Artist Highlight: Maureen Gruben
Maureen Gruben holding her art piece “Seal in out Blood”
Maureen Gruben’s work as a textile and installation artist provides her with the opportunity to convey traditional stories and meaning through art that is itself a combination of the past and the present. She works with traditional and modern materials to create striking art, and for each piece, there is always a story that goes with it - modern messages made through traditional techniques.
“I work a lot with raw materials like seal skin, beluga intestine, and polar bear fur but I deconstruct those raw materials and combine them with industrial materials like plastics, resin, and metal.”
Sharing those stories - things she sees as part of the experience of living in the Western Arctic - is something she’s glad to do through her art because it brings awareness of this environment and unique way of life to the rest of the world. Those experiences are personal, rooted in family, tradition, culture, and stories which have been passed down.
With international recognition for her work and the potential for Saliqmiut: Tuktuuyaqtuuq Centre for Arts and Culture to bring more visitors and tourists to Tuktuuyaqtuuq, Maureen thinks about what it means to share these stories and experiences with even more people from outside the community:
“I think [learning] is why people travel; they want to know about different cultures and they want to meet different people. We are all on this one planet and the more we can share together and create an understanding of how small our planet is and how much we need to take care of our planet and our environment - that is always a good thing”
The land and life of the Western Arctic have always been a powerful source of inspiration for Inuvialuit artists, and when Maureen captures those environments of today she finds it is not surprising that they take on messages about climate change.
“It’s such a big part of our environment, I can't help but address climate change in my practice”
17’ long woven polar bear guard hair art piece called “Message” is about climate change and spells out S.O.S. in morse code
These changes are felt by her and the people of the Western Arctic, who see changes right in the Hamlet of Tuktuuyaqtuuq and the coast of the Arctic Ocean. Art has always been about storytelling and the way things are changing for Inuvialuit and life in the Western Arctic is a story her art tells.
“It brings a lot of awareness to our people, and that’s what I'm happy about - to share our knowledge and our lifestyle.”
For Maureen, Saliqmiut: Tuktuuyaqtuuq Centre for Arts and Culture is going to be a place to gather that knowledge, share it with one another to put the different pieces of knowledge back together, and then make Inuvialuit voices known to the world.
“When we have a space like that to gather and to share our stories and our artwork - all forms of art - I think that will only help us and empower us as Inuvialuit people.”
A big part of gathering that knowledge revolves around language - the opportunity to reclaim the voice of Inuvialuit people and hear stories in Inuvialuktun. Learning and passing on knowledge has always been done through art and Maureen herself feels that unique feeling of discovery and wonder when she’s able to learn another piece of the Inuvialuktun language through sharing art and learning traditional techniques.
“It’s a space we really need. To pass on our knowledge, to celebrate who we are as Inuvialuit people, and to decolonize ourselves. Start speaking about our stories, reclaiming our stories, reclaiming our history, and celebrating who we are - It’s a broader and a deeper understanding when you speak your own language and you know your own language.”
That work - preserving the past, gathering in the present, and building for the future - is going to be done through the facilities and opportunities at Saliqmiut: Tuktuuyaqtuuq Centre for Arts and Culture. Looking to the past for knowledge and moving ahead into a changing world, Maureen is inspired by what will be possible with the centre.
“It will be a great thing, especially for those that come after us.”