Nunavut Arts Festival residency artists Jaco Ishulutaq of Pangnirtung, left, Couzyn van Heuvelen currently of Ontario, Janet Pitsiulaaq Brewster of Iqaluit and Igah Hainnu of Clyde River, who were to work on a collaborative piece together over the span of the festival, pose with Pond Inlet carver Johnny Angutikjuak and Arctic Bay photographer Niore Iqalukjuak in Iqaluit on July 6. - photo courtesy Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association |
Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Monday, July 10, 2017
IQALUIT
On a rather cool, rainy day in the capital, under cover of a tent near the Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre, four artists were on their first official day of working together on a collaborative work.
"Our carvers are tough," noted Justin Ford, with the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association (NACA).
The Nunavut Arts Festival, presented by the association, took place in Iqaluit this year from July 4-9. While there wasn't a cruise ship unloading loads of passengers as the Crystal Serenity did during last year's festival in Cambridge Bay, the site was popular.
"Tourists and people from the community are passing through," said Ford. "The carvers have had a lot of public interaction. Local carvers are popping by, bringing their tools and working with them."
Ford said people often think everything happens in Iqaluit but, when it comes to arts programming, more tends take place in the smaller communities.
"So this is good for the Iqaluit carvers," he said.
The four collaborating artists were Jaco Ishulutaq, Igah Hainnu, Janet Pitsiulaaq Brewster and Couzyn van Heuvelen.
"The objective is to collaborate and learn from each other. They work in different mediums, have different experience," said Ford's co-worker Thomas Rohner, adding a video was being planned involving a fishing trip during the collaboration.
"They are very much learning from each other. That's what we were hoping for," said Rohner.
Ford added the foursome had become inseparable.
"They're going everywhere together," he said.
Officially called the Nunavut Arts Festival Residency, the association designed the four-day paid gig as an open studio where the public would be able to appreciate the process of creation and understand what it's like creating art in Nunavut today.
Pangnirtung master carver Ishulutaq, son of well-known artist Elisapee Ishulutaq, has had his work exhibited internationally and his drawings have been used by Pangnirtung printmakers and weavers in their annual collections.
Brewster, originally from Talurjuaq (sometimes called Taloyoak), began carving at the age of 11. While the artist, who lives and works in Iqaluit, has been experimenting in a variety of mediums, she recently received a Dremel as a gift from a friend to encourage her to carve again.
van Heuvelen is an Iqaluit-born Inuk who has lived in southern Ontario most of his life. His work explores Inuit culture and identity, new and old technologies, and personal narratives. He has studied art - earning a bachelor in fine arts from York University and a masters in fine arts from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.
Clyde River's Hainnu is a teacher, as well as an artist. While she began carving at the age of 13, she also creates goose foot baskets, tapestries, bead work, traditional clothing and jewelry. Her work can be found in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
NACA is offering seven workshops, which can be taken by anyone - other artists, people from the community or tourists. Hainnu was schedule to conduct a workshop on how to make goose foot baskets.
She explained to Nunavut News/North that "it was a traditional bag that was used back then, to hold Arctic willow."
"We've modernized them, we coat them to be longer lasting," she said.
The festival was scheduled to end with an arts and crafts sale on Nunavut Day.
