Nunavut arts group gets another cash boost from Ottawa

Members of the Qaggiavuut Society accept their $600,000 Arctic Inspiration Prize in January. (FILE PHOTO)

Ottawa wants more Nunavut musicians and performing artists succeeding in Canada and elsewhere—and has committed $456,000 to Nunavut’s Qaggiavuut Society to train artists in the practical skills of marketing and product development.

The two-year funding agreement, announced by CanNor May 4, will join money already earmarked by the Government of Nunavut, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Qaggiavuut Society, totaling $995,000.

“The Government of Nunavut is excited to share our culture and talents with the rest of the world,” Nunavut’s minister of economic development and transportation, Monica Ell-Kanayuk, said in a media release.

“Investment in Nunavut’s artists will bolster our performing arts industries. These additional funds will help our entertainers enhance their talents to better participate in Nunavut’s economy.”

The Qaggiavuut Society will use the money to develop training for portfolio management and promotion strategies for Nunavut artists.

In 2016, the Qaggiavuut Society won a $600,000 Arctic Inspiration Prize for its Qaggiq Project, a strategy for improving the quality and quantity of Inuit performing arts.

“By assisting in the development of those pursuing careers in the performing arts industries, the Government of Canada is providing economic opportunities for Nunavummiut so all Canadians can see and experience their unique culture first hand,” the federal minister responsible for innovation, science and economic development and CanNor, Navdeep Bains, said in a statement.

Developing Nunavut artists isn’t the only project the Qaggiavuut Society has on the burner right now.

In March, the society told Iqaluit’s city council it will embark on an “aggressive” funding campaign for Nunavut’s first dedicated performing arts centre.

A site for the project has yet to be confirmed, although founding member Ellen Hamilton, told city councillors her society was speaking with Qikiqtaaluk Corp., which plans to develop a large convention centre on Inuit-owned land across from Iqaluit’s Federal Road.