Heather Igloliorte facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Heather L. Igloliorte
Born	1979 (age 45–46) Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Nationality	Inuk
Education	BFA, NSCAD University; MA, Canadian Art History, Carleton University; Ph.D., Cultural Mediations, Carleton University

Heather L. Igloliorte (born 1979) is an Inuk scholar, curator, and art historian from Nunatsiavut. She is known for her work with Indigenous art.

In 2023, she became the first Canada Excellence Research Chair in Decolonial and Transformational Indigenous Art Practices at the University of Victoria. This important role focuses on Indigenous art and how it can help change ideas.

Before this, from 2019 to 2023, she was a professor at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. There, she led research into Indigenous art from the Arctic regions. She also advised the university on including Indigenous knowledge. Heather Igloliorte has also been a scholar at the University of Winnipeg.

She is part of several important groups, including the Inuit Art Foundation. She also advises organizations like the National Film Board of Canada on Indigenous art.

Early Life and Education

Heather Igloliorte was born in Happy Valley-Goose Bay in 1979. Her father, James Igloliorte, was the first Inuk judge in Labrador. He was also one of the few Indigenous judges in all of Canada.

Heather studied art at NSCAD University, earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2003. She then went on to study art history. She received her Master of Arts from Carleton University in 2007. In 2013, she earned her Ph.D. from Carleton University. She is the first Inuk art historian in Canada to have a doctoral degree.

Before becoming a scholar and curator, Heather was a visual artist. Her artwork is held in various collections, including the Senate of Canada.

Research and Art Projects

Heather Igloliorte's work focuses on Inuit art from Canada and other Arctic areas. A big part of her goal is to help more Inuit people get involved in art research and professional art careers. She leads a project that trains and guides Indigenous people from the Arctic to become leaders in the arts.

She also studies art from other Indigenous groups in Canada, like First Nations and Métis artists. Her interests include Indigenous films, performances, and new media art.

Heather also researches how Indigenous art has been shown and collected in the past. She looks at ways to change how art is displayed to better represent Indigenous cultures. This includes exploring ideas about colonization, survival, and Indigenous rights.

Past Art Exhibitions

Heather Igloliorte has organized many art exhibitions. Some of her earlier projects include:

• "Inuit Art Alive" (2008): An online exhibition.
• "Decolonize Me" (2011): This show started at the Ottawa Art Gallery and traveled across Canada.
• "We Were So Far Away: The Inuit Experience of Residential Schools" (2012): This project shared stories from Inuit people who attended residential schools.

Recent Art Exhibitions

More recently, Heather has curated several important exhibitions:

• "Land and Lifeways: Inuit Rights in the North" (2014): Shown at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
• "SakKijâjuk: Art and Craft from Nunatsiavut" (2016): This was the first national touring exhibition of Labrador Inuit art. It started at The Rooms and won an award in 2017.
• "Ilippunga: The Brousseau Inuit Art Collection" (2016): A permanent exhibition at the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec.
• "iNuit blanche" (2016): She helped organize this unique, one-night international arts festival in St. John's, Newfoundland. It featured art from all over the Arctic.
• "Among All These Tundras" (2018): A contemporary art exhibition featuring artists from the Arctic.
• "Alootook Ipellie: Walking Both Sides of an Invisible Border" (2018): A special show about the artist Alootook Ipellie.

In 2018, Heather was chosen to lead the first exhibition at the Inuit Art Centre. This center is part of the Winnipeg Art Gallery. The exhibition, called INUA (2021), was the first show of modern Inuit art in the new Qaumajuq space.

In 2019, she co-founded the GLAM Collective. This group explores new ways to show Indigenous art to the public in galleries, libraries, archives, and museums.

Awards and Recognition

Heather Igloliorte has received several awards for her important work:

• 2021: Award for Curatorial Excellence in Contemporary Art from the Hnatyshyn Foundation.
• 2021: RCA Medal from the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
• 2023: Melva J. Dwyer Award for her work on Qummut Qukiria!.
• 2023: Honourable Mention from the Canadian Museums Association for Qummut Qukiria!.