Darlene Coward Wight
Curator of Inuit Art, Winnipeg Art Gallery
When asked to contribute to this special 30 year issue of Inuit Art Quarterly, I pulled volume 1, number 1 (Spring 1986) from my bookshelf. It features a fascinating article by Japanese printmaker Naoko Matsubara, commenting on the collective production of prints as practiced in Inuit print shops. Terry Ryan, former West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative manager, was invited to respond in the following issue. I was hooked! There have been so many thoughtprovoking, even provocative, articles published in the IAQ, and, as a researcher, I consider them essential reading. Also of great importance for my work have been the interviews with artists, notably, the Arts Alive, Fall/Winter 2004, special issue (19.3–4) that included no less than 18 substantial interviews with Inuit artists. The IAQ has been a very supportive means for the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) to let its key audiences know about our exhibitions and publications and has also been a way to gain information about those produced by other museums and commercial galleries. Over the years, I have filed copies of IAQ articles into artist and subject files that will now be part of the research available in the new Inuit Art Centre at the WAG. Thank you Inuit Art Quarterly!