Elizabeth Arey, Tuktoyaktuk, NWT Inuvialuit Man Doll, hand-sewn. Beaver fur, cotton, moose hide face, sealskin mitts, canvas mukluks. 38 x 25 x 7 cm
Craft Tells Material Stories
Art is optical, creating illusion. But craft is always an encounter with the properties of a specific material. Artists like Jennifer Buckley, who uses fish scales in her art, show how material can be transformed while maintaining its integrity – much like our own personal journeys through life.
Craft Tells Beautiful Stories
It takes skill to create beauty. Although craftspeople work very hard, their skill is not meant to be noticed. Skill is just a means of arriving at beauty and a finished form well. Potter Wendy Stephenson invests many hours into her ceramics work to make it all seem effortless in the end result.
Craft Tells Family Stories
Craft passes through successive generations. When studying NWT craft, it is possible to trace unique family traits – the way an experienced beader, carver, or hide tanner’s own style has been adopted into the work of younger craftspeople. Artist Lucy Simon tells us, “I create traditional craft because I love designing. I have been doing it since I was 9 years old. I make craft to give to my children and my grandchildren. What I give them is part of me. It is who they are too. It is in me to share.” 24
ALBERTA CRAFT MAGAZINE JANUARY - APRIL 2020
Erica Lugt, Inuvik, NWT Arctic Sunrise earrings made using the Brickstitch technique. Delicas beads, Harp seal (Arctic), sterling silver findings, copper disc. 45 x 3 x 0.2 cm
Through another lens, modern craft is often inspired by tradition. Many of our Indigenous crafts people are using traditional techniques that have been passed on to them through the generations, and applying them to modern designs. Jewellery Artist, Erica Lugt, is inspired by the Inuvialuit Drum Dancing Parkas her family wears for ceremony. She weaves these black and white triangle patterns into her beaded earrings, which are then adorned with strips of seal, another cultural symbol that is highly respected and honoured through her designs.
Craft Tells Stories About Daily Life
Craft, more than art, meshes with our daily lives. We look at art, but we use and wear craft. Craft is close to our skin, it feeds and nourishes us, it helps us work. Craft becomes an extension of our bodies. Crafts people like Dorathy Wright create parkas that enable us to thrive in our cold climate but that also remind us of the land, the people and the history that enables us to do so. Over years of use, they get worn in, like old souls that walk beside us in our daily lives. The story of NWT craft is still in the telling. We have an endless number of storytellers and this is a never-ending story.
