The 2009 Annual Meeting of the Inuit Art Society was held on October 16-18, 2009, at the Dennos Museum in Traverse City, Michigan
“The knowledge of the various aspects of Inuit art shared by Sheila [Romalis] and Lorne [Balshine] did a great deal to take me well beyond the cosmetic aspects of this art form into a much deeper understanding of its origins and meaning. As a result, my ability to appreciate this art form grew exponentially.”
Meeting Highlights
Friday Evening – October 16
The annual meeting began with the annual Dorset print lottery (its 50th anniversary!!) which was complemented by the Dennos display of at least one print from each year of the collection.
Saturday – October 17
Opening remarks were made by Event Co-chair, Ann Conway, and IAS President, Gabe Rosenberg.
Three spell-binding presentations were punctuated by visits to the IAS Marketplace featuring sculpture and other Inuit artifacts from Native Art Traders, a gallery owned by IAS member Eliot Waldman.
Presentations on Tupilaks and Inuit Culture in Greenland and Canada by Sheila Romalis
Keynote speaker Sheila Romalis presented twice, first on “Tupilaks: East Greenland Spirit Culture” and then again on “Comparison of Greenland and Canadian and Inuit Culture.”
Sheila is a Canadian author, curator, lecturer, collector and world-class expert on East Greenland Kalaadlit (Inuit) traditional culture, material culture and contemporary art, particularly the “Tupilak” spirit carvings.
Her life-long study of the Inuit of Greenland, their history and all aspects of their material culture, especially the tupilak, made for highly informative presentations. (Summaries of all presentation can be found by clicking on the presentation title.)
“Exploring the Land of the Inuit via Four Decades of Canoeing Arctic Rivers” by Bob O’Hara
Duncan McLean of Waddington’s was unable to speak as planned and the IAS was fortunate enough to have Bob O’Hara give a candid, humorous and totally eye-opening presentation entitled “Exploring the Land of the Inuit via Four Decades of Canoeing Arctic Rivers.” It was perfect for arm-chair explorers and highly motivating for those who want to experience genuine out-door living in the Arctic. Bob has truly seen and done it all.
Special Event – 50th Anniversary of the Dorset Print Collection
The Dennos Museum Center will host a special event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Dorset print collection. At least one print from each year of the collection will be on display. The annual Dorset print auction will also be held the evening of October 16.
IAS Annual Board Meeting
The IAS Board had its annual meeting in the late afternoon and new officers were elected, most notably Lane Phillips as President and Janet Beylin as Vice President. Ann Conway and Claude Weil remained as Secretary and Treasurer respectively. Gabe Rosenberg retired after a two year term as President.
Dinner at Top of the Park
The highlight of the evening was the annual organization dinner held at the Top of the Park at the Park Place Hotel. The environment could not have been better from the views of Grand Traverse Bay at sunset to the beautiful ambience of the candlelit dining room to the great company of other collectors. It was great re-connecting with old friends and making new ones as well.
Get a recap of the meeting, including:
Acknowledgements
- The IAS wishes to acknowledge and thank Terry Tarnow and the Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City for hosting the organization’s annual meeting. This is the second time that the Dennos and Terry have acted in this capacity and the IAS is most appreciative of this partnership.
- The IAS also wishes to thank the 2009 Annual Meeting Program Co-Chairs and IAS Board Members, Ann Conway and Carolyn Drake, for a terrific job.
- The IAS is likewise indebted to its superb speakers, Shelia Romalis, Lorne Balshine, and Bob O’Hara for presentations that took attendees’ understanding and appreciation of Inuit art and the Arctic to a whole new level.
Friday Evening – October 16
Dinner at Top of the Park
The highlight of the evening was the annual organization dinner held at the Top of the Park at the Park Place Hotel. The environment could not have been better from the views of Grand Traverse Bay at sunset to the beautiful ambience of the candlelit dining room to the great company of other collectors. It was great re-connecting with old friends and making new ones as well.
Sunday – October 18
“Shamanism in Inuit Art” by Guest Speaker Lorne Balshine
Guest speaker Lorne Balshine, world-class collector and President of the Arctic Art Museum Society, started the day off with his presentation, “Shamanism in Inuit Art”. The role of the shaman is ubiquitous in Inuit culture and Lorne, through slides of both sculpture and prints, brought this individual to life. Everyone developed a deeper understanding of how one became a shaman, how a shaman connected himself with the spirit world and why shaman were frequently depicted as bound or as a skeleton while in a trance.
President and Director of the Arctic Art Museum, Lorne has worked tirelessly to promote contemporary Canadian and Greenlandic Inuit art and is one of the foremost collectors of this art form on the North American continent.
Screening of the Film “Palo’s Wedding”
This presentation and, of course, another visit to the IAS Marketplace, was followed by the film “Palo’s Wedding” which was accompanied by valuable insights from Sheila Romalis. Better than any other document on film, “Palo” shows all aspects of the lives of Inuit Greenlanders prior to the arrival of Christianity in Greenland.
The meeting concluded with remarks by out-going President Gabe Rosenberg. Everyone reluctantly said goodbye, but with great anticipation for next year’s annual meeting.