Good morning.
My name is Chris West and I am one of the volunteer directors on the board of the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association. With me this morning is Justin Ford, who is responsible for projects. On behalf of NACA, we would like to thank you for the opportunity to present to you today and hope that you will find our presentation beneficial.
The Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association, also known as NACA, is a non-profit arts association that offers free membership to the artists of Nunavut. NACA was established in 1998 by the then Government of the Northwest Territories. NACA's mission, as the arts and crafts organization of the territory, is to promote the development and growth of the arts sector in the territory.
NACA receives core funding from the Government of Nunavut to assist artists and deliver programming related to the arts strategy in the territory. We work with partners from across the territory as well as the country to find and develop opportunities to advance the arts sector and to secure funds for a variety of projects, including artist projects, exhibitions, professional development and training opportunities, and marketing assistance.
The origins of Nunavut's mixed economy today are found in the unique and highly valued arts sector, which more than 50 years ago was used by Inuit, through the creation of small stone carvings as a means to transition into wage-based economic life in Canada. The production of this art depends on skills that have been passed from generation to generation and on the creativity that is a natural part of Inuit culture. Its distinctive design and representation of life in the harsh Arctic environment is recognized worldwide.
To support economic growth and continuing diversification in the arts economy in Nunavut, Sanaugait, a strategy for growth in Nunavut's arts and crafts sector, has been developed by the Government of Nunavut's Department of Economic Development and Transportation, in cooperation with artists, arts associations—including NACA—other territorial government departments, the federal government, Inuit organizations, cooperatives, and other private sector interests. The strategy lays out a framework for the work that is needed in the next five to seven years to ensure the arts in Nunavut grow and continue to play a prominent role in the economic life of the territory.
Seven goals were developed for the Sanaugait strategy including increasing the quality of Nunavut art; maximizing artists' profits through participation in the value-added chain; securing market share through protection of intellectual property rights; securing market share through international brand recognition; expanding international market share; providing current and accurate information about the arts sector; and promoting and celebrating the contribution of Nunavut arts to the global society.
As an organization, we focus on issues and concerns for artists across the territory that develop to larger problems and we attempt to come up with solutions. Nunavut is a vast, large geographical component of Canada, and that alone creates problems with accessibility to its 26 communities that are only accessible by plane. Travel is expensive to these remote communities, and shipping pieces of art for southern market opportunities, such as exhibitions or to buyers, proves to be quite an expensive undertaking.
Another issue is the topic of literacy and the high level required to understand and complete applications for grants or project contributions for projects, such as grants for artists to travel abroad to showcase their art. We are also working to inform agencies that translation of documents into Inuktitut is important to the growth of the arts sector in Nunavut so that artists may optimize their resources.