Tate Modern Launches Acquisition Fund for Sámi and Inuit Art
Tate Modern in London, UK, has announced a new four-year acquisition fund and initiative that focuses on acquiring more Sámi and Inuit art from Northern Europe. The news coincides with the opening of the 2024 Venice Biennale, where Inuuteq Storch has made history as the first Kalaallit artist to exhibit in the Danish Pavilion. Tate Modern’s Director Karin Hindsbo, who was born in Denmark, notes in a press release her delight that Sámi and Inuit artists will see more representation in the collection, “an area of artistic practice very close to my heart.” Through the new fund, the museum has already acquired two works by Sámi artist Outi Pieski titled Guržot ja guovssat / Spell on you! (2020) and its companion piece, Skábmavuođđu / Spell on me! (2024), concurrently on view at the Tate St Ives until May 6. These acquisitions are the first by a Sámi artist to enter the Tate collection.
Three Labrador Inuit are Finalists for Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Awards
On April 11, ArtsNL announced the finalists for the 39th annual Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Awards, which includes three Inuit. Journalist and artist Amanda Gear is a finalist for the Emerging Artist Award, which recognizes new artists who have earned significant recognition for their professional artistic practice. Sculptor Billy Gauthier and classical soprano Deantha Edmunds, who was also appointed as a Member to the Order of Canada at the end of last year, are both finalists for the Artist of the Year Award, which recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to the cultural life of Newfoundland and Labrador. Winners will be announced on June 21, 2024, during a live awards show at the Regional Lifestyle Centre in Bay Bulls, NL.
Nicholas Galanin Awarded 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship
Nicholas Galanin, a multidisciplinary Tlingit/Unangax̂ artist from Sitka, Alaska, is among a group of 50 artists that have been awarded 2024 Guggenheim Fellowships. The Fellowships are intended for mid-career individuals across different disciplines in the creative arts who demonstrate creative excellence and promise for their future endeavours. Many of this year’s fellowship projects will “directly respond to timely issues such as democracy and politics, identity, disability, activism, machine learning, incarceration, climate change and community,” says a press release. Galanin is known for his work that explores change and identity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
Chris P. Sampson Named Finalist for NSCAD Art Awards
On April 4, the Nova Scotia College for Art and Design (NSCAD) announced its 10 finalists for the 2024 Student Art Awards. On the list is Labrador Inuk photographer Chris P. Sampson from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Nunatsiavut, NL. Sampson’s photo series Sananguatik | Carver is featured on the NSCAD website and examines the bottoms of Inuit sculptures, emphasizing the marks that the artists left behind. The winning artist receives a $5,000 purchase prize and one of their artworks will be acquired by NSCAD for a special section of their permanent collection. The nine runner-ups will receive $1,000 each. The winner will be announced on May 9, 2024, at a gala reception on NSCAD campus, where all of the artwork will be exhibited.
Three Books by Inuit Writers Launch at ArtsEverywhere Festival
On May 4, 2024, Publications Studio Guelph will host the event ᐊᓪᓚᐅᑎᒃ / Allautik, celebrating the launch of three books by emerging Inuit writers: KINAUVUNGA by Aedan Corey, a visual artist, tattooist and author from Iqaluktuuttiaq (Cambridge Bay), NU; Cautionary Tales by J. Grey, a Haitian-Inuk writer originally from Aupaluk, Nunavik, QC; and Hold Steady My Vision by Emily Laurent Henderson, curator and writer of Greenlandic and settler heritage. These literary pieces were commissioned by Taqralik Partridge and supported by the Musagetes Foundation’s Indigenous Otherwise program. The launch is part of the ArtsEverywhere Festival, which features lectures, conversations, performances, literary reading, exhibitions and more. The event will take place at the River Run Centre in Guelph, ON.