A sneak peek at some current and upcoming exhibitions and projects
Annie Pootoogook: Cutting Ice McMichael Canadian Art Collection KLEINBERG, ON
In the days following the public announcement of the death of Annie Pootoogook (1969–2016), Chief Curator Sarah Stanners’ inbox was flooded by members of the community with pleas that the McMichael commemorate the significant loss to the arts community. The result is this expansive exhibition, curated by Nancy Campbell, who worked closely with the artist throughout her brief and extraordinary career: I knew Annie, and I spent a lot of time with her. For Cutting Ice, I am working with Jimmy Manning, an artist and elder in Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU, because it is important to include the voices of family and friends from her community. This is a commemorative exhibition, not a typical career retrospective, so it was important to the community in Kinngait that this be a celebration of Annie’s life and the community who loved her. Annie drew whatever she wanted. She was a narrator of contemporary daily life in the North. Her autobiographical scenes and her experiments in large format drawings were tremendously influential on other artists in the community. This impact will be reflected by the inclusion of works by other artists who were working in the studio when Annie was active, namely Itee Pootoogook (1951–2014), Ohotaq Mikkigak (1936–2014), Siassie Kenneally, Shuvinai Ashoona, RCA, and Jutai Toonoo (1959–2015). She opened the doors for other Inuit artists to participate in the contemporary art milieu. She was a catalyst, and I hope this exhibition reflects that.