‘There’s a real appetite’: Inuit artisans interested in artwork authentication program

Inuit artisans have shown interest in a verification mark for their work, says the co-ordinator of a similar initiative for First Nations-owned businesses and entrepreneurs.

Dave Sergerie, strategic project co-ordinator at the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Economic Development Commission, spoke at the Nunavik Mineral Exploration Fund’s mining workshop in Kuujjuaq on Thursday.

He discussed how corporations can rebuild economic relationships with Indigenous communities as part of reconciliation.

“There’s a real appetite there,” he said of the verification label.

Launched in 2021 and featuring a bear designed by Algonquin artist Frank Polson, the ID1N Official Mark identifies authentic Indigenous products and services while combatting identity theft and cultural appropriation, Sergerie said afterward in an interview.

To use the seal, artisans, artists and self-employed workers must prove they are First Nations. Businesses must be at least 50 per cent First Nations-owned and controlled. Once qualified, they go in the organization’s directory.

Sergerie said he is pushing to expand the program, which could include Inuit communities and have a different logo.

Jeannie Sala Gordon, a 68-year-old artisan, has been making beaded earrings since she was a child. Her art, including her paintings that feature Inuit and their sled dogs, has been a vehicle for processing trauma.

“I remember my dog team back then, when I was a child, before they were slaughtered,” Gordon said, referring to the widespread killings of sled dogs by provincial authorities in the 1950s and 1960s. “My art is [a reminder] that we don’t need to carry the pain for the rest of our lives.”

She sold her earrings and mixed media art at the workshop, where she said she would be interested in an authentication mark.

“If someone could help me out, I wouldn’t mind. I’m not good with technology,” Gordon said.

Dave Forrest, founder of Tivi Galleries, which sells Inuit art, crafts and apparel, said he’s also in support of authentication.

The boutique buys directly from local artists and brands, acting as the main retailer for some.

“There’s a lot of fake stuff out there for sure,” Forrest said. “If you go down to any souvenir shop in Montreal, you’ll see them.”

The boutique has used the Igloo Tag, a trademark program issued by the Inuit Art Foundation, but this program has become inaccessible, Forrest said.

“Right now, we don’t even know where to get [the Igloo Tag]. So, we haven’t really been using them lately.”

The tag program is currently under formal review and is not accepting any new licence requests at this time, according to the Inuit Art Foundation website.

Sergerie said his presentation at the workshop sparked discussions with representatives from Makivvik Corp. and that he looks forward to seeing how they can work together.