January 15, 2020
Tuktoytaktuk residents are hoping to give their arts economy a boost and cater to the influx of tourists to the hamlet thanks to a recent training program.
In 2018, several Tuktoyaktuk artists travelled to Inuvik previously to take part in the six week Merging Arts and Crafts Technology and Manufacturing program. The experience was so successful that Kendyce Cockney, the Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation (TCC) Project Manager, decided to bring it home.
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From September to November 2019, eight Tuktoyaktuk artists took part in the program hosted at the Aurora College Learning Centre. The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, along with other partners, was pleased to, once again, contribute to the success of the program through its Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (SEED) program. The funding helped to allay the logistical costs of bringing in instructors for the six-week program as well as material expenses.
Artists spent the weeks working with equipment and programs such as:
- Computer Numeric Control (CNC) Milling: students learned to carve materials from digitally-created designs.
- Adobe Illustrator: students learned how to design scalable art, graphics and logos as well as edit their designs for the CNC milling.
- Vinyl Cutting: students were able to use this to make iron-on shirt designs, a stencil for a wall hanging or signs. With these skills, participants can now produce their own materials at the Arts and Crafts Technology and Manufacturing Centre in Inuvik.
The workshops were so well received that the hamlet wants to keep the momentum going.
“The TCC is planning to find funds to further the students’ skills and possibly have a little outlet with some equipment located here in Tuk. This will help to enforce what students have learned from this workshop and continue to encourage them to create their beautiful art,” says Cockney.