Anna Lambe to Star in Arctic Comedy Series Produced by CBC, Netflix, APTN

Actor Anna Lambe will lead a forthcoming Arctic comedy series co-produced by CBC, Netflix and APTN with Red Marrow Media and Northwood Entertainment. A two-time Canadian Screen Award nominee, Lambe is known for her roles in the CBC TV series Trickster (2020), the feature film The Grizzlies (2018), and will appear in a forthcoming episode of HBO’s True Detective. In the new untitled series, which will begin filming in spring 2024, Lambe will play the role of Siaja, a young Inuk mother who seeks to build a new future for herself in a small arctic town where everyone knows each other’s business. Created and written by producer Stacey Aglok MacDonald and filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, the series will be filmed in Iqaluit, NU—both theirs and Lambe’s hometown. The first episode will be directed by Anya Adams, who is known for the Showtime series Yellowjackets (2021). 

Deantha Edmunds Appointed to the Order of Canada

Inuk classical soprano Deantha Edmunds will join 78 fellow Canadians in being appointed to the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honours. Edmunds’ appointment celebrates her significant contributions as Canada’s first Inuk opera singer, her original compositions and mentorship of young Indigenous musicians. Now based in St. John’s, NL, Edmunds was born and raised in Corner Brook, NL, where music was a major part of her upbringing, leading her to study music at Acadia University and Concordia University. Her unique body of work showcases Nunatsiavut’s musical traditions and uplifts Indigenous stories through classical music. Edmunds will receive the honour from Governor General Mary Simon, herself an Inuk from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, QC, at an in-person ceremony in Ottawa, ON, later in 2024. 

Nick Sikkuark Retrospective at the National Gallery of Canada

The retrospective exhibition Nick Sikkuark: Humour and Horror is currently on view at the National Gallery of Canada (NGC). Born in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, Inuk artist Nick Sikkuark (1943–2013) has been described as a quietly successful artist whose career spanned more than 40 years. This posthumous exhibition marks his first big solo show at a major cultural institution. A well-travelled artist who became aware of the various arts and crafts programs operating across the Arctic, Sikkuark developed a multifaceted artistic practice. He is known for his highly imaginative sculptures often made from antler and bone, and his unique drawings and paintings, which creatively blend the everyday and the bizarre. More than 100 of Sikkuark’s works are on view in the exhibition at the NGC, which runs until March 24, 2024. 

Iñupiaq Storytelling Goes Digital in New Podcast

Alaska is the Center of the Universe, a new podcast centred around Iñupiaq stories, has launched. Created by Iñupiaq storyteller, musician and voice-over actor James Dommek Jr., the six-episode series shares accounts from Indigenous Alaskans who have encountered ancient, haunting and humbling beings. Dommek Jr. travelled across Alaska to gather stories for the podcast, starting in his hometown of Utqiagvik, Alaska, and stopping in Kodiak Island, Juneau and the southeast panhandle. “It’s a different way to look at stories and humanity,” says Dommek Jr. “And I believe that’s something very strong that Inuit culture has to offer to the rest of humanity.” This marks Dommek Jr.’s second podcast following Midnight Sun (2020), which recounted a real-life mystery that pitted Native American folklore against the US justice system. Both podcasts are now available to stream through Audible. 

Work by Glenn Gear Announced as a Highlight in Forthcoming 2024 CONTACT Photography Festival

Work by Inuk artist Glenn Gear will be highlighted in the forthcoming 2024 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival set to open in Toronto, ON, this May. Originally from Newfoundland with ancestral ties to Nunatsiavut, Gear is now based in Montreal, QC, where he focuses on his interdisciplinary practice involving animation, video, drawing, collage and installation. For the festival Gear has partnered with the Onsite Gallery and Inuit Art Foundation’s Inuit mural project Up Front to produce a large-scale digital mural for the street-level facade of 199 Richmond Street West. Now in its 28th year, the CONTACT Photography Festival is a city-wide event that showcases exceptional work by photographers and lens-based artists from Canada and abroad, and in past years has included work by Inuit artists like Jimmy Manning, Robert Kautuk and asinnajaq. The festival will run from May 1 to 31, 2024.