Two life-size monuments by Looty Pijamini and Simeonie Amagoalik were unveiled in Aujuittuq (Grise Fiord) and Qausuittuq (Resolute Bay), commemorating the forced relocation of Inuit from the sub-Arctic Inukjuak, Nunavik, QC, to the High Arctic during the 1950s and their struggles to survive in the extreme hardship.
In Vancouver, Marion Scott Gallery celebrated more work from Pangnirtung with their exhibition Oil and Paper: New Drawings from the Studios of Pangnirtung, which featured work from Elisapee Ishulutaq, Jamasie Mike, Jolly Atagoyuk, Piona Keyuakjuk, Jamasie Papatsi and more.
Cultural appropriation was a concern when the Vancouver Olympic Committee introduced their logo for the 2010 games. The stylized inukshuk, called Ilanaaq, that found its way onto vast amounts of merchandize was designed by Vancouver-based graphic designers Elena Rivera MacGregor and Gonzalo Alatorre. Crucially no Inuit artists were commissioned in the design, and many Indigenous people in British Columbia were dismayed that the logo did not represent the artistic heritage of the region. Paul Okalik, the premier of Nunavaut during the logo's unveiling in 2005, was initially pleased by the design.
The Canadian Museum of Civilization made one of its largest investments in Inuit art to date, acquiring 554 prints from Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU, dating from 1995-2009. Prior to 1995, the Museum of Civilization had been collecting a copy of each print from the annual release, but had halted the practice in the 90s. This acquisition largely addressed that gap in their collections.
The Pangnirtung Tapestry Studio at Uqqurmiut Centre for Arts and Crafts celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2010. To mark the occasion, the studio was revitalized and new professional development programs were established, inviting in new artists who are creating vibrant works.
Design Andrew Qappik with contributions by Dinah Anderson, Sammy J. Kudluk, Mabel Nigiyok and Louie Nigiyok. Woven by Kawtysie Kakee, Kathy Battye, Anna Etuangat, Leesee Kakee and Olassie Akulukjuk Achieving a Dream (2010) Courtesy UQQURMIUT CENTRE FOR ARTS & CRAFTS
Panniqtuq artists Kawtysie Kakee, Kathy Battye, Anna Etuangat, Leesee Kakee and Olassie Akulukjuk collaborated to weave a tapestry, Achieving a Dream (2010) for the Vancouver Olympics. Based on the design by Andrew Qappik, the tapestry permanently resides at the Richmond Oval in Richmond, BC.
In February 2010, the (now closed) Museum of Inuit Art in Toronto, ON, mounted the first exhibition devoted solely to the prints and drawings of Kananginak Pootoogook, RCA, Kananginak Pootoogook: Celebrating Five Decades.
The Nancy Campbell-curated exhibition Scream: Ed Pien and Samonie Toonoo opened at the University of Toronto Art Museum in the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, highlighting the contemporaneity of Samonie Toonoo's art, and of the work being produced in Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU.
In 2010, Inuit art made its debut in India, as Sanaugavut: Inuit Art from the Canadian Arctic was exhibited at the National Museum in New Delhi from September 27, 2010, to January 2, 2011. The pieces came to India from the National Gallery of Canada’s collection, and the NGC Curator Christine Lalonde curated the exhibition.
Find out what happened in 2011 here >>