Canada

Qaumajuq: Shining the light on Inuit Art

Article by Steve Gillick, photography: Lindsay Reid

The largest museum in the world dedicated to Inuit Art opened as an extension of the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG), in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on March 25 and 26, 2021.

Qaumajuq, an Inuktitut word meaning “It is bright, it is lit”, refers to visions and voices that illuminate and inspire, as well as reflect the community goals of reconciliation, inclusion, collaboration and accessibility. Stephen Borys, the WAG Director and CEO called it “a synergy of ideas, philosophies and spaces”.

Built on Treaty 1 land, the ancestral and traditional homeland of seven local Anishinaabe First Nations, a number of ceremonial leaders, knowledge keepers and elders formed an Advisory Circle to plan the project. The incredible structure, evokes what architect Michael Maltzan, the winner of an international jury competition called, ‘the extraordinary landscape of the north’.

Inside the museum, 5000 Inuit carvings, organized into 34 communities, are showcased in a ‘visible’ vault that extends three floors to fully envelope the visitor. In addition, the inaugural exhibition, called Inua (spirit, or life force) features 100 works of art by over 90 artists using a variety of media including sculpture, print, drawing, wearable art and drone art. Many of these cultural treasures are displayed on the museum’s third level, known as Giizhig, an Ojibway word for ‘sky-heaven’, where thirty-foot ceilings and 22 skylights emphasize the “open, fluid quality” of the display area.

Stephen Borys noted that what the general public knows about Inuit Art has been restricted to those artifacts that museums were able to showcase. In fact out of the WAG’s 14,000 artifacts and 8000 carvings, only 1% were able to be displayed. Inua and Qaumajuq have changed all this and in doing so, they provide a new way of understanding and appreciating Inuit art

During the virtual opening days of Qaumajuq, a number of amazing performances were featured including the mother and daughter breath singers, Nikki Komaksiutisak and Carmello Swan, folk singer Don Amero, the Tik Tok jigging and Hop-Hop dancing of Mikey, Cie-Anna and Jacob Harris who comprise the Ivan Flett Memorial Dancers, the Art Cirq and Hoop Dancing of Marika Sila, and captivating background music by artists Ritt and Terry Uyarak.

Visitors to Qaumajuq are welcomed with the Ojibway greeting, Biindigin Biwaasaeyaah, ‘Come on in, the dawn of light is here’. This is truly an enlightening experience.

www.wag.ca/qaumajuq/