Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access - With Distinction

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Art Business

First Advisor

Matthew Nichols

Second Advisor

Morgan Falconer

Abstract

This thesis explores how qallunaat institutions used sculpture to shape and define Inuit life. I argue that contemporary Inuit sculpture, as conceived of by outsiders to support Inuit economic enfranchisement and modernization, became a vessel through which qallunaat institutions circulated ideas about Inuit culture and Arctic lands. Although purported to reflect the voice of Inuit, the meanings attached to Inuit sculpture rarely reflected Inuit intention and consistently aligned to qallunaat priorities: a performance of primitive, ancient, and authentic Inuit life; a gesture of indigenous gratitude and cheerful participation in state-designed development programs; or a masterful expression of the formal concerns of modernism. Collectors occupied a crucial middle ground in this system, validating or rejecting the narratives about Inuit and their art practices through their purchases. While collectors sometimes reinforced existing expectations, they also sought out unconventional subjects and championed certain artists or periods. All collecting activity helped solidify which versions of Inuit visual culture were elevated. A survey of landmark scholarship, press coverage of exhibitions, arts organization and government primary sources, and single-owner collections constitute the thesis’s source material, complemented by Inuit interviews to trace the development of these narratives and their impact on collecting decisions. Revisiting Inuit artwork also carries significant political and cultural implications today, and this scholarship is undertaken in support of Inuit sovereignty over their lands, lifeways, and, of course, their artistic traditions.

Distinction

1

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