Canada North: Explore Inuit Arts and Culture of NunavutSEPTEMBER 23 – OCTOBER 3, 2019

Explore the Canadian North, meet its people and explore the world-renowned art and culture of the Inuit.

The Canadian North is one of the harshest environments in the world. Yet through resilience, adaptability and fortitude, the Inuit have developed a unique culture and a rich artistic tradition. Using the limited materials at their disposal — the bones and skins of the animals they hunted for food — they designed tools and practical clothing that also became a means of artistic expression of the world around them.

We will visit Iqaluit, the territory capital, Cape Dorset, which first made Inuit art known to the world, and Pangnirtung, famous for tapestry weaving, sculpture, printmaking, Pang hats, as well as Auyuittuq National Park and bowhead whales. Things are changing in Nunavut artistically and culturally as the Inuit people strive towards self-actualization. The youth of Nunavut, proud to preserve their culture, are driving the new direction of the arts through diversification in music, film, and performance, as well as the visual arts.

We will also experience nature as you never have before. We will walk on the tundra and see ancient, pre-Inuit sites. We will taste “country food” — the traditional diet of the Inuit — caribou, muskox, Arctic char, bannock and possibly muktaaq. Take the journey with us and experience why these special places have earned international reputation for what makes Canadian northern communities the special places they are.

ItinerarySEPT. 23 Travel to Ottawa where we meet up. In the afternoon, we will tour the Canadian and Indigenous Galleries and Contemporary Art section at the National Gallery of Canada, and the current exhibition at the Carleton University Art Gallery. Overnight in Ottawa at the Westin Hotel.

SEPT. 24 Travelling on First Air, we arrive in Iqualuit, the capital of Nunavut. As we wait to make our connection to Cape Dorset we will tour the new airport. Once we arrive in Cape Dorset we’ll do a walking tour of the community before dinner. We’ll spend a total of three nights at Dorset Suites. B

$6,370Includes land, tuition and GST

$2,900Estimated air travel from Ottawa

MealsIncluded meals are shown B: Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner

Activity Level: Moderate

Orientation Course Sept. 11 and 18 | W | 7 - 9:30 p.m. UCalgary campus

Topics for discussion: Practical aspects such as what clothing to bring and cultural practices to be observed, especially in Pangnirtung and Cape Dorset, and Inuit art to the present day.

NUNAVUT

Pangnirtung

Iqaluit Cape Dorset

HUDSONBAY

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SEPT. 25 An exciting day is in store for us! We will visit the recently opened Kenojuak Cultural Centre (KCC) where the West Baffin Eskimo Coop’s Kinngait Studio printmaking facilities have moved. Master lithographer and arts manager, Bill Ritchie, will give us a personal tour of the facilities where we will see the 2020 Cape Dorset Annual Print Collection in production! In the same building we will meet the carving buyer and have an opportunity to purchase some world-renowned Cape Dorset sculptures. After dinner we will hear an elder talk about how life has changed over the years. B

SEPT. 26 Today includes a half-day trip across the bay by boat to visit the Dorset and Thule archaeological sites (from 1000 to 3000 years ago) at Mallikjuaq Territorial Park. (Mallikjuaq means “big wave” in Inuktitut because of the rounded rocks.) In the afternoon a local guide will take us to visit carvers working in their carving studio shelters. We’ll enjoy a group dinner and after dinner entertainment, featuring traditional throat singing, before getting ready to leave the next day. B, D

SEPT. 27 In the morning we head to Iqaluit for the weekend. Once checked into the Frobisher Inn and had lunch, we’ll visit the Legislative Assembly, home of the Nunavut government and some unique art work. Then a trip to the Aayuraa Studio, owned by silversmith and metal artist Matthew Nuqingaq. It is always an exciting experience to see what new jewellery the artists are making. That afternoon, we’ll visit the first museum in the Eastern Arctic, Nunatta Sunakkutaangit, which was incorporated in the late 1960s. In the evening we’ll visit a local favourite, the Storehouse Bar, in the same building complex as our hotel, where they serve classic pub favourites such as pizza, chicken fingers and caribou burgers. B

SEPT. 28 Sealskin and caribou have been the traditional animal skins used by the Inuit people for centuries. In recent years a modern sealskin fashion industry has burgeoned in Nunavut. We will visit the Rannva Design studio in Apex to see her sealskin creations. From there we will make our way to Malikkaat, an arts and crafts gallery started and owned by Eva Aariak, the first female Premier of Nunavut. Then on to Arctic Ventures to peruse their collection of Arctic books and, time permitting, the visitor centre. Later in the day we’ll be given a private screening of recent award-winning films produced by young Inuit film makers. B

SEPT. 29 Local outfitter Louis-Philip of Inukpak Outfitting will take us for a hike along the Sylvia Grinnell River in the Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park, and afterwards serve us a delicious lunch of country food. Upon our return to the hotel, we’ll have time to explore Iqaluit on our own, or relax with a cup of coffee at the

Black Heart Café or Caribou Café until we come together for a group dinner in the dinning room. B, L, D

SEPT. 30 Early in the afternoon we head for the Iqaluit airport to catch our flight to the picturesque community of Pangnirtung, which borders on the spectacular mountains of Auyuittuq National Park. You might have seen these mountains before - Mount Asgard was featured in a spectacular sequence that opened the Bond classic, The Spy Who Loved Me. Upon our arrival and after checking into the Auyuittuq Lodge, we will have time to do a quick tour of the community before dinner. B

OCT. 1 Today, Peter Kilabuk, of Peter’s Expediting and Outfitting, will take us down Cumberland Sound to the old whaling station at Kekerton. On the way, if we are fortunate, we will see spectacular 14 to 18 metre-long bowhead whales, which have recovered from near extinction as a result of whaling activity in the 1800s. There is a chance we might see polar bears as well as seals on this trip. Upon our return to the community we will enjoy a group dinner at the Lodge. B, L, D

OCT. 2 As our flight back to Iqaluit is not until the evening, we will have ample time to visit Uqqurmiut, the arts and crafts centre where tapestries have been made for almost 50 years, and the adjoining print shop where you will see the vast collection of prints. We will also have tea and bannock (Pang style) with the weavers and printmakers. Across the street is the Visitor Centre where you can experience how the Inuit lived long ago. Those wishing to take back Arctic char can purchase it at the fish plant before we leave for the airport. Upon our return to Iqaluit, we will come together at the Storehouse to bid farewell to Nunavut and the tour. B

OCT. 3 The last day of the tour will be a long day as we travel from Iqaluit to Ottawa and then we say goodbye as we head to our final destinations.

Accompanying InstructorKyra Vladykov Fisher, MFA, fueled her passion for Inuit art by living in Cape Dorset as a new bride. Her bachelor and master degrees in Fine Arts from the University of Calgary, led her to teach for Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit, Cape Dorset and Baker Lake. Over the past 14 years, she worked as Arts Manager for Kinngait Studios, the West Baffin Eskimo Co-op (WBEC) in Cape Dorset; as General Manager of the Uqqurmiut Arts & Crafts Centre in Pangnirtung; and as Manager, Cultural Industries, for the Government of Nunavut Department of Tourism and Cultural Industries in Pangnirtung. She has published articles as well as two guidebooks on Inuit art. Her unique perspective on Inuit art and culture was gained over her long association with the Arctic and its people.

Opposite page, left: Kenojuak Ashevak, Song of Spring, 2006, print, 84.3 x 116.8 cm. Reproduced with the permission of Dorset Fine Arts

Opposite page, right: Isaaci Petaulassie, Dancing Bear, 2016, Serpentinite 30 x 2 x 11.5 cm Reproduced with the permission of Dorset Fine Arts

Top: Tim Pitsiulak, Arvik Amuasijartuq (Bowhead in Amautik), 2012, stonecut;stencil, 99 x 64.5 cm Reproduced with the permission of Dorset Fine Arts

Middle: Photo courtesy of Markus Siivola

Bottom: Polar bear, Smith Sound, N.W.T. Harp seals in the distance, Dewey Soper, watercolour. Reproduced with the permission of Roly Soper

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