The latest exhibition at MacEwan University’s Mitchell Art Gallery features work from five contemporary Inuit artists who currently live on Treaty 6 and 7 lands.

Titled -miut, the exhibition features a mix of paintings, textiles, 3D works, video, jewellery and more.

Found in Inuit languages across dialects, the suffix “-miut” means “people of” when attached to a place name. The identifier subverts constructed lines between people and land. 

Belonging to place is deeply embedded in what it means to be Inuk. “As an Inuk who has lived in the prairies for my whole life until recently, I hope to build community and make connections surrounding that shared experience,” says guest curator Ooleepeeka Eegeesiak. “I want to show how the artists in -miut narrate being here in this land in individual and intersecting ways as Inuit.”

Featured artists in -miut include Atsinak Bishop, Alberta Rose w./Ingniq, Kablusiak, Sarah Whalen Lunn and Yvonne Moorhouse.

Kablusiak, a MacEwan graduate and Calgary-based artist, was recently announced as the winner of the 2023 Sobey Art Award, considered one of Canada’s top honours in contemporary art.

In addition to the gallery exhibition, -miut will include a zine that will be printed and launched from submissions. Inuit living in the south are encouraged to put forward any artistic expressions that reflect upon home, being Inuk, land and kinship. Written works are welcome as well as photography, illustrations, documentation of work, drawings or collage.

“Through the zine, I hoped to expand the reach of this project, as there are many Inuit who do not live in Inuit Nunangat,” says Eegeesiak. “It’s a way to share more perspectives, support more artists and connect more people.”

The exhibition runs at the Mitchell Art Gallery from January 19 to March 28.