Inuit fine art and craft exhibition to tour country

The Nunatsiavut Government is pleased to announce the first-ever nationally-touring exhibition of Labrador Inuit art and craft. The exhibition, SakKijâjuk, will open in Happy Valley-Goose Bay in November, and will be one of the featured events of the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement and the establishment of Nunatsiavut.

“SakKijâjuk will bring to light the exciting depth and breadth of Inuit fine art and craft produced in Nunatsiavut,” says Nunatsiavut’s Minister of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, Sean Lyall. “This exhibition will provide a wonderful opportunity to introduce Nunatsiavut artists and craftspeople to the national and international Inuit art market and the field of Inuit art history.”

The exhibition will begin in Happy Valley-Goose Bay on November 19, and a selection of the works will eventually be sent to The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery in St. John’s, before going on a national tour beginning in late 2016. With the support of the Tasiujatsoak Trust, a catalogue, a website, and a series of short films profiling many Inuit artists and craftspeople will also be produced. Artists taking part in the exhibition will be flown to Happy Valley-Goose Bay to attend the grand opening and also participate in the province’s first-ever Aboriginal arts conference, co-hosted by the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council.

Nunatsiavut artist, curator and professor, Dr. Heather Igloliorte, is organizing the exhibition through the Mobilizing Inuit Cultural Heritage Project, in collaboration with the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism of the Nunatsiavut Government, Torngat Arts and Crafts and The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery. The exhibition is being planned through ongoing consultation and collaboration with artists and craftspeople both inside and outside of Nunatsiavut, and will reflect the unique Inuit heritage, knowledge and values.

Dr. Igloliorte and her team will be in Labrador this month to host information sessions and to begin creating website profiles and short films. More information is available online at www.michnunatsiavut.org, or on the ‘2015 Nunatsiavut Art and Craft Exhibition’ Facebook page.

Media Contact:

Bert Pomeroy

Director of Communications

(709) 896-8582

NT5