Alaska Native Children’s TV Show Nominated for Two Emmy Awards
The animated kids TV program Molly of Denali (2019–present) has been nominated in two categories for the Third Annual Children’s & Family Emmy® Awards: Interactive Media and Outstanding Writing for a Preschool Animated Series. X̱’unei Lance Twitchell, a professor at the University of Southeast Alaska who is Tlingit, Haida, Yup’ik and Sámi, is a writer for the show and is nominated in the latter category for the episode “Not a Mascot.” The series follows protagonist Molly and her family in the fictional Alaska Native village of Qyah, and includes interactive elements like games and activities. Notably, it is the first nationally distributed children’s show in the United States to feature an Alaska Native main character. Stay tuned to find out if Twitchell and Molly of Denali win—results will be announced at the awards ceremonies in Los Angeles on March 15, 2025.
New Exhibitions at Varley Art Gallery Feature Inuit Artists
Two newly opened exhibitions at the Varley Art Gallery in Markham, ON, feature prints by contemporary and legacy Inuit artists. Works by multidisciplinary artist Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona are featured alongside those by Japanese Canadian artist Emma Nishimura in the two-person show Beneath the Surface: Stories of Kinship and Connection. While both artists work across various media, the exhibition focuses on their work in printmaking and how it connects to family and culture. A second group exhibition entitled The Printer’s Matrix: Process, Image and Innovation includes prints from the gallery’s permanent collection by Kinngait, NU, artists Mayoreak Ashoona and Pudlo Pudlat (1916–1992) and Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake), NU, artist Jessie Oonark, OC, RCA (1906–1985). Both shows are on view until May 4, 2025.
Government of Nunavut’s Artist-in-Residence Program Extends Application Deadline
The Government of Nunavut has extended its Artist-in-Residence Program application deadline to February 9, 2025. Applications are open to Inuit artists who are residents of Nunavut, and the four-week residency will take place at the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Quamajuq (WAG-Qaumajuq) in Manitoba. The selected artist will receive a $10,000 artist fee, daily per diem and accommodations close to the WAG-Qaumajuq, with access to studio space and equipment to create work. The program’s inaugural year was in 2023, when three artists were selected from across Nunavut to participate—Aghalingiak Ohokannoak from Iqaluktuuttiaq (Cambridge Bay), NU, Eva Qirniq Noah from Qamani'tuaq (Baker Lake), NU, and Dayle Kubluitok from Iqaluit, NU. This year’s residency is set to start on March 7, 2025.
Inuvialuit Artists Travel to Ottawa for Winterlude Festival
Sculptors Eli Nasogaluak and Derrald Taylor, both from Tuktuuyaqtuuq, Inuvialuit Settlement Region, NT, are in Ottawa, ON, to create ice sculptures at the annual Winterlude Festival. The two artists are collaborating on a single sculpture entitled Inuit Gratitude, which pays tribute to Inuit through a composition of drum dancers surrounded by Arctic wildlife. Nasogaluak and Taylor, both known primarily for their works in stone, started publicly working on the ice sculpture in downtown Ottawa on January 30, and will continue to do so until February 1. This year marks the 47th edition of Winterlude, which celebrates winter through various outdoor activities, events and programming. The festival runs annually in downtown Ottawa and Gatineau, QC, this year until February 17.