The Museum of Inuit Art Closes Its Doors
After nine years, the Museum of Inuit Art
(MIA) closed its doors to the public on May 30, 2016. As the only institution dedicated to showcasing Inuit art in Toronto, its loss will be deeply felt by urban Inuit living and working in the city as well as the thousands of visitors who visited annually. The museum boasted a significant collection from across Inuit Nunangat which included works in wide variety of media and periods, for which staff are now tasked with finding a suitable new home. The hope, understandably, is that these pieces will make their way to a cultural institution or an Inuit organization where they might continue to be accessible to the public. Notable exhibitions at the MIA included Kanaginak Pootoogook: Celebrating
Five Decades of Artistic Achievement (2010), The Art of Play (2013), Collaboratively Created Ceramics from Rankin (2015) and Beyond Aurora Borealis: Abraham Anghik Ruben (2015). In addition to an ambitious exhibition record, the museum foregrounded educational and public programming including a hands on learning collection that allowed guests to touch stone, sealskin, antler and ivory as well as artistic demonstrations Noah Maniapik, Jaco Ishulutaq and Sylvia Cloutier among others.