Make an Impression! Utilize this banner space to reach thousands of potential clients. Contact us for more information: market April - 2003 Inuit art, past & present - review Joane Cardinal-Schubert - recommends James K. Bartleman - recommends Inuit art, past & present Inuit Art: An Introduction By Ingo Hessel Photography by Dieter Hessel Douglas & McIntyre 198 pages (sc) $45 Review by Cheryl Petten From a tiny ivory maskette carved by the Arctic's ancient inhabitants, to contemporary works created using both traditional and non-traditional styles and mediums, Inuit Art: An Introduction uses a mix of text and photographs to bring to the reader thousands of years of art, blanketed in the historical, cultural and societal contexts that helped form it. While many factors have influenced the art created by the people of the Arctic, the largest of these, it can be argued, was contact with European newcomers to the area-missionaries, explorers, and traders-beginning in the late 1700s. The book looks at the effects of this contact, which brought about a shift from Inuit artists creating items for themselves to creating them for a new and growing southern market. Production of Inuit art today is no longer so bound to the whims of the southern outsiders, but Inuit artists are still well aware that, while they have more creative freedom than the artists that went before them, they still have to create works that appeal to the southern market if they intend to make a living with their craft. The book dedicates most of its attention to contemporary Inuit art, looking at the various mediums being used by today's artists, as well as the themes and subjects that dominate their work-animals, the supernatural, illustrating myths and legends, the family, or scenes from everyday life. The predominant styles of sculpture in the different areas of the Arctic are also examined, as are the work of some of the new breed of Inuit sculptor, who are finding their own balance between Inuit tradition and southern influence. While the main focus of the book is on sculpture, mainly because that is the format most often chosen by Inuit artists, both graphic arts (drawing, printmaking and painting) and textile arts (weaving and sewing) are also examined. The book has something to offer anyone with an interest in Inuit art. Those already familiar with the subject will find in the book a wonderful collection of photographs and reproductions of Inuit art from a variety of regions and time periods, and in a number of medium, formats and styles. And for those with little or no knowledge about the subject of Inuit art? This book can definitely change that. Joane Cardinal-Schubert Multi-media artist, writer Recommends: Vagina Monoloques By Eve Ensler Random House-2000 "On Feb. 14 and 15, I was part of a community theatre collective with producer Tantoo Cardinal and actors Michelle Thrush, Wilma Pelly, and director Robin Melting Tallow, as well as local luminaries (as the rest of us were described), who participated in the reading of the Vagina Monologues at the University of Calgary. This year was a special focus on Aboriginal women and girls, calling for an end to violence. As such, Tantoo read a special monologue entitled Crooked Braid written by Eve Ensler for the Lakota women. The Calgary performance included a slide-show tribute to missing and murdered local Aboriginal women, and those who disappeared in Vancouver. The director asked me to include some images of my paintings as well. Although the book is not one I would have chosen without this community involvement, I was surprised, informed, and invigorated by the expansion of the text into a theatre event, which personally allowed me to pursue an old theatre interest, as well as to be part of an Aboriginal collective that was providing support and information for other women." James K. Bartleman Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Recommends: The Bridge of San Luis Rey By Thornton Wilder New York: Albert & Charles Boni-1927 Literature should serve purposes other than mere entertainment. At their best, books provide readers with insights into their own lives and those of others. Thus The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder, published in 1927 and available in any library, is one of my great favorites. Set in colonial Peru, this short book tells the stories of five people who fell to their deaths when a bridge over a deep valley collapsed. Read it to bring a deeper meaning into your life.