Artist Highlights from Illusuak Cultural Centre

Project Spotlight: Exhibits in Nain showcase Nunatsiavummiut representing their communities’ artistic knowledge.

Indigenous Sovereignty Creating Possible Futures
A curved wall featuring a large-scale drawing of caribou in an Arctic landscape. Wood panels at the top and bottom of the curved wall include the cutout text: “Nunatsiavut, Our Beautiful Land.”

In 2016 the Nunatsiavut Government’s Department of Culture, Language and Tourism (LCT) was tasked with the project of developing content for the permanent exhibit to be displayed at Illusuak.

The permanent exhibit has various themes including: The Four Seasons, Heartbeats & Voices, Parks Canada and Our Footprints are Everywhere, but two to highlight are the Welcome Wall and the 5 Communities Exhibit.

A curved wall featuring a large-scale drawing of caribou in an Arctic landscape. Wood panels at the top and bottom of the curved wall include the cutout text: “Nunatsiavut, Our Beautiful Land.”
Artwork by Jason Jacque featured on the Illusuak Cultural Centre Welcome Wall. COURTESY NUNATSIAVUT GOVERNMENT.
A view of the lobby of Illusuak, with Jason Jacque’s artwork for the Welcome Wall shown at the far end of the space.
COURTESY NUNATSIAVUT GOVERNMENT.

The Welcome Wall is a large semi-circle wall which acts as the barrier to the opening of the entire exhibit. It is the first thing you see when entering Illusuak. The LCT Department released a call for interest for the vision for the Welcome Wall and the chosen artist was Postville resident Jason Jacque. 

Jason is a well-known jeweler from Postville, Nunatsiavut, who has had works for sale in the NG auctions, and exhibited in SakKijâjuk. Jason is also a carver of stone and wood, and also an amazing drawer.

Jason submitted a line drawing of a small herd of caribou at a standstill. Caribou has an important history in Nunatsiavut. Caribou was the main source of wild meat many years ago but with the provincial caribou hunting ban it meant that many Nunatsiavummiut were affected by food insecurity. Moose meat has been the replacement choice but moose aren’t as plentiful as the caribou once was and this meant that the Nunatsiavut Government has had to outsource a Moose hunt in Newfoundland in order to be able to provide a couple meals of moose meat to all families in Nunatsiavut. 

A photograph showing the exhibit about the five Nunatsiavvut communities, with large wooden panels and glass display cases filled with important items highlighting each community.
COURTESY NUNATSIAVUT GOVERNMENT.

 

The 5 Communities wall is a brief look into each of the remote Nunatsiavut communities of Rigolet, Postville, Makkovik, Hopedale and Nain. The purpose was to include and highlight the history, values, pride and people of each of the communities.

Community consultations were held in each of the communities that allowed the public to help develop the content for their community. Early in the research part of the project, we saw a common pattern; each community was very proud to highlight artists and art from their communities.

A photograph showing the exhibit about the five Nunatsiavvut communities, with large wooden panels and glass display cases filled with important items highlighting each community.
COURTESY NUNATSIAVUT GOVERNMENT.

 

 

The department decided that the best way to highlight the artists and art was to actually gather art pieces from each community to highlight items of importance to that community—for example, Rigolet is highly known for its grasswork and Nain for its carvings. 

A view inside a display case showing grasswork from Rigolet.
COURTESY NUNATSIAVUT GOVERNMENT.

 

Not only was it important to highlight the type of art but also the artists selected were well-known to their community and well-known to represent Nunatsiavut on a much higher level.

Artists Include:

Gilbert Hay—Soapstone carver, Nain, Nunatsiavut

Chesley Flowers—Wood caribou carver, Hopedale, Nunatsiavut

Nellie Winters—Traditional seamstress, free hand embroidery, Makkovik, Nunatsiavut

Sarah & Garland Baikie—Grasswork, Rigolet, Nunatsiavut

Naomi Williams—Grasswork, Rigolet, Nunatsiavut

Elizabeth Tooktoshina—Grasswork, Rigolet, Nunatsiavut

George Rich—Grasswork, Rigolet, Nunatsiavut

A view inside a display case showing a maroon akulik with white rick rack trim and embroidered flowers around the borders of the neck, hood, and sleeves.
An akulik by Nellie Winters. COURTESY NUNATSIAVUT GOVERNMENT.

This story is part of the Nunatsiavut Spotlight. View more content from the Spotlight here.