types of things have proved to be very interesting."
House said people putting too much emphasis on the art fair and the volume of sales it generate is always a worry of the association's.
She said many people seem to think the festival is just one big sale, which is not the case.
"Artists did have their items out for sale for about four days during the
festival and we do want them, of course, to make as
many sales as possible.
"But we also want members of the public to check out the various items and be impressed enough by what they see to come back the next day and take part in a workshop.
"If not that, then at least talk to an artist directly about what they're doing and their creative process.
"The more we bring the festival to different communities, the more it's going to evolve and become bigger than just that one sale."
The association took the festival to Cambridge Bay in 2014, which marked the first time it moved outside of Iqaluit for at least seven years.
House said the association looked at the financial difference between holding it in Iqaluit and Cambridge Bay and realized it was only about $5,000 or $6,000.
"That made us ask ourselves why we were only hosting the festival in Iqaluit.
"We hoped we'd receive a lot of support from different communities to be able to host the event in other regions, so we decided to begin in the Kitikmeot in 2014 and bring it to Rankin this year.
"A couple of cruise ships also came into Cambridge this past year, so it was a great chance for us to ensure tourism was positively affected by the festival, as well."
The association plans to hold the 2017 festival in Iqaluit in conjunction with Canada's 150th anniversary celebrations, and the official opening of the Iqaluit International Airport Improvement project.
For 2016, the festival may return to Cambridge Bay or even go to Pond Inlet for the first time.
House said it cost a fair bit of money to host the annual festival.
She said the association has to do its own fundraising throughout the year, in addition to what it receives from funding partners.
"Our biggest chunk of funding comes from Nunavut's Economic Development and Transportation and we get another big chunk from CanNor (Canadian Northern Economic Development).
"We also have about 46 sponsors a year to help us with the event, either in-kind or in financial contributions.
"We kick off our fundraising season in March and by June we pretty much have everything confirmed.
"The biggest challenge the artists have continues to be getting raw materials into their community at a reasonable price, so, in future editions of the festival, we'd like to either have some raw materials available for purchase, or distributed as part of the benefit to the artists for coming to the event."
