Truly Canadian explores how Inuit art was deployed by the Canadian government as a means of expressing national identity in the post-war period. It features now-iconic prints and sculptures by Inuit artists, juxtaposed with the coins, stamps and souvenirs they inspired. It also includes a portfolio of Kenojuak Ashevak prints released to commemorate Canada’s centennial, examples of prints given as gifts to foreign dignitaries, and a unique print portfolio commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund and distributed by Canadian embassies internationally.

Linda Grussani and Jeff Ruhl will bring their expertise to bear on a discussion of how Inuit art has been used to articulate Canadian identity at home and abroad. Grussani is a curatorial assistant in Indigenous Art at the National Gallery of Canada and a Ph.D. Candidate in Art History at Queen’s University; her M.A. thesis (2003) is entitled Constructing the Image of Canada as a Nation: The International Presentation of Aboriginal Art exhibitions (1969-1990). Jeff Ruhl is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Canadian Studies at Carleton University whose research focuses on national symbols, narratives, and icons; his M.A. thesis (2008) is entitled Iconification and the Nationalized Inukshuk. The discussion will be moderated by Michelle Bauldic, the guest curator of Truly Canadian.

Start: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 6:00 pm

End: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 8:00 pm

Venue: Carleton University Art Gallery, St. Patrick's Building

Address:1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada