Arts alive: Nunavut arts and crafts festival underway in Iqaluit

Igah Hainnu will be presenting her popular goose feet basket workshop again this year, on July 7 and July 8, at the NACA arts and crafts festival, on this week in Iqaluit. (FILE PHOTO)

Nunavut’s capital has been a beehive of art, culture, music and royalty lately, and that continues all this week as the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association annual arts festival gets underway tonight in Iqaluit.

Hot on the heels of the Alianait Arts Festival and Canada Day celebrations, NACA will offer workshops all week to help support Nunavut’s arts sector and offer opportunities for Iqalungmiut to purchase arts and crafts unique in the world.

Starting with a free opening reception and party tonight at the Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre at 7 p.m., July 4, this year’s festival will feature both information sessions for artists about arts funding and marketing as well as skills workshops in various media from beading to making goose feet baskets.

Niore Iqalukjuak, whose stunning photographs can beseen First Air aircraft, commercial brochures and the pages of this newspaper, will present two photography workshops this year—an introduction to basic camera concepts and settings, and another on lighting techniques.

Artists are also invited to a meet-and-greet barbecue at Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park July 6 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 or free with workshop registration ($25).

The festival wraps up July 9 with a special Nunavut Day arts and crafts sale and youth arts workshop at Nakasuk Elementary School, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free and craft tables can be rented for $20.

For detailed information on workshop times and locations, visit the NACA Facebook page, call 979-7808 or email festival1@nacaarts.org.