Entries by Rebecca Burgum

Adventure Canada staff and passengers are invited to an exhibit of paintings by
Steven Fick, based on the fall 2007 circumnavigation of Newfoundland.

Join our partners and friends at the Houston North Gallery as they introduce
the highly anticipated 2008 Pangnirtung community print collection,
including this untitled print by Jolly Atagoyuk, Adventure Canada
staffer. A reception with scrumptious food and beverage will feature
the new collection. Admission is free and feel free to bring a friend.
If you are unable to attend the event the collection will be release on
the Houston North website on the 20th of June.

Click here for the Houston North Gallery website.

Inuit printmaking is more atypical than carving in that it does not have
substantial historical precedents. Carving materials such as stone,
bone, antler, wood and ivory were available locally, but paper and
drawing tools were unknown until introduced by early explorers and
missionaries. The favoured print technique in the early decades was
that of the stonecut, which evolved through experimenting with such
material as bone, wood and linoleum. The stonecut is a relief
technique, similar to the woodcut. The stencil technique was a logical
progression from the traditional inlay designs that women employed to
adorn skin garments. Engravings and etchings were also produced, and
later serigraphy and lithography were added - techniques that are
particularly adaptable to colour. Printmaking requires special skills
and refined equipment to compete in an international market. In fact,
since an experimental print program was first attempted in Cape Dorset
(1957) with promising results, only 4 other communities - Povungnituk
(1962), Holman (1965), Baker Lake (1970) and Pangnirtung (1973) - have
been able to produce print collections in a consistent manner and over
the long run.

Inuit prints are generally not released for sale
individually but as an annual collection portfolio, although many
individual prints have been released as special commissions. The number
of prints per edition is controlled. The first prints were usually
issued in series of 30; today the size of the edition varies but the
norm is 50.

Date: Friday June 20, 2008
Time: 7-9 pm
Location: 110 Montague Street, Lunenburg Nova Scotia


To learn more about Inuit art and printmaking travel north this year with
John Houston on our Baffin Expedition. For more information please click here

In 2008, The Rooms in St. John's features an extensive body of work by the noted photographer James
Anderson. The collection documents over fifty years of community life
in and around Makkovik, Labrador. The stories that accompany "Uncle
Jim's" work explain why for over half a century he has never been
without a camera. Anderson's collection has been called the "largest
collection of photographs from a single community in Canada" (Sam Kula
- Archival Consultant). It represents a remarkable record of community
and family life in Labrador that will be passed on for generations.
Anderson, now aged 89, still enjoys photography and capturing the
special moments in the every day. The exhibit runs through the 24th of
August.

Often referred to as the unicorns of the sea, Narwhals are one of the
most elusive of all Arctic species. The whales are characterized by a
single spiraled tusk extending six to nine feet, emerging from the
upper jaw and through the lips of adult males. Some females may exhibit
a tusk and, in rare instances, a male with two tusks has been observed.
The narwhal tooth has found its way into the books of scientific
rarities and mythical tales and for centuries has inspired legend and
lore. So prized was the fabled tooth of the unicorn that Queen
Elizabeth in the 16th century paid 10,000 pounds for one, equivalent to
the cost of an entire castle. The tooth is revered by many cultures
around the world. In Japan, two crossed narwhal teeth adorn the
entrance to the Korninkaku Palace. In Denmark multiple teeth comprise
the frame. The royal scepter in England is made from the rare tusk.

For the past several years, Adventure Canada and the Nature Conservancy of
Canada (NCC) have partnered to bring visitors to the lush and beautiful
Codroy Valley in southwest Newfoundland. Participants in Adventure
Canada's Circumnavigation of the Island of Newfoundland have been
treated to the outstanding hospitality of Codroy's residents. The
Nature Conservancy of Canada has been active in the valley since 1994
and has acquired 15 properties in that time. In May, 2008, NCC offered
a one-day introductory course on bird identification to residents of
the valley. Initially, only 12 student seats were available. However,
the interest was so high that the course was expanded to 16 seats (and
still people were turned away). The students were, one and all,
interested and enthusiastic and are looking forward to the fall visit
of Adventure Canada so they can show off their new skills to the cruise
passengers.

Adventure Canada staff member and Inuit culturalist Aaju Peter recently passed her bar exam in Iqaluit.

Aaju was a graduate from Canada's first Arctic law school. Aaju received a
University of
Victoria law degree in a special ceremony in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Eleven
students earned their degrees through a unique program
offered in the territory by UVic's faculty of law in partnership with
the Akitsiraq Law School Society and Nunavut Arctic College. On June
20, she will officially be called to the Nunavut Bar as a lawyer.

Congratulations Aaju - we know how hard you've been working these past few years!

Aaju is travelling with Adventure Canada in 2008 on our Baffin and Walrus Expeditions.

For more information on the Baffin Expedition please Click here.