ICYMI: Inuit Art Education Through Technology

Visible Glass Vault in Qaumajuq, the Inuit art centre’s Ilavut (Entrance Hall). Architectural Rendering Courtesy of Michael Maltzan Architecture

On every floor of the WAG, you can experience a wide range of Inuit art. Carvings, drawings, wall hangings, and multimedia projects created recently, and years ago, allow you to come face-to-face with the power and beauty of Inuit art. You can explore the exhibitions on your own, or enjoy a guided experience of the art.

When schools come through, they are welcomed by trained facilitators who help students recognize the parallels between the art and their own lives, including their families, their games and pastimes, and their relationships to the land. On tours, students can touch and handle samples of stone, bone, and antler as well as miniature works such as a sled or doll to connect the art with the materials and with the lives of artists who create the works.

This experiential learning inspires connection — a greater understanding of the importance of traditional Inuit knowledge and also an awareness of the current challenges of living in the North.

The WAG Inuit Art Centre will build on programs the WAG currently offers to make art education even more accessible — both onsite and online.

At the heart of the WAG Inuit Art Centre building is a three-storey Visible Glass Vault that will bring to light thousands of stone carvings. In addition to being able to see them, you’ll be able to explore them more deeply using technology.

Supported by donors like you and the Canada Council for the Arts, the digital platform that goes with the vault will feature in-depth art stories, interactive maps, photographs, and audio and video recordings. This interactive content will tie into school curricula and enhance the education experience. In fact, it will boost every visitor’s experience.

You’ll be able to zoom in up-close to a work of art, to see an intriguing detail or markings, and learn how it’s been made. Or, you can travel to an artist’s home community to see where they create.

The digital platform will also allow you to take a closer look at artworks that are sensitive to light and cannot be exhibited long-term in the glass vault, such as prints, drawings, textiles, pottery, and dolls, and key pieces from the Centre’s exhibitions. This way, you’ll experience works from across Inuit Nunangat.

Add your support to the Inuit Art Centre by purchasing one of the 492 shelves in the Visible Vault

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