From November 6–8, 2024, I had the pleasure of attending the closing symposium of the Inuit Futures in Arts Leadership initiative, a SSHRC-funded partnership grant helmed by IAF Board President Dr. Heather Igloliorte. The symposium wrapped up the seven-year initiative in Montreal, QC, with days of Inuit art programming that coincided with the opening of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ (MMFA) new permanent Inuit art exhibition, ᐆᒻᒪᖁᑎᒃ uummaqutik: essence of life. Now, for the first time, videos of the important talks held there are being made available to the general public.
The ᕿᓐᓂᕋᔮᑦᑐᖅ Qinnirajaattuq / Ripples: Making Waves in Inuit Art symposium invited artists, curators, museum professionals, scholars, students, Elders and others invested in Inuit art from across Inuit Nunaat to come together and reflect on the state of the arts in this moment, and plan for the future. It was incredible to see so many dedicated and talented Inuit gathering to talk about important issues. With 300 participants, the majority of whom were Inuit, it was difficult to walk anywhere without being greeted excitedly by friends or family! Together, participants shared knowledge and highlighted innovative practices happening throughout the circumpolar North. Over the three-day period, events hosted at Centre Phi, Concordia University, FOFA Gallery, La Guilde and the MMFA included panels, exhibition openings, curatorial talks, a gallery crawl, performances, vendors and workshops.
Notably, almost all of the panels had circumpolar Indigenous moderators and panelists. The symposium kicked off with a qulliq lighting and welcome to the territory, and we all sat in on fantastic panels. Because the workshops and many of the panels on the second and third day were held concurrently, it was impossible to attend everything during the symposium. However, each panel was recorded; those open to the public can be viewed on the Inuit Art Foundation’s YouTube channel, and the Inuit-only panels can be viewed on the Developing Qanuqtuurniq: Artist Portal.
I attended the symposium as a panelist and moderator, but what stood out most as an Inuk participant was how beneficial it was to have a conference dedicated to Inuit art and artists, because the panellists, moderators and workshop instructors were able to have clear and focused discussions about their respective fields without having to spend time explaining or situating the audience within an Inuit or Arctic context. This gave the speakers more time to engage in in-depth conversations and address valuable and relevant questions from the audience. Many important themes were threaded throughout the symposium, including building and supporting existing international Indigenous networks and relationships, maintaining cultural connections while geographically dispersed, creating sustainable Inuit arts economies and support systems, the importance of Indigenous-led and community-led transformations and supporting the next generation of Inuit creators. The Inuit leadership was particularly noticeable in panels such as “Institutional Interventions and Transformations” and “Contemporary Artists in Conversation,” in which artists and arts administrators discussed navigating multiple identities and connections to place and language, especially as they relate to colonial experiences.
There was also a lot of focus on positive cultural reclamation through fashion from discussions about Indigenous couture to the work of the Agguaq Collective, who visited museums and galleries and studied ancestral clothing to repatriate lost knowledge. This topic was of particular interest to me because clothing design and pattern repatriation is a visible and accessible point of cultural reclamation and an opportunity for collaboration between ancient tradition and contemporary creativity.
Outside of the formal panels, there were numerous Inuit vendors selling their work to the many folks who were hungry for Inuit-made accoutrements and artwork. We were also treated to performances by Nunavik Sivunitsavut (NS) students and instructors, as well as artists such as Deantha Edmunds, CM, Jessie Kleemann, Aisa Warden and Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory, during various events at and around the symposium. The NS students and instructors performed beautiful displays of katajjaq, drum dancing and juggling, and I also really enjoyed Williamson Bathory’s comedic and community-based performance, which was full of modern jokes tailored for an Inuit audience.
For many of us diasporic Inuit, one of the greatest pleasures was the sumptuous country food lunch hosted by the MMFA, a feast that included char, mataaq, palaugaaq, caribou stew and many other delicacies. While it was bittersweet to see the closing of Inuit Futures in Arts Leadership, which has been such an important project for Inuit artists and students, the symposium was a significant event that highlighted the strength of our Inuit arts community and what we can accomplish together. It was eye-opening to see how productive we can be when we don’t have to mince words and explain our existence and needs as Inuit while speaking about our work and lives. Ultimately, this symposium and the panel discussions left me feeling a renewed passion for my own art practice and the future of the Inuit arts sector.
Check out these panels and more on the IAF YouTube channel to further immerse yourself in the important discussions held during the event!