Canadian North is helping spotlight Indigenous art and culture by sponsoring a new exhibit at the McCord Stewart Museum in Montreal. Manasie Akpaliapik – Inuit Universe is on now to March 9, 2025.
Considered one of the most gifted artists of his generation, Manasie learned to carve as a child by observing members of his family, including his grandparents. Now a professional sculptor, he creates pieces that represent oral tradition, cultural values, spirituality and arctic wildlife. He works tirelessly to keep the oral tradition of storytelling alive.
“Everything that I am doing is trying to capture some of the culture of our traditions, about simple things like hunting, wearing traditional clothing and using legends,” Manasie says. “I feel that the only way we can preserve the culture is if people see it.”
The exhibit features 40 sculptures carved in alabaster, whalebone, caribou antler and other material collected during annual visits to Ikpiarjuk (Arctic Bay) where Manasie was born. The works are provided by the late Inuit art collector Raymond Brousseau.
As an Inuit-owned company, Canadian North is proud to support organizations that work to preserve Indigenous culture, stories, art and legends. The McCord Stewart Museum does so by creating programs that take a critical and inclusive look at social history and contemporary issues and highlighting the vitality and diversity of contemporary Inuit, First Nations and Métis artists.
Learn more about Manasie: https://manasie.com/
Learn more about the exhibit: https://www.musee-mccord-stewart.ca/en/exhibitions/manasie-akpaliapik-inuit-universe/
From left: Joëlle Roy, Director Sales & Community Relations, Canadian North; Lyse Brousseau; Annie Akpaliapik; Manasie Akpaliapik; Anne-Eschapasse, CEO of the McCord Stewart Museum; Daniel Drouin, Curator, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec; and Ed Romanowski, Chairman Accommodation Sector Representative, Travel Nunavut.
From left: Joëlle Roy, Director Sales & Community Relations, Canadian North; Daniel Drouin, Curator, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec; Annie Akpaliapik; Manasie Akpaliapik; Lyse Brousseau; Anne-Eschapasse, CEO of the McCord Stewart Museum; and Ed Romanowski, Chairman Accommodation Sector Representative, Travel Nunavut.