artists in the park

By Melinda Gillis

Adding Life to Creativity

This year I was fortunate enough to witness six incredible artists spend their summer traveling, creating and being inspired by one of the most beautiful places in the world: Ivvavik National Park.

Each summer, Parks Canada hosts a program called “Art in the Park,” which gives artists of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement and the rest of Canada a once-in-alifetime opportunity to travel to a remote Northern park and find inspiration for their art. This year, the program was held for ten days in July, when all the flowers of Ivvavik National Park were in full bloom. The artists’ were based at Sheep Creek, alongside the mighty Firth River and the spectacular British Mountains.

Three participant places are always set-aside for Inuvialuit beneficiaries in the program. This year, Print-maker, Roberta Memogana; sketch artist, Micheal Payne; and seamstress, Sheila Nasogaluak were the three successful Inuvialuit artists that contributed to the success of the program and to their personal growth as artists. With much excitement, Sheila Nasogaluak traveled out to the park carrying her sewing machine in her arm. In the past the Inuvialuit wore their art and created spectacular articles of clothing to showcase their skills. Today, visitors to the North are always looking for a beautiful pair of slippers or a stunning parka as a souvenir to complete their northern travel experience. To reflect this, the Art in the Park program is allowing for a broader definition of “art” in order to include other traditional art forms and engage more Inuvialuit artists in the future.

My time with the artists was an unforgettable experience. Their enthusiasm for art was contagious; I could not help but put my own hands to use as an artist. To spend time with a small group of people in a remote place bonds you as a community. You get to learn and teach one another and that is extraordinary.∞

Early in the New Year, Parks Canada will be accepting applications for the 2011 Art in the Park program. For application information, please email us at inuvik.info@pc.gc.ca or visit Parks Canada at www.pc.gc.ca