Understanding, Appreciating, Collecting Inuit Art of Canada

part of the ART BITES series of programming, the AAWR is proud to present Understanding, Appreciating, Collecting Inuit Art of Canada with John Kunikis on Saturday, December 1, 1:00 – 3:00pm.

Art has been created in the Canadian Arctic for thousands of years.  How did the amulets and “magical pieces” carved so long ago evolve into the fine art that today is collected around the world, and accounts for over eighty-seven million dollars of the Canadian economy?  This 60 minute illustrated lecture will examine that journey from small works created as far back as 600BC to the dramatic and bold sculptures being produced by the imaginative and creative Inuit artists living in the vast Canadian Arctic.

Is Inuit art all the same, a homogeneous art form? Are there differences to be discerned, understood and appreciated?  How should you approach the art?  How should it be interpreted and understood? Where do the ideas for the works come from?  Why do some look so strange and others so beautiful? What should you know if you wish to begin collecting, or even purchase just a single piece?  What should you look for or avoid?  All of these questions and more will be discussed during the presentation. A question and answer period will follow the talk as well as a meet-and-greet with refreshments.

About the presenter: John Kunikis, a life-long resident of the Greater Cleveland area, earned degrees studying economics, sociology and educational administration. As a child, his interest in indigenous cultures was fostered by free, weekly volumes of encyclopedias (a shopper’s rewards from the local store) and wanderings through the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Later, travels to Canada brought Kunikis into direct contact with the Inuits of the Canadian Arctic and their dramatic stone carvings- a love affair was begun. In 1994, he opened his first gallery featuring Inuit sculpture, Native Spirit Gallery in downtown Cleveland.  Several years later the gallery would relocate to the Colonial Marketplace and re-open as First People’s Gallery.  Kunikis took the venture on-line in 2000 and maintained it until his retirement in 2009.  His love of the art of indigenous people continues, and his travels have deepened his appreciation, reverence and wonder.

On view in the main gallery during the presentation will be Vivid Colors: Bess Rodriguez Richard (Show Dates: 11/16/18 – 1/12/19) and Holiday Treats 2018, our annual small works member’s market, in the Entrance Gallery on view until December 21^st.

Understanding, Appreciating, Collecting Inuit Art of Canada is free and open to the public, courtesy of a matching grant by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (CAC), however, PLEASE REGISTER to attend. click HERE to register on Eventbrite or call our offices, 216.721.9020 to reserve your spot.

About the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve:  The Artists Archives of the Western Reserve is a unique archival facility and regional museum that preserves representative bodies of work created by Ohio visual artists and, through ongoing research, exhibition and educational programs, actively documents and promotes this cultural heritage for the benefit of the public.

The Artists Archives of the Western Reserve would also like to thank the Ohio Arts Council, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Ohio Art Dealers Association, the George Gund Foundation, the Bernice & David E. Davis Foundation, the William Bingham Foundation and the Zufall Foundation for their continuing support.

Featured images:

Basil Aptanik, Hunter, Stone and Caribou Antler

Leo Mukjungnik, Woman,  Stone