Museum of Civilization Cape Dorset Online Exhibition

From the desk of Scott Black:

A recently released Canadian Museum of Civilization online exhibition is giving people across Canada and around the world a new opportunity to learn about the incredible artistic community of Cape Dorset, Nunavut.

Credit: Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation

Initially the Museum engaged Stonecircle to provide only the educational elements of the site, but Scott Black and Chuck Gilhuly worked with the client and other project partners over several months in 2011 to help develop the overall site design, select the images for inclusion and beta test the finished product.

The result is a site that delivers a variety of perspectives on Cape Dorset to a wide range of users. Very cool lesson plans (make your own prints! Produce a video!) cover grade levels from kindergarten through high school, quizzes test the adult user’s knowledge of Cape Dorset art trivia, and games enable virtually anyone to assemble puzzles of Cape Dorset art, or use individual art pieces to learn Inuktitut words.

Fans of Cape Dorset prints will see 63 gorgeous pieces, each shown with the name of the artist, technique used, date produced and other information. The pieces are also organized according to themes, such as “Animals,” “Myths,” “History,” “Hunting,” and “The Land.” The history section, organized by decade and written by curator Norman Vorano, is packed with photographs, more prints and fascinating details about the genesis of Cape Dorset printmaking in the 1950s and its evolution up to the present.

Teachers will find the lesson plans available in PDF format for download, and loaded with supporting content in the form of "how to" videos, websites profiling annual Cape Dorset print collections, and some other video content that’s just plain awesome, like the guy on a really big, loud snowmachine rocketing down an ice road at top speed. Oh yeah, now that’s Nunavut culture!

Lesson plans for the higher grades explore the relationship between the original artist and printmaker, challenge students to find the artists in their own communities, and encourage students to create their own art with techniques in use at Cape Dorset, such as block printing.

One lesson plan video features renowned artist Kenojuak Ashevak working in her home, commenting on both her work and on receiving the Governor General’s Award. Pitseolak Niviaqsi and other artists are also featured. Other videos introduce the visitor to the community of Cape Dorset from the air, and show artists at work on a hot summer day.

What this online exhibition offers, in addition to excellent information about the Cape Dorset art scene, is a window into Nunavut life that belies popular stereotypes. Having viewed the art, played the games, taught the lessons and checked out a few videos, the visitor comes away with a clearer sense of how life is really lived in Canada’s newest territory. You can visit the online exhibition of Inuit prints of Cape Dorset (Kinngait) here: www.civilization.ca/capedorsetprints/.