Goota Ashoona, "Tuniigusiia/The Gift" (courtesy the artist in Inuit Art Quarterly))
A monumental marble statue by Inuit artist Goota Ashoona has been moved to its permanent home outside Qaumajuq, the new Inuit art centre in Winnipeg.
The sculpture, on the corner of St. Mary Avenue and Memorial Boulevard close to the Winnipeg Art Gallery, was commissioned by the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, the collective bargaining organization for the province's 16,000 public school teachers.
It was commissioned “to honour teachers all around us – in the land and in our lives – who reveal the truth, wisdom and beauty that connect us all.”
Titled Tuniigusiia/The Gift, Ashoona’s sculpture reflects knowledge transfer through education and storytelling, as well as the important role played by teachers. Watch this video to learn more.
Ashoona, born in 1967 in Kinngait, Nunavut, works out of Ashoona Studios in Elie, Man. A third-generation artist, she is the daughter of Kiawak Ashoona and granddaughter of Pitseolak Ashoona.
Qaumajuq, which means “it is bright, it is lit” in Inuktitut, is expected to open in coming months.
An architectural rendering of Qaumajuq, the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s new Inuit art centre, slated to open in February. (courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture)
The 40,000-square-foot-building, designed by Michael Maltzan Architecture with Cibinel Architecture, includes exhibition, learning and event spaces. Its central feature is a visible vault that will showcase thousands of carvings.
The Winnipeg Art Gallery is currently closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Winnipeg Art Gallery, Manitoba Teachers' Society
