Angela Jargstorf:  Reflecting on your life and experiences what has influenced your decision to become involved at the Museum of Inuit Art (MIA)?

Alysa Procida:  I was an Art History minor as an undergraduate, so I’ve had a longstanding interest in art generally. I had decided to pursue a career in museum education a few years ago and started volunteering with MIA in March of last year for a number of reasons: it was a small museum, it was located in one of the cultural hearts of the city, and the collection just blew me away. The incredible range of the art and skill with which it was made was just astounding. This also coincided with MIA’s retrospective exhibition of Kananginak Pootoogook, RCA’s work – the interior of the museum was full of his work at the time and I knew I wanted to learn more and be around these works. A few weeks later Kananginak actually visited the museum and I was lucky enough to meet him, which transformed my perspective about the art. I was lucky enough to be hired as the Educational Coordinator a few months later and have really enjoyed working with the collection and being able to help MIA evolve.

AJ:  What is involved in curating and mounting an exhibition at MIA?

AP:  There are many challenges when we curate and mount exhibitions here. With very few exceptions, the exhibitions we put on are curated in-house, so the first challenge is choosing a subject: having to answer the question, “What haven’t we explored in detail that is an important story we should tell?” can be daunting simply because there are so many subjects we would like to pursue. This has to be balanced against practical constraints: the availability of space and artwork are the two biggest factors. We are also very conscious of the fact that what we display is art made by Inuit and so we try to include Inuit artists and voices as much as we can. We strive to be as sensitive to Inuit voice as we possibly can be and I’m happy to say that the feedback we get on this issue is overwhelmingly positive. This includes even simple things, such as using Inuktitut place names on labels, adding information in syllabics and putting artist’s statements about their work with their pieces – we want to affirm continued Inuit presence in the artistic, cultural and physical landscapes of Canada, including the museum. 

From there, establishing what pieces will be included is largely a question of what exactly the narrative or theme of the exhibition will be, within the limits of what is possible. We then determine the condition of the objects and if they need special accommodations (i.e. exceptionally low lighting) and then adjust the physical exhibition space as necessary. We are always concerned with conservation, so these are important issues we consider and implement into the design plan.

We are also keenly aware that many of our visitors have not had exposure to all of the varieties of Inuit art so establishing the information to be included in of the exhibition and making that clear for as many different types of visitors (in terms of age, background, learning style, etc.) is our next focus. This means writing informational panels as well as other information to enhance the experience.

Once everything has been mounted, the last steps are letting the public know what exhibition is on but also educating our staff and volunteers about its content so that we can help visitors get the most out of their experiences here.

AJ:  What is your philosophy regarding curatorial practice?   

AP: As an educator, my philosophy about curating and display is likely very different from those people who are curators first and foremost. However, when I am involved in researching and mounting a special exhibition, my primary focus is (unsurprisingly) on education – engaging and accurate education that ultimately responds to the artists, their culture and the conditions under which the art was produced as well as visitor expectations. I want to showcase the art and how beautiful it is, but also have exhibitions that tell stories because overwhelmingly I find that is what people take away from museums – stories of what visitors did there, who they went with, and stories about what they saw. That involves a thorough and balanced understanding of what our visitors respond to and what the artists and artwork are saying. I do not pretend to speak for anyone, especially not Inuit – their actual work and voices are what I try to showcase as much as possible.

AJ:  MIA’s architectural design offers a dynamic space for displaying its permanent collection while its central gallery space is devoted to special exhibitions.  With respect to space and lighting how difficult is it to accommodate these special exhibitions?  Have you had to reject potential exhibitions because of space limitations? 

AP: Our space definitely has its advantages and disadvantages. Lighting is not as much of a determining factor in what exhibitions we mount because we have control over the light levels and take extra care to adhere to conservation standards for the different materials we display. Space, though, is finite. This has not been a particular problem because we do normally mount our own exhibitions with a full understanding of what space we will have to work with but yes, the realities of the space do place limits on what we can and can’t show at any given time. I have not found this to be a hindrance, though – I think having these limits actually forces us to be more focused and make clearer decisions than if we had unlimited space, so it has actually been a real asset.

AJ:  What are your criteria for selecting artists?

AP:  We do not have a standard criteria for selecting artists whose work we will display.. Ultimately, it comes down to what are we trying to get across with that particular display: is this piece the best representation of Historic Period art, or is this one? The artist’s reputation does not factor into those decisions, though the major artists are normally represented because their work is so exemplary. We also balance this with an understanding that visitors come to the museum with certain expectations – I do not think we would be effectively showcasing Inuit art or living up to visitor expectations if we did not display some dancing bears by Pauta Saila, RCA, for example. Thankfully, in almost all cases what we think of as representative or important pieces for a particular exhibition matches up with what visitors are expecting. 

In terms of who we focus on for special exhibitions, those decisions are made using a variety of criteria. Generally speaking, those artists are chosen because they are doing something interesting that we think people should be aware of – Mattiusi Iyaituk, for example, is very vocal about wanting Inuit art to continue to evolve and grow and his sculptures reflect that. We are also keenly aware of the need to show a diversity of art forms, artists, time periods and communities, so that desire also plays a role in selecting what will be on display.


AJ:  The Inuit Art Foundation (IAF) helps Inuit artists to manage the business of art, and has encouraged them to follow the Canadian model for marketing and promoting their work.  This model involves the collaborative efforts of Inuit-owned cooperatives, the Government of Canada, and dealers and curators in southern Canada.  Although some artists have decided to become entrepreneurs, others gladly rely on the cooperatives so that they can focus on making art.  What advantages/disadvantages would there be, if artists chose to market their work independently?  How much direct involvement does MIA have with Inuit artists in both the sale of their work and in exhibition planning? 

AP:  There are many advantages and disadvantages for artists to work both within and outside of the co-operative system. The advantages of working with the co-ops include having an established system for marketing your work that ensures prices are fair; there are often support systems within the co-operative, both with other artists and with the staff. There can also be quite a bit of direction given to artists at the co-ops, which can be both an advantage and disadvantage, depending on the situation and people involved. In my experience, it seems very difficult for artists in the North to work outside of the co-ops because it can be difficult to establish relationships with southern galleries, museums, etc. because of the distance.

The museum involves artists when we can in exhibition planning, but it is often difficult because of the distance and their time commitments. In terms of the sale of the artwork, the MIA Gallery works exclusively (and closely) with the co-operatives. We exhibit independent artist’s work in the museum (such as Michael Massie, RCA and Noah Maniapik) but do not sell their work in the museum’s gallery as a general rule due to the gallery’s mandate to work with the co-operatives to ensure that the sale of the artwork is as equitable as possible. Since we are a museum first and foremost and the profits from the gallery support the museum’s operational costs, we have a very different relationship with the sale of the art than a more traditional commercial gallery. We are always interested in supporting artists, both independent and through the co-op system.

AJ:  Technology and its use in contemporary art have caused a cultural shift within the traditions of the Inuit.  In your opinion, how has this impacted on the Inuit, both old and young, as well as on viewers who may expect the conventional mode of Inuit art?

AP:  I think it’s been a great thing for the art. Take the introduction of power tools, for example. There is no reason I can see that Inuit artists should continue to only use hand tools when many others in the art world use updated equipment, unless it is the artist’s personal choice to do so. I think there are some practical advantages to the use of these newer technologies: for one, by making the very labor-intensive process of creating a sculpture less so, it allows the artist to produce more work.  In the museum, we are often confronted with this question by visitors who expect that all of the pieces they see will be older and are very surprised to see the new forms of art being made. In my experience very few people are disappointed by the new forms of art, which in addition to simply being beautiful, helps to assert that Inuit life is vibrant and well, adapting to the changing realities of the Arctic both politically, economically, culturally, etc.

AJ:  In 1997, the first Peoples Secretariat and the Visual Arts Section at the Canada Council for the Arts developed the Program of Assistance to provide support to curators-in-residence to develop exhibitions and publications highlighting contemporary Aboriginal Art.  What significant changes have there been since the inauguration of this program?  Would the hiring of Inuit curators ensure a national commitment to Inuit art?

AP:  I certainly do think that more Inuit curators would be an excellent addition to the field. Heather Igloliorte, for example, has done some amazing work – her traveling exhibition “We Were So Far Away” was incredibly moving and poignant. In terms of a national commitment to Inuit art, I feel like there is a commitment already on the part of national institutions to Inuit art; however, I think the inclusion of more Inuit curators would certainly change that conversation and the nature of what that commitment looks like.

AJ:  Obviously you cannot speak for others, but do you have any sense as to whether Inuit artists feel a sense of belonging to a larger Canadian community of artists?  Is the government's objective of promoting a harmonious, national cultural identity by being more inclusive in arts programming and funding realistic or warranted? 

AP:  As you say, I can’t speak for Inuit artists and my sense is that you could get very different answers if you asked different artists. My own feeling is that inclusion is generally preferable to exclusion, so having Inuit art as part of a discussion of larger artistic output seems better to me than the opposite; but the idea of a national cultural identity is difficult to talk about regarding Inuit art. There is no such thing as one Inuit identity or one kind of Inuit art; the variations in people’s histories, lived experiences, available resources and cultural traditions are tremendous and important to recognize.

AJ:  An interesting question arises out of Richard Crandall’s book, Inuit Art: A History:  “Does a non-Inuit art collector appreciate and interpret a piece of Inuit art according to the Inuit artist or according to the collector’s culture?” What is your opinion on this?

AP:  I think this is a difficult question to answer, given how many different people collect and also create the art. I think there are many different ways to appreciate art pieces and art made by Inuit is no different – some people love it purely for aesthetics, some for the artist, some for the artist’s perceived intentions. I also think it is very difficult to definitely say what someone’s intentions are and not being the artist, it may be impossible to know exactly how the artist would interpret a work. However, I think the reality is somewhere in between these two options: collectors and visitors to our museum, whether they collect or not, seem to be drawn to the art both because of the artists and the cultural context of the works but also because of aesthetics.

AJ:  MIA is dedicated to Curatorial Activities-Research, Communication and Study.  The Inuit had an oral tradition with no written language.  How problematic is this to the gathering of information and to researching Inuit history of art?

AP: It can certainly be challenging. However, Inuktitut, Innuinaqtun and Inuvialuktun have been written for quite awhile now, so there are good records to be found for more recent years. Translating oral stories to the written form for printed information can be difficult – not only because translation of one language to another is tricky at best but also because oral versions of stories or information are inevitably different than written ones. However, this is a challenge that is inherent to our goals as a museum so it is something we have learned to successfully mediate. 

AJ:  MIA is strategically situated in Harbourfront, a very popular site for both tourists and the local community of multicultural urban residents.  This diversity is also reflected in the people who visit the museum.  How does MIA mediate the unique story of one of Canada’s first people amongst such a diverse audience?

AP: This is a difficult task but one that I confront every day as the Educational Coordinator. First, I start by acknowledging our visitor’s diverse backgrounds – I never assume people have a “base level” of basic knowledge about Inuit art because many do not. With that in mind, everyone in the museum tries to be as clear as we possibly can about our focus and mission, both when mounting exhibitions and interacting with visitors. We try to layer information and make it accessible to many different learning styles and interest levels. In addition, we have knowledgeable people able to answer questions. In terms of visitor experience, we want people to walk away with a better understanding of the art and in order to make that possible, we have to make some difficult choices, but all in all our feedback is overwhelmingly positive so I do feel like we are successful in achieving those goals. As a museum, we are always looking to improve our visitors’ experiences. I believe there is always room for improvement and thankfully, the museum is very committed to that goal so we do continue to become more effective.

AJ:  MIA offers a wide range of educational initiatives.  As described on your website, the museum’s school programs are tailored to specific strands in the Ontario Curriculum.  As Educational Coordinator, what are some of the challenges you face as a result of changes to the Ontario Curriculum?

AP:  Changes to the Ontario Curriculum do directly impact our programming, which is meant to reflect and enhance the objectives laid out in the curriculum. It can be a challenge to keep our programming relevant, depending on the kinds of changes that are made. For example, in Grade 6 Social Studies, there is a unit exploring “First Nation Peoples and European Explorers” – Inuit experience is included in the unit’s specific expectations, but it is not apparent at first glance. However, I am happy to be the person to make sure we imbed the curriculum into our programming and to make the case that a visit here absolutely enhances a student’s learning in those areas because I sincerely believe that it does.

Alysa Procida can be contacted at the Museum of Inuit Art, 207 Queen's Quay West, Toronto, Ontario, M5J 1A7 Canada at http://www.MIAmuseum.ca or at aprocida@miamuseum.ca

Photos by Angela Jargstorf courtesy of The Museum of Inuit Art

Angela Jargsstorf:  angela.jargstorf@utoronto.ca