Inuit Art Foundation welcomes new leadership

The Museum of Inuit Art’s curator, Alysa Procida, left, is pictured here with the Matchbox Gallery’s Jim Shirley, centre and artist Pierre Aupilardjuk, right , at the opening of a 2014 exhibition of the gallery’s permanent collection. (PHOTO BY SARAH ROGERS)

The Inuit Art Foundation has a few new faces at its helm.

Alysa Procida, the former executive director and curator at Toronto’s Museum of Inuit Art, is the foundation’s new executive director, the organization announced Oct. 7.

During the foundation’s recent annual general meeting, its board of directors voted Kuujjuaq visual artist Sammy Kudluk, formerly the IAF’s vice president, as its new chair.

West Baffin Eskimo Co-op’s Jimmy Manning remains president of the foundation, while Iqaluit-based jeweller and visual artist Mathew Nuqingaq was elected as its vice president.

“These leadership and management changes reflect the renewed capability and vigor of the Inuit Art Foundation,” said Jimmy Manning in an Oct. 7 release. “The board is committed to ensuring that the Foundation continues to serve the needs of Inuit artists from across Inuit Nunangat.

“We are pleased to have Alysa join us as she will bring not only strong management skills but familiarity with Inuit art and culture.”

Returning directors include Helen Kaloon, Okpik Pitseolak, Billy Gauthier and Pat Feheley.

The Inuit Art Foundation, which has offices in Ottawa and Toronto, works to promote Inuit artists and their work throughout Canada and the world, while supporting the work of artists at home.

The foundation has undergone a major restructuring in recent years, since the IAF abruptly shut down in March 2012, reportedly following money problems.

An evaluation by the federal government, who at the time provided the organization’s $458,000 annual grant, gave the IAF a mixed review, saying the foundation had failed to forge partnerships and do enough outreach to its stakeholders.

But the foundation re-established six months later with a new board of directors, and launched a 13-stop, 18-month-long consultation across the North to learn how to better serve Inuit artists.

The foundation also opened a Toronto office with the goal of reaching out to a more international audience.