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What better way to celebrate Nunavut than to present and to enjoy an exhibition of art and artifacts from that remarkable culture.

The art of Nunavut is an astonishing phenomenon. The sheer volume of artistry in that society is perhaps unprecedented in human history. In no other place or time has such a large proportion of citizens been such accomplished, professional artists. It would also be difficult to identify any society that has produced such a wide and distinctive aesthetic in such a brief time. What most societies take centuries to develop, the people of the North have developed by their own intuition and ingenuity in a matter of decades.

Many families have developed several generations of first-class artists. For example, Pauta Saila, best known for his signature carving of dancing bears, is married to Pitalousie Saila, a famous carver and printmaker. Their sons, Saila Kipanek and Mikisita Saila, have blossomed into excellent artists with their own distinctive delicacy and subjects. The Kiaksuk, Ashevak, Qiatsuk and Oonark families are also virtual dynasties.

The Inuit's apparently innate facility for art-making is especially apparent in their sculpture. Here the art has been served by the people's survival needs for manual dexterity and inventiveness with spare materials. Even in graphic art, however, the Inuit demonstrate astonishing versatility in adopting new media. Many artists - e.g., Talirunili, Kenojuak, Osuitok, Tudlik, Kiawak, Lukta Qiatsuq - have produced brilliant works both in graphic arts and in sculpture.

Each community has its own aesthetic, due equally to the imagination of its artists and to the qualities and limitations of their respective resources. This is especially clear in their sculpture. For example, the soft, malleable and very colourful stone of Cape Dorset allows the most elegant work of Osuitok, Pauta, and Manomie. The harder, black stone of Baker Lake has yielded the sensuous outlines of Barnabus's massive muskoxen and expressions of the unity between the animal and the human. From the still harder, grey stone of Arviat and Rankin Inlet, Miki, Tiktak and Tasseor have demonstrated how much observation and emotion can be drawn with minimal incisions and inflection of an inflexible material. Their artistic triumph and invention mirror their people's survival against overwhelming obstacles.

This exhibition combines a remarkable number of Inuit masterworks with a sampling of today's younger artists. We are indeed privileged to include brilliant works by artists from the pantheon of the departed: Karoo Ashevak, Tiktak, Talirunili, Andy Miki, Tudlik. We also have some old masters who are still among us: Osuitok, Barnabus, Pauta, Tasseor, Karlik. To confirm that we are talking about a brilliant, continuing tradition, here are also a few works by some brilliant younger artists: Saila Kipanek, Tukikee Manomie, Mariano Apupilarjuk and Adlalo Laisa.

And the prints! From the Glenbow comes a virtual greatest hits collection that offers not only the finest graphic art from the region but some of the finest prints our nation has produced. We are graced not just with the familiar, acclaimed works of Kenojuak and Parr but with the stunning stencils of Niviaksiak. There are works of touching simplicity - Helen Kalvak, Luke Anguhadlaq, Pitalousie Saila - and works of subtle irony -Pootoogook, Tudlik. The prints alone provide a feast for the eye and the mind. In rare, pristine condition, these works confirm the intuitive genius and range of Canada's richest and most internationally recognized artistic community. Welcome to the art of the Nunavut, in its breathtaking eloquence, indomitable spirit and embracing humanity.

Maurice Yacowar
Dean of Fine Arts
University of Calgary

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