Heather Campbell Among Recipients for the Canada Council for the Arts Honorary Recognition of Cultural Carrier Awards
On August 12, the Canada Council for the Arts awarded three people Honorary Recognition of Cultural Carriers awards for their artistic and cultural work in supporting the use and promotion of Indigenous languages The 2025 recipients include artist, curator and researcher Heather Campbell, originally from Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, NL, and currently based in North West River, NL; Sandrine Masse and Lisa Myers. Each recipient will receive a $10,000 award in recognition of their contributions to arts, language and culture.
Lindsay McIntyre Steps into the Role of Executive Director of the Inuit Art Foundation
Earlier this month, award-winning artist and filmmaker Lindsay Aksarniq McIntyre stepped into the role of Executive Director of the Inuit Art Foundation and Publisher of the Inuit Art Quarterly. This is a particularly exciting development at the IAF as McIntyre is the first Inuk to assume the role. Prior to coming to the IAF, McIntyre taught at Emily Carr University of Art + Design, where she was Associate Professor of Film + Screen Arts. As an artist working in film and visual media, McIntyre has spent an extensive amount of time at the intersection of tradition and innovation. She takes over the role from Alysa Procida, who held the position for nearly a decade.
Century-old Loon Dance Hat Has Finally Been Returned to Iqaluktuuttiaq
A 100-year-old dance hat with a loon beak has finally been returned to Iqaluktuuttiaq (Cambridge Bay), NU, after a nearly decade-long repatriation process. The hat, made of caribou hide with a loon beak, was displayed on August 6 during a ceremony that drew more than 200 people to mark its return to the community. No one knows when that hat left Inuit Nunangat, but it ended up in the collection of Imperial Oil in Calgary, AB, before being brought to Glenbrow Museum in Calgary in 2016 with the goal of identifying its origins to return it to Inuit. It’s still unknown which community the hat makers belonged to, but researchers identified that it came from the Kitikmeot Region. The hat will soon be displayed at Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq / Kitikmeot Heritage Society.
Towering Inuksuk by Koomuatuk Curley Unveiled in China
A 2.7-metre stone inuksuk by Koomuatuk Curley from Kinngait, NU, was unveiled at the Mission Hills Ecological Sports Park in Shenzhen, China, on July 1, 2025. Made from seven pieces of locally sourced granite, the sculpture is the first permanent installation of an inuksuk in China and marked the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and China. Curley worked closely with a local team to source the granite and construct the piece. His inuksuit have also been installed in Taiwan; New Delhi, India; and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Quand les oiseaux reviennent - ᐊᐅᔭᖅ ᑎᑭᑦᑐᑦ - Summer Arrival Opens at La Guilde
The exhibition Quand les oiseaux reviennent - ᐊᐅᔭᖅ ᑎᑭᑦᑐᑦ - Summer Arrival opened on July 31 at La Guilde in Montreal, QC. Presented in partnership with the Montreal International First Peoples Festival, the show brings together more than 25 Inuit artists whose works reflect on northern birds, their role in Inuit cosmology and their importance in daily life. Migratory birds mark the return of light, warmth and renewal in Inuit Nunangat, and this exhibition highlights their significance to many artists. The pieces being displayed range from works on paper to sculpture, and some come from the 1980s while others are contemporary. The exhibition is on view until September 13, 2025.
Surusilutu Ashoona Solo Exhibition Opens at the AGO
The solo exhibition on Surusilutu Ashoona (1941–2011), graphic artist from Kinngait, NU, is now open at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). Ashoona was a regular contributor to the Cape Dorset Annual Print Collection throughout the 1970s, and her work illustrates both the banal and the fantastical, where animals wear clothing while women sew, juggle and rest. Featuring 17 works from the AGO’s Inuit art collection, the exhibition marks Ashoona’s first-ever solo exhibition at the AGO. The exhibition is on view until December 10, 2025.
Qikiqtait ᕿᑭᖅᐃᑦ Opens at the Canadian Museum of Nature
The exhibition Qikiqtait ᕿᑭᖅᐃᑦ: Where Inuit Knowledge and Innovation Come Together opens at the Canadian Museum of Nature on September 26, 2025. This exhibition is the first of its kind and celebrates the work by Inuit from Sanikiluaq, NU, highlighting their leadership in education, research and environmental stewardship as they care for their homeland. Developed in collaboration with the Arctic Elder Society, the exhibition shares the traditional harvesting of eider down—known as the warmest feather in the world—and innovation through Inuit Knowledge, film and technology. The exhibition runs until September 6, 2026.