2014 Highlights: Pulling Back the Curtain on the Future of Inuit Art – What Every Buyer & Seller Needs to Know
Eiteljorg Museum Of American Indians and Western Art Indianapolis, IN
IAS 2014 Annual Meeting – October 10-12,
IAS Society Members and Non-Members Welcome! The world of Inuit art is changing. The elders are largely gone. Now what? Younger carvers seem to be focusing on “what sells” to mass audiences, yet beautiful, original, quality pieces are still being produced. This year’s annual conference takes a hard look at what this means to you, the collector. The IAS has once again put together a group of speakers who will guide and energize your collecting activities.
(Go here for information on other IAS Annual Meetings.)
Looking Towards the Future
Opening the conference on Friday evening will be Douglas George, Consul General of Canada, who will address Canada’s Northern Strategy: Meeting the Challenges and Opportunities of a Changing North. His Friday evening presentation and following reception will be accompanied by an exhibition of contemporary photographs of the Canadian Arctic.
Hearing What the Dealers Have to Say
Tom Webster, owner/operator of the Iqaluit Fine Arts Studio in Iqaluit (the largest city and territorial capital of Nunavut), has spent four decades in the Arctic. The breadth and depth of Tom’s knowledge of how the Inuit art scene has evolved is extensive. While he acknowledges that what many collectors call quality art is getting harder to find, great work is still being produced.
Ingo Hessel, Director of Inuit Art, Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, CA, presents the growing electronic dimension of acquiring and selling Inuit art via auction. He will share the ins and outs of how this is done and why the auction process is a credible, cost-effective way to grow your collection with quality pieces.
Eliot Waldman, owner/operator of Native Art Traders, Skokie, IL, will help you understand the valuation process for insurance and inheritance purposes as pieces in general and by specific artists may have increased in value over time.
Guest Artist
It is always a bonus to have a native artist join conference participants and this year will be no different. 2014 program chair, IAS Board President, Lou Jungheim, is in the process of finalizing travel arrangements for Pootoogook Qiatsuk, a widely exhibited, multi-dimensional artist who creates prints, sculpture, and jewelry. His work was included in the 1989 “Masters of the Arctic” exhibit that toured for many years. (Initial attempts to include native artists Jimmy Manning and Pootoogook’s brother, Palaya, were unsuccessful.) Watch for a separate announcement with more details on Pootoogook’s background and art demonstration.
Other Meeting Highlights
The Biggest Marketplace Ever!!
Looking to add to your collection? You will certainly find that special piece at the largest IAS conference trunk show ever with over 300 pieces of Inuit sculpture and prints from Iqaluit Fine Arts (Nunavut) and Native Art Traders (Chicago).
Learn About the Rebirth of the IAF and IAQ
The Inuit Art Foundation and its quarterly magazine, the Inuit Art Quarterly, decided to shut its doors in 2012. However, strong support, including a plea from Kenojuak Ashevak herself, has lead to its rebirth. Learn more about their plans direct from IAF board member and IAS conference speaker, Ingo Hessel. (A copy of the IAQ’s inaugural issue memorializing Kenojuak will be distributed to all attendees.)
House Tour! House Tour!
Back by popular demand, and because all collectors love to look at others’ collections, you will have the opportunity to visit the Indianapolis home of IAS President, Lou Jungheim, and his wife, Thalia Nicas, and see their eclectic collection of Inuit and First Nations art of the Pacific Northwest.
Saturday Evening Group Dinner
Rub shoulders with fellow collectors. Make new friends. Share your collecting stories. Show off what you just bought at the Marketplace. Enjoy great food….it will be at McCormick & Schmick Restaurant, known for their seafood and steak.
Annual IAS Meeting
Open to all conference attendees, this is a great opportunity to share your thoughts, suggestions, and even criticisms with the IAS Board. Have an idea for a future meeting? A great speaker or native artist? Let your voice be heard.
2014 Agenda
Acknowledgements
The IAS is honored to partner with the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis, IN. The Society had its initial meeting there when it was founded in 2002 and has enjoyed the use of the Eiteljorg for three additional annual conferences since then.
We would also like to acknowledge the generous support for this meeting provided by the Lilly Endowment, Inc., an Indianapolis-based philanthropic foundation. http://www.lillyendowment.org/