We are thrilled to announce that the Inuit Art Foundation (IAF) has a new Inuk Executive Director! With over 20 years of combined experience as a filmmaker, artist and educator, Lindsay Aksarniq McIntyre is excited to step into her new role. Lindsay comes to this position from Emily Carr University of Art + Design, where she was Associate Professor of Film + Screen Arts for eight years, and served in leadership roles on the University Board of Governors and Board Governance Committees, as Vice President of the Emily Carr Faculty Association and as part of the core collective bargaining unit. As an artist and educator of Inuit and European settler descent, Lindsay is intimately familiar with the colonial legacy that continues to impact Inuit today.
As a diasporic Inuk born in Edmonton, AB, Lindsay’s work explores the history of her matrilineal family and the circumstances of their removal from their homelands in Nunavut, as well as the experiences of other Inuit who have lost their language or cultural knowledge due to circumstances beyond their control. Her maternal family is from the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut. Her great-grandmother, Kumaa’naaq, was an Ukkusiksalingmiut who was born in what is now Ukkusiksalik National Park. With her husband Paaka, who was from Qatiktalik, they settled in Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake), NU, and worked for the RCMP for many years as police servants (now recognized as Special Constables) in Igluligaarjuk (Chesterfield Inlet), NU. When Kumaa’naaq left Nunavut in the 1930s with her two youngest children, Mihiraq and Kiviaq, she settled in Edmonton on Treaty 6 territory, where Lindsay grew up right next door.
As an artist working in film and visual media, Lindsay has spent a lot of time at the intersection of tradition and innovation, whether that’s processing caribou hide into gelatin to make handmade photographic emulsion (a unique process she has developed through experimentation), or directing a dramatic retelling of her anaanatsiaq’s journey south. As an artist herself who has struggled to access the knowledge or skills needed for her practice, she knows what it’s like not to know how to ask for support or not even know where to begin. Lindsay explains that these experiences reinforce her commitment to ensuring that Inuit artists have the platforms and resources they need, as well as the recognition they deserve. “As I step into this role, I’m thinking a lot about Inuit societal values. One that feels particularly important as I move into this leadership position is the principle of tunnganarniq—fostering good relationships and community by being open, welcoming and inclusive. I have known for a long time that it is my job to hold open the door for others as I walk through it.” Inuit self-determination and Inuit agency is at the core of what Lindsay hopes to build through her work at the IAF. She believes it is the responsibility of artists to challenge systems created by outdated conventions. Championing the work of Inuit artists, writers and Knowledge Keepers, she is dedicated to building on the legacy of those who came before her, ensuring IAF programs and publications reflect Inuit knowledge, Inuit perspectives and the intergenerational wealth of knowledge held by Inuit artists and storytellers. Please join us in welcoming Lindsay to the Inuit Art Foundation!