Derrald Taylor is an artist and carver working from Yellowknife, the capital city of the Northwest Territories. He’s Inuvialuit and from Tuktuuyaqtuuq, where he started as an artist. The work that he does is primarily carving in stone materials like soapstone, but he occasionally uses the same skills and techniques for jewellery.

Some of the most iconic landmarks of the Western Canadian Arctic are the rising pinguqsaaryuit - the Inuvialuktun word for pingos - that emerge from the relatively flat land and water that surrounds them. These gentle features have marked the area for thousands of years, inspiring stories, traditions and, of course, art.

Storytelling as its own medium is an integral part of Inuit culture, where art and oratory are how histories are preserved.

Sewing for garments and fashion has always had a long history for Inuvialuit - using furs, hides, seal skin, and beads to create clothes that were warm enough to live in the Western Arctic. Developing these traditional techniques required skill and creativity, and made for unique, hand-crafted designs. This knowledge is passed down through generations, from one to the next, to keep the skills and stories alive.

Joe Nasogaluak describes himself as a hunter, trapper, provider, carver and painter from Tuktuuyaqtuuq. In addition to being one of the most celebrated Inuvialuit artists of the North, he also co-founded the Saliqmiut Drummers and Dancers. He’s proud of the roles he serves in his community and the way his art captures a specific Northern way of living, inspired by what he experiences.

At 20,000 square feet, Saliqmiut is going to be a marvel for Tuktuuyaqtuuq, and Inuvialuit culture and history has been built into the very foundations of the centre’s design - created by Simon Taylor of Taylor Architecture Group. At its core and from its very beginning, Saliqmiut: Tuktuuyaqtuuq Centre for Arts and Culture has been designed to be relevant, traditional, and unique.

Taalrumiq describes herself as an Inuvialuk artist, fashion designer, cultural educator and content creator. Her primary works involve sewing using traditional materials like sealskin, furs, and antlers which she combines with modern materials - fabrics, leathers, sequins, beads, crystals and more.

Saliqmiut: Tuktuuyaqtuuq Centre for Arts and Culture is going to be an exciting and important piece of history for the people of the Western Arctic for generations to come. Saliqmiut means “people along the coast, at the edge” in Inuvialuktun, and it is the name of the centre because that’s who it is for - for the people in the past, the present and into the future.

Life in Tuktoyaktuk - Tuktuuyaqtuuq in Inuvialuktun by the people who live here - has changed a lot in recent years, but in just as many ways it has stayed the same.