Reneltta Arluk to Receive Honorary Doctorate from University of Alberta

Actor, playwright, poet, director, producer and Inuit Art Foundation Board Member Reneltta Arluk will receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Alberta this summer. She is one of eight recipients chosen for their important contributions to human rights, science and medicine. Arluk was the first Indigenous woman and first Inuk to graduate from the University of Alberta’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting program, in 2005. In 2008, she founded Akpik Theatre in Yellowknife, NT, where she wrote, produced and performed in her first play, TUMIT. Arluk’s work focuses on decolonization and using art as a tool for reconciliation; she holds the role of Senior Manager, Policy, Protocols and Strategic Initiatives in the Indigenous Ways and Decolonization Department at the National Gallery of Canada. Arluk will receive the honour on June 21. 

Inuit Circumpolar Council Launches Archive to Showcase Inuit Global Contributions 

The Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC)-Canada has made their collections more easily accessible, with the launch of a digital database that highlights 50 years of work Inuit have done on the global stage. Materials in the archive include startup documents, project papers, speeches from ICC leaders, photos, books and artwork. ICC represents approximately 180,000 Inuit in Canada; Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland); Chukotka, Russia; and Alaska, United States. The database can be accessed in English, Inuktitut syllabics and Qaliujaapait and includes an interactive section where the public can contribute to identifying individuals in archival images. 

Collection of Essays Kinngait: Works from the Cape Dorset Drawings Archive to Publish

Emily Laurent Henderson, a curator and writer of Greenlandic Inuit and settler heritage currently working as Associate Curator, Indigenous Art and Culture at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, is leading the publication of Kinngait: Works from the Cape Dorset Drawings Archive. Set to be published by Figure 1, the book will feature a collection of essays and include responses by Inuit artists, designers, curators, writers and thinkers to the new digitized Cape Dorset Drawing Archive, as they reflect on change, colonization and resilience. The publication will include 150 images from the archive, including many that have not been seen before. A publication date is to be announced. 

Charlotte Qamaniq Releases New Song 

This past Earth Day on April 22, Inuk singer-songwriter Charlotte Qamaniq and musician and violinist Gingger Shankar released a cover of Sheila Chandra’s iconic song “Every So Lonely/Eyes/Ocean.” In the new rendition, Qamaniq and Shankar turned the hit into a love song to nature, marking the first time Inuit throat-singing and South Indian classical vocal have merged. Qamaniq is from Iglulik, NU, and has been part of several musical groups over the course of her career. In 2005 she co-created the throat-singing duo Silla with singer Cynthia Pitsiulak. Shankar is an American singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist who has scored several films, including Circumstance (2011) and Heartbeats (2018). Qamaniq and Shankar’s cover of “Every So Lonely/Eyes/Ocean” is available on all major music platforms. 

Kyle Natkusiak Aleekuk Nominated for a National Magazine Award 

On May 2 the National Magazine Awards (NMAs) released the list of 2024 nominees. Inuvialuit artist and Program Officer at the Inuit Art Foundation Kyle Natksuiak Aleekuk is nominated in the Illustration category for his artwork that accompanied the story “Inuvialuit Piuyausiat (Northern Games)” in Tusaayaksat Magazine. Natkusiak Aleekuk makes work inspired by the bold colours and style of the printmakers of Ulukhaktok (Holman Island), Inuvialuit Settlement Region, NT, adding a unique contemporary twist by incorporating elements from tattoo art. The NMAs are organized annually by the National Media Awards Foundation, which celebrates excellence in Canadian print and digital content creation. Winners will be announced during an awards ceremony in Toronto, ON, on June 7.

Heather Campbell Nominated for a Yorkton Film Festival Award

Artist, curator and Artist Liaison at the Inuit Art Foundation Heather Campbell has been nominated for a Golden Sheaf award at the Yorkton Film Festival, held annually in Yorkton, SK. The nomination is in the Documentary History & Biography category for her film Miss Campbell: Inuk Teacher (2023). Originally from Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, NL, Campbell’s work highlights the relationship between humans and nature, as well as the intersection of Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultures. Miss Campbell: Inuk Teacher follows the story of Evelyn Campbell, a trailblazer for Inuit-led education in Rigolet. The winners will be announced at the Golden Sheaf Awards Gala on Saturday, May 25.