Kimmirut society seeks a home for artwork

MIRIAM HILL

The office of the community economic development officer in Kimmirut is filled with more than just papers and reports. The shelves in Kyra Fisher’s space also display carvings in soapstone and caribou bone.

The carvings aren’t for decoration. They are pieces purchased from members of the newly incorporated Quliruakut Arts and Crafts Society of Kimmirut.

Now at 32 members, the society has been growing since last summer. What it really needs now is a gallery to showcase members’ work.

Fisher, who calls herself a “recycled Northerner,” moved to Kimmirut last March when she accepted the position of CEDO.

She said people in the community shared their concern that the Northern store was buying only from certain artists. The local Kimik Co-op buys from a variety of artists, Fisher said, but it has a set budget. Once that budget has been spent at the beginning of the month, the co-op just stops buying. As a result, it’s hard for carvers to sell their wares consistently.

“What a lot of people do is they go door to door, or if they see a visitor in town they bring them a carving,” she said. “Last year we had only one cruise ship arrive, but we had visitors come in for the park.”

Visitors told Fisher it was nice to go into Katannilik Territorial Park, but when you come to Kimmirut, there’s nothing to do.

The co-op does have a small display of arts and crafts. There’s a little room in the back of the store, but it’s not a gallery.

“There is an urgency for us to find a venue,” Fisher said. “We are working on it.”

There are a few options in the hamlet for gallery space but, Fisher said, it’s still too early to discuss them in detail. If the society uses an existing building, it has to go through certain procedures to secure the space. If it needs to build or renovate, Fisher will have to secure more money for the project.

Fisher said the first few community meetings called to discuss creating a society attracted mostly carvers. While that’s a start, she said, she wants to expand the society’s horizons.

“At the moment only the carvings being produced in Kimmirut are being shipped out and I feel we have to broaden the product base,” she said. “Women have wonderful sewing skills and so we’d like to have sewn goods. We also want to have things made out of caribou antler. We want to encourage new things.”

Fisher also wants to be able to send Kimmirut artwork around the world without taking business away from the co-op or Northern store.

Until a venue can be secured, Fisher will continue to be surrounded by works in soapstone and caribou and open her office to anyone who is looking to buy local arts and crafts. She would like to have a gallery up and running this summer, but depending on funding and space it may have to wait until the fall.