CAPE DORSET, NUNAVUT — The Municipality of Cape Dorset and the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative celebrated the opening of the Kenojuak Cultural Centre and Print Shop in Cape Dorset, Nunavut thanks to funding from the federal government.
Cape Dorset is recognized internationally as the “Capital of Inuit Art,” which has been produced at the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative print shop since its establishment in 1959. The centre is named after Kenojuak Ashevak, a renowned Cape Dorset artist.
The new state-of-the-art multi-purpose centre will replace the outdated print shop and includes artist studios with facilities and equipment for lithography, etching, drawing and stone cutting; permanent and temporary exhibition galleries; an exterior terrace and sculpture garden; a retail and visitor centre; and a space for community gatherings and exchange, states a release issued by Canadian Heritage.
The Department of Canadian Heritage provided $4.5 million for the facility under the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, which supports the improvement of physical conditions for artistic creativity and innovation and supports the improvement, renovation and construction of arts and heritage facilities.
Infrastructure Canada funding of $2 million was provided under the Building Canada Fund: Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component (PTIC) – Small Communities Fund. The $10-billion PTIC provides support for projects of national, local or regional significance. Of this total, $1 billion is being allocated to the Small Communities Fund for projects in municipalities with fewer than 100,000 residents.
“The opening of the Kenojuak Cultural Centre and Print Shop means that artists in Cape Dorset now have access to the best equipment and workspaces, and that the living heritage of the Inuit of the Foxe Peninsula can be preserved,” said Pablo Rodriguez, minister of Canadian heritage and multiculturalism, in a statement.
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