Qaumajuq, a landmark new museum, gives visibility to the richness of Inuit art

Qaumajuq — a long-awaited museum dedicated to Inuit art and culture — has just opened its doors at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG), located on Treaty 1 territory, the original lands and waters of Anishinaabe, Ininiwak, Anishininiwak, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.

The 40,000-square-foot downtown destination, with an undulating white-granite exterior that alludes to Northern landscapes, begins welcoming visitors as of March 27. Qaumajuq (pronounced “KOW-ma-yourk”) is the first centre of its kind and houses the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art on Earth.

Focal points in the museum include the Visible Vault, a three-storey glass display that showcases almost 5,000 stone carvings in the manner of precious jewels — bringing them quite literally into the light, right in the heart of the building. The debut exhibition, INUA, runs until December and presents works by about 90 Inuit artists, curated by an all-Inuit team.

“I am particularly proud of how INUA highlights the breadth of Inuit art,” says Krista Ulujuk Zawadski, one of the show’s curators, underscoring that Inuit artistry goes far beyond craft curios. The exhibition embraces different media (from sculpture, painting and photography to jewelry, film and sound), diverse themes and both emerging and established creators.

Shaping the landmark institution has been a collaborative effort involving a range of Indigenous advisers, including Inuit birthright organizations, associations and individuals. Indigenous language keepers and elders guided the naming of buildings and spaces, for example, bestowing the word Qaumajuq (Inuktitut for “it is bright, it is lit”).

“Qaumajuq is meaningful because Inuit have led the vision,” says Julia Lafreniere, manager of Indigenous initiatives for WAG-Qaumajuq, describing the naming process as an important step in decolonizing the WAG. “It’s pushing boundaries in the gallery and museum landscape and encourages institutions to give up power and allow for Indigenous voices and ways-of-being to be heard and employed.”

To that end, it was crucial to acknowledge the colonial past of the WAG’s permanent collection. (Many museums have legacies rooted in colonialism — though officially recognizing this fact isn’t yet common practice.) A provenance policy is also in place: If a piece of art is found to be unethically acquired, the WAG works toward repatriation.

“When you allow for Indigenous people to tell their own stories, as the WAG and Qaumajuq strive to do, colonial history is always part of the narrative as it is the lived experience of Indigenous people,” explains Lafreniere. “It’s often impossible not to have the colonial narrative woven into the story if it is coming from an Indigenous lens.”

The Star understands the restrictions on travel during the coronavirus pandemic. But like you, we dream of travelling again, and we’re publishing this story with future trips in mind.