International Interest in Inuit Art
Inuit art has become a Canadian icon, as recognizable as maple leaves and beavers. Several travelling exhibitions have contributed to a worldwide appreciation of this uniquely Canadian artform. Sculpture/Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic, organized by the Government of Canada in 1971, was shown in Moscow, Leningrad, Copenhagen, Paris, London, and Philadelphia. Many prestigious exhibitions organized by public agencies and private dealers have succeeded in bringing Inuit art to Monaco, Korea, Sweden, and other countries.
The participation of Inuit artists at various symposia around the globe has furthered appreciation of the art. In addition to attending events at numerous North American venues, Mattiusi Iyaituk, President of the Inuit Art Foundation (IAF), has made presentations in Taipei (1999), and in the Philippines (2007). Other Inuit artists have been guests at symposia in various countries, including Russia, Siberia, Chile, and Africa.
Inuit Art Quarterly has published several articles comparing the situation for indigenous artists in Canada and abroad. We also reported on an exchange program between Kenyan and Canadian Inuit artists organized by Montreal’s McGill University in the 1980s (IAQ 1987:10–11). Indigenous artists and their supporters in countries around the world look to Canada as a model for developing indigenous arts.
While producers everywhere face some of the same challenges — obtaining materials is always a big one, as is the effort to ensure cultural survival in the face of industrial development — few have been as successful in marketing and promotion as have Canadian Inuit. Much of the credit for this goes to the Canadian government, which has supported Inuit art since its birth in the mid-20th century. A significant marker of success is that the prices obtained for Canadian Inuit art are much higher than those typically received for similar kinds of work from other indigenous populations.
While IAF has been involved in passing along the lessons we have learned in Canada to, for example, artists in Siberia, we are only too aware that the development of this sought-after artform might not be possible to replicate elsewhere.
Marybelle Mitchell, editor-in-chief of Inuit Art Quarterly
May 2011
References
Hall, Judy
2009 (Spring) “Charles Gimpel: Early Promotion of Inuit Art in Europe”
Ingram, Jan
1993 (Fall) “Arts from the Arctic: A Celebratory Exhibition”
Mitchell, Marybelle
2002 (Winter) “Connecting Cultures: Canadian Inuit & Siberians”
2001 (Fall) “It Happened in Canada”
2000 (Spring) “An Expanding Network of Stone Carvers”
Pelaudeix, Cécile
1998 (Spring) “Inuit Art Attracts Cautious New Attention in France”
Speak, Dorothy
2008 (Winter) “In the Shadow of the Midnight Sun: Sámi and Inuit Art 2000–2005”
Vallee, Frank
1991 (Summer) “Sojourns to Nunavut: Contemporary Inuit Art from Canada at the Bunkamura Art Gallery in Tokyo, Japan, July 14, 1991”
Inuit Art Quarterly
2009 (Winter) “Annie Pootoogook in New York”
2009 (Summer) “Underground, Earthquake-Proof Inuksuk Built in Japan”
2008 (Winter) “Annie Pootoogook Print Included in Touring Exhibition;” “Inuit Art Rediscovered in Toronto… and in the U.K.”
2008 (Summer) “Collaboration on Swiss Installation”
2008 (Spring) “Inuksuk Erected in Mexico;” “Naïve and Marginal Art;” “Nunavut Art Goes to New York”
1995 (Summer) “Inuit Art in Italy”
1993 (Summer) “Inuit Art Galerie Saint Merri”
1991 (Fall) “First Inuit Art Exhibition in Korea”
1991 (Summer) “Masters of the Arctic Opens in Tokyo”
1990/91 (Fall/Winter) “International Perspectives on Inuit Art”
1990 (Winter) “Artists from the Soviet Arctic on Tour in Canada;” “Inuit Artists Manasie Akpaliapik, Peter Ittukallak, and Paulusie Novalinga Visit Japan;” “Inuit Film Festival in Paris”
1987 (Fall) “Inuit and Kenyan Artists Share Experiences”
Selected references from Inuit Art Quarterly (IAQ)
Editorials
2000, An Expanding Network of Stone Carvers, vol. 15, no. 1(spring):3, by Marybelle Mitchell 540.45 Kb - 2001, It Happened in Canada, vol. 16, no. 3(fall):3, by Marybelle Mitchell 438.57 Kb
- 2002, Connecting Cultures: Canadian Inuit & Siberians, vol. 17, no. 4(winter):4, by Marybelle Mitchell 384.46 Kb
Features
- 1990-91, International Perspectives on Inuit Art, vol. 5, no. 4(fall/winter):15 6.20 Mb
- 1998, Inuit Art Attracts Cautious New Attention in France, vol. 13, no. 1(spring):18, by Cécile Pelaudeix 3.06 Mb
- 2000, Soapstone Carvers of East Africa: Not Isolated and Not Alone, vol. 15, no. 1(spring):4, by Howard B. Esbin 7.23 Mb
Reviews
- 1991, Sojourns to Nunavut: Contemporary Inuit Art from Canada at the Bunkamura Art Gallery in Tokyo, Japan, July 14, 1991, vol. 6, no. 3(summer):34, by Frank Vallee 741.83 Kb
- 1993, Arts from the Arctic: A Celebratory Exhibition, vol. 8, no. 3(fall):34, by Jan Ingram 1.29 Mb
News Items
- 1990, Artists from the Soviet Arctic on Tour in Canada, vol. 5, no. 1(winter):35 511.78 Kb
- 1990, Inuit Film Festival in Paris, vol. 5, no. 1(winter):35 582.23 Kb
- 1990, Inuit Artists Manasie Akpaliapik, Peter Ittukallak, and Paulusie Novalinga Visit Japan, vol. 5, no. 1(winter):37 746.18 Kb
- 1991, Masters of the Arctic Opens in Tokyo, vol. 6, no. 3(summer):44 233.16 Kb
- 1991, First Inuit Art Exhibition in Korea, vol. 6, no. 4(fall):40 366.72 Kb
- 1993, Inuit Art Galerie Saint Merri, vol. 8, no. 2(summer):41 111.00 Kb
- 1995, Inuit Art in Italy, vol. 10, no. 2(summer):46 352.45 Kb
- 2000, David Ruben Piqtoukun, vol. 15, no. 4(winter):53 109.39 Kb