FAQ

Q. How many artists live in Nunavut?

A. It's estimated that, with a population of just 28,000, Nunavut is home to 3,000 artists. The majority of artists are stone carvers. Many of them are subsistence hunters who carve in order to earn cash for fuel, bullets and equipment needed to hunt for their families.

Q. Is the arts and crafts industry a major player in Nunavut's economy?

A. Yes, although it's hard to accurately gauge its full impact since a certain number of artists sell directly to the public.

Q. How many art schools are there in Nunavut?

A. None. Nunavut Arctic College, the territory's only college, offers a Fine Arts Program, with everything from short courses in basketmaking to three-year programs in jewelry. Nunavut residents should contact the college directly if they'd like to have a particular program presented in their own community.

Q. How did so many people in Nunavut learn to be artists if they didn't go to art school?

A. Knowledge is passed down through the generations by Inuit elders. Being hunters also helps Inuit to be good artists. Inuit have a very close relationship with the land and its wildlife. Until they were settled into permanent communities by the federal government in the 1950s, Inuit lived as nomadic hunters on the land. The keen observation skills of the hunter and his intimate familiarity with the land help the artist recreate animals and the environment in his artwork. The traditional Inuit oral culture in which stories were passed down through the ages has fostered vivid imaginations, and this manifests itself dramatically in Nunavut artwork as well.

Q. What are the stone statues that frequently appear in Inuit art?

A. They are inuksuit, rock cairns often shaped in the form of a human. These landmarks have long dotted the Arctic landscape. Sometimes they were created as markers to show where hunters had traveled on the treeless tundra. In other instances, they hold spiritual significance. You can read more about inuksuit from the Canadian Museum of Civilization's former exhibit, Places of Power