Greetings from home
We hope that you and your loved ones are well and safe. Nunavut continues to be one of the few places on earth with no confirmed cases of coronavirus. One presumptive case was reported in a worker at the iron mine near (175 kilometers away from) Pond Inlet, but the person has not come into contact with any community residents, and all of his known contacts have been isolated. So far, Nunavut has kept coronavirus out by limiting entry to residents and critical workers, and requiring those persons to undergo 14 days of isolation in Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton or Yellowknife before boarding a plane for Nunavut. The iron mine, however, is considered an essential operation, and workers are allowed to fly directly to the mine without the 14-day quarantine. The worker involved was asymptomatic, and the case was found through routine testing.
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Thomassie Tookalook (1945-2020)
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Thomassie Tookalook, who died recently, was also known as Tamusi Qumalu Tukala. Thomassie was born in a camp near what is now Povungnituk, and began carving in 1968 after returning to Povungnituk from trade school. In addition to carving, Thomassie was actively involved in management of the Puvirnituq Co-op, and was an advocate who spoke of the difficulties faced by carvers in the North.
This work is a stellar example of Povungnituk carvers' meticulously detailed sculptures of birds. It combines the strength of Thomassie's birds with maternal tenderness. The mother gull is feeding a fish to its nestling. In addition, the extensive negative space made this a very risky carving.
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Summer reading?
Summer is traditionally a time for reading, and this summer many of us are planning to vacation at home. If you are not fully occupied learning how to
decipher Inuktitut signatures
on your "anonymous" sculptures, may we suggest visiting or expanding your library of books related to Inuit art?
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A basic Inuit art library would start with George Swinton's
Sculpture of the Inuit
(now in its third edition; the first two editions were published under the title
Sculpture of the Eskimo
). All three editions feature extensive illustrations of carvings, arranged by community. Leafing through these pages is an excellent introduction to Inuit art of the 1950s and 1960s (the first edition was published in 1972, and this section has not been updated in subsequent editions). The second and third editions contain additional chapters on changes since 1972.
My recommendation for a second basic would be Harold Seidelman's
The Inuit Imagination: Arctic Myth and Sculpture
, which explores different versions of major Inuit myths, highlighting both similarities and divergences across the Arctic. It is generously illustrated.
From there, you can go in many directions. There are a number of books that document major exhibitions. These include
Sculpture/Inuit,
an extensive collection of works from the 1950s and 1960s,
Itukiagatta: Inuit Sculpture from the Collection of the TD Bank Financial Group
, which features many spectacular pieces by first-generation masters,
Arctic Spirit
, which documents the Albrecht collection of Arctic art,
Grasp Tight the Old Ways,
the catalogue of the exceptional Klamer collection, with extensive commentary by Jean Blodgett,
Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection
, an encyclopedic collection that includes works from the 1950s to the 2000s, and finally
Vision and Form: The Norman Zepp - Judith Varga Collection of Inuit Art,
with an emphasis on art of the Keewatin region (west of Hudson's Bay).
Print collectors will want to look at
Cape Dorset Prints: A Retrospective: Fifty Years of Printmaking at the Kinngait Studios
, with essays by many of the people who were instrumental in bringing Cape Dorset prints to the market, as well as the earlier
Eskimo Prints
by James Houston (whcih includes an excellent essay on how printmaking developed in Cape Dorset) and the National Museum of Man's
The Inuit Print
, which includes prints from Cape Dorset, Povungnituk, Holman, Baker Lake and Pangnirtung. Print collectors should also be aware of the catalogues of the annual print releases from Cape Dorset and (less regularly) other communities.
There are, of course, books of Inuit stories and myths, as well as
Beyond the Far Hills
, a set of Inuit poems collected by Knud Rasmussen, the Danish explorer.
Collectors of artifacts and objects made for daily use will find
Indian & Eskimo Artifacts of North America
useful, which is essentially a pictorial encyclopedia of such objects.
We have a number of
books listed on our website
, as well as others that have not yet been listed. If you're interested in a particular subject or title, please ask.
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Late breaking sneak preview:
Saturday, July 4th is the International Day of Co-operatives. On this occasion, we invite you to come and discover the origins of the Nunavik co-operative movement in Northern Québec - winner of the 2020 Large Co-operative of the Year award as bestowed by Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada.
The sixty-minute documentary film: "Atautsikut / Leaving None Behind" by John Houston (the son of James Houston, who was instrumental in creating the Inuit co-operatives) will be broadcast live at 10:00 ET (Montréal time) on YouTube:
- In Inuktitut:
https://youtu.be/vs4r3zGRZoE
- In English:
https://youtu.be/gh3abENu-S8
- In French:
https://youtu.be/MgzLTid0wLs
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About
Alaska on Madison
I
n keeping with our self-description as a virtual gallery run by collectors for collectors, we offer a limited number of pieces. Every piece is one that we would be happy to have in our personal collection, and the description of each piece explains why.
We are happy to assist you with inquiries, with searches for particular pieces or artists, with organizing your collections and with buying or selling at auction. Our
Inuit artist search tool
is available on our
website
, and we would be delighted to help you use it. If you prefer to puzzle things out for yourself,
Deciphering Inuktitut Signatures
will help you to identify artists.
We are always pleased to answer questions or just chat. You can contact us by email or by phone at
(908) 487-5757.
Our very best wishes to you all.
Ann and Michael Lesk
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Alaska on Madison | (908) 487-5757 | alaskaonmadison@gmail.com | www,alaskaonmadison.com
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