Arts and crafts festival a go in Iqaluit

Repulse Bay carver Paul Maliki is one of six master carvers working in front of Iqaluit city hall this week as part of the Nunavut Arts Festival. Maliki and his fellow carvers’ work will be auctioned off at a festival dinner July 2. (PHOTO BY SARAH ROGERS)

The Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association has launched its 2011 Nunavut Arts Festival, promising a high quality and accessible line-up of workshops, sales and exhibitions.

From now until July 4, the festival will feature master carvers, country food demonstrations and its first-ever raw materials sale.

Rowena House, executive director of the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association, says the festival’s collaboration with Iqaluit is “stronger than ever” in 2011.

“We’re using well-known locations around town, so the festival is really central,” House said. “We want people getting off work to be able to pop in on their way home from work.”

Past festivals were held out at the Nunavut Arctic College’s residence, where some of the territory’s top art was on exhibition.

But House said its location outside town and the price of the artwork on sale made it out of reach for many.

Today, NACA wants to grow the festival in Iqaluit’s public facilities and collaborate with other events, such as Alianait arts festival, she said.

Although the arts festival is already underway, Premier Eva Aariak officially opens the festival June 27 at the Unikkaarvik Visitors Centre at 6:30 p.m..

Until July 2, residents can check out the six master carvers at work in front on Iqaluit’s city hall.

The carvers are working through the week on a large-scale, collaborative set of works that will be auctioned off at a July 2 dinner.

“Over the last year, we’ve lost a lot of the masters of the art world,” House said. “[So] we decided we wanted to bring in some of the best-known artists from around Nunavut.”

The group includes Pangnirtung’s Jaco Ishulutaq, Rankin Inlet’s Joe Kavik, Arviat’s Billy Kuksuk and Cape Dorset’s Toonoo Sharkey.

The 2011 festival is also hosting the Canadian Craft Federation’s annual general meeting, an event that has attracted craft instructors from across the country.

They’ll be among local instructors giving workshops on skills from jewellery basics to sewing and bookbinding.

The arts and crafts sale will be held on July 1 at the Anglican Parish Hall, featuring “edible art” by Top Chef Canada contestant Dustin Gallagher, who’ll be serving up unique country food recipes.

The raw material sale, including tanned sealskins and fur, will be held at the Cadet hall July 2.

Twenty-one artists are participating in this year’s festival from communities across the territory.

That’s up five from the 16 artists who took part in the 2010 festival and who shared a profit of $27,000 in sales.

Visit www.nacaarts.com for more information.