Arctic Co-ops Inuit and Dene Art
Inuit and Dene art is popular throughout the world and serious collectors can often identify the community the piece was made in – simply from the style of art. Types of art produced include prints, carvings, beadwork, wall hangings, cards and jewelry.
When shopping for art, ask where the buying takes place and how the artist is paid. The Co-op model ensures the artist received a fair price for their work.
Canadian Arctic Producers, the wholesale art marketing arm of Arctic Co-ops, has been marketing member produced art for over 50 years. The Northern Images, the retail art marketing arm of Arctic Co-ops, supports and promotes northern artist and their products by marketing Inuit and Dene art and crafts in the gallery located in Yellowknife and through the Northern Images website. Sale of art through Canadian Arctic Producers and Northern Images helps the artists and their communities. The benefits of the sales of art are returned to the member owners and to the communities in Canada’s north. The establishment of the first local Co-ops and the creation of Canadian Arctic Producers set in motion the development of a remarkable network of community owned and controlled businesses in the Arctic.
Did you know? Many Co-ops were formed in the 60s to produce and market traditional arts and crafts. In Sanikiluaq, then known as the Belcher Islands, the Co-op mined soapstone, distributed it to members, purchased the finished art and sold it to the world through Canadian Arctic Producers. In 1970, two families were sent to live at the camp and mine the soapstone. In one year, they mined over 130,000 pounds of stone!
Today, we market Inuit and Dene art to consumers through: http://www.northernimages.ca/
Wholesale art marketing is handled by: www.canadianarcticproducers.com