The Rankln Inlet Ceramics Project: a Study in Development and Influence
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THE RANKLN INLET CERAMICS PROJECT: A STUDY IN DEVELOPMENT AND INFLUENCE STACEY MALE A Thesis in The Department of Art History Presented in Partial Fulnhent of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada March, 1997 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaON KIAOW Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distniute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfom, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/fih, de reproduction sur papier ou sur foimat électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fkom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits subsaântie1s may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ABST'RACT The Rankin Met Ceramics Project: A Study in Development and Influence Stacey Neaie In 1962, the North Rankin Nickel Mine Ltd. closed its operations in Rankin Inlet, a communïty on the West Coast of Hudson Bay in the Northwest Temtories. This community was established by the mining Company and attracted a large Inuit population with its promise of wage employment. When this employment ceased, the Canadian govemment initiated an arts and crah program to assist the Inuit Included in this program was an experiment in pottery-making, which became known as the Rankin Inlet Ceramics Project. Begun in 1963, the project was guided by four arts and crafts offices, Claude Grenier (1 963-1 970), Bob Billyard (1 970-1973), Michael Kunigak (1 973-1975)and Ashok Shah, until its collapse in 1977. Funding for the project was initidly provided by the Canadian govemment and later by the Govenunent of the Northwest Temtories. The federal govemment was very supportive of this initiative and was conthually making recommendations to improve the project. The temtoriai government, however, was often indifferent to the project and eventually cut its funding. It is the aim of this thesis to document the project and to examine the role these patrons played in its developrnent. Also, an attempt will be made to demonstrate how their recommendations affected the appearance of the work. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the curent revival of ceramic art in Rankin Inlet. This new project will be considered in light of the original one and in the context of recent trends in Inuit art. Researching my topic was a relatively straightforward process. However, writing it was the real challenge. 1 would like to thank Dr. Joan Acland for her patience with my sporadic attention to this process and for her encouragement to keep working on it 1 am also appreciative of the time and support 1 received fkom my readers, Dr. Brian Foss and Dr. Loren Lemer; especially Dr. Foss for his editorial advice. 1would like to acknowledge the assistance 1 received from Diane Adkins and Mary O'Maly for getting this process started aad for helping me deal with the cntic's voice which is everpresent in my thoughts. When researching Inuit art, visits to the Canadian Inuit Art Monnation Centre of the Department of Indian and Northem AEairs Canada, in Hull, are a necessity. 1 wish to thank Ingo Hessel, Lon Cutler and July Papatsie for their assistance, and especially Jeanne L'Espérance for always thinkuig of me when pertinent information about Rankin Inlet crossed her desk. During my research, 1 studied the Rankin Met ceramics collection at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull. To Odette Leroux thank you for facilitating my access to the work and for your insights into the collection and to Margot Reid and Kelly Cameron for your assistance during my visits. Early in my research, 1 had the opportunity to study the ceramic work in the huit art collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario; for this privilege 1 would like to extend my appreciation to Norman Zepp for facilitating that visit. This thesis is dependent on an extremely large variety of archivai documents. 1 must thank Doug Whyte, the archivist responsible for RG 85 at the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa for my success with this search. Also, I wish to acknowledge the support of the many staffmembers who assisted me through the maze of inventories, finding aids, and the inrstrations of missing documents, enabhg me to access the files that were pertinent to my research. In a thesis dealing with North and South, it is appropriate that several northem institutions were consulteci throughout the research process. Thank you to Denise Bekkema of the Nunatta Sunaqutangit Museum in Iqduit for aliowing me to study the Museum's ceramics collection; to Joanne Baird and Glenna Thorpe of the Prince of Wales Northem Herïtage Centre in Yellowknife for providing me with images of the work produced during the later years of the Rank Inlet Ceramics Project; and to Jim Shirley of the Matchbox Gallery Ceramics Workshop for your insight into the recent developments in Rankin Iniet and for the images of the new work. There are several other individuals whose encouragement has helped me toward the completion of this thesis. I am appreciative of the support 1received fiom Marne Jackson, whose positive perspective, enthusiasm, and insight throughout the course of this process helped to keep me inspired. I would also like to acknowledge Paul Cardegna who proofiead this document and George Anderson for his tecbnical assistance. There are many others who contributed, in their own way, to the completion of this thesis. Unfomuiately, they are too numerous to name but are no iess deserving of th&. In closing, a special word of appreciation is extended to my parents. They are always first in my thoughts and without their assistance and encouragement this thesis would never have been completed. Thank you. CONTENTS ... LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ............................................ vlii MAP 1: ART-PRODUCING COMMUNITIES IN THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES ....................................x MAP II: POTTERY FINDS IN THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES ............. xii ... PREFACE .......................................................... xlii INTRODUCTION ...................................................... 1 1.1 A Brief Introduction to the huit Art 1.2 OveMew of the Literature Supporting Inuit Art and Archival Research 1.3 Chapter Synopsis Chapter 1. NORTHERN CHANGE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ARTS AND CRAFTS INDUSTRY FOR THE GOVERNMENT AND THE COMMUMTY OF RANIUN INLET ................................... 2 1 1.1 Changes in Canada's North and the Development of Rankin Inlet 1.2 Establishg the Arts and Cr& Induûy 1.3 The Canadian Eskimo Arts Council 1.4 Arts and Cr& Corne to Rankin Met 2. DEVELOPING THE IUOKCN INLET CEWCSPROJECT .............. 44 2.1 Establishing the Arts and Crafts Program 2.2 Why Clay? 2.3 The Recommendations Begin 2.4 Adjudication and Refinernents 3. JCEEWATTN ESKM0 CERAMICS '67: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INAUGURAL EXHIBITION .................................. 7 1 3.1 Logistics of the Exhibition 3.2 Publicity and Potential Sales 3.3 The Ceramic Work 3.4 Archaeology, Authenticity, and the Catalogue Text 3.5 T&e Centennial Connection 4. THE DEMISE OF THE PROJECT .................................... 108 4.1 Reports and Recommendations 4.2 Grenier's Final Years 4-3 New Directions 4.4 Lobbying to Prevent the Project's Closure 4.5 The Last Era of the Rankin Met Ceramics Project CONCLUSION ...................................................... 147 C.1 The Matchbox Gailery Ceramics Workshop C.2 Exhibitkg the New Ceramics C.3 Concluding Remarks ILLUSTRATIONS ................................................ 158-187 SELECTEDBIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................... 188 Appendix 1. INUIT ARTISTS'S BIOGRAPHIES ................................... 195 2. CERAMICS IN RANKIN INLET: ITS PROPERTIES, TECHNIQUES,AND IDIOSYNCRASIES ............. 198 3. THE PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD OF THE RANKIN INLET CERAMICS PROJECT ............................................. 202 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS MAP 1: ART-PRODUCING COMMUNI'MES IN THE NORTHWESTTERRITORIES ..................................... x MAP II: POTTERY FINDS IN THE NORTHWEST TERRTTORIES ............ xii Figure .. 1. R G . Williamson, North Rankin Nickel 1969 .................... 158 2 . Various Works by John Tiktak ..................................... 159 3. Various Works by John Kavik ..................................... 160 4. John Kavik, Seated Coude with Animal%prior 1965 ................... 161 5 . Laurent Aksadjuak. Outside the I@oQ. prior 1965 ...................... 162 6. John Kavik, Çonlposition of People. prior 1965 ........................ 163 .h Patterk Maki= a Ceramic Goose. n.d ...................... 164 8 . Yvo Sarngushak, Urn with Four Faces. n.d. ........................... 165 9. Donat Anawak, ai 1966 ......................................... 166 10. Donat Anawak, Decorated Vase. 1966 .............................. 167 11 . Michel Angutituar. Group. 1966 ................................... 168 12. Chris Lund. Contact sheet of images for the catalogue Keewatin Eskimo Cermi'cs '57. 1966 ..............................