Art Nunavik is responsible for the promotion and marketing of Inuit Art from Arctic Quebec.
The promotion of Inuit art is one of the cornerstones in the creation of the co-operatives and La Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec.
In fact, when the co-operatives were looking for startup capital, the artists of Nunavik generously accepted to donate a percentage of the sales of their artwork to this fund. In exchange, the FCNQ committed itself to marketing and promoting of artists and artisans.
The purchase of the materials required for the construction of the stores as well as the first inventory purchases were possible due to the funds collected.
These days, the financial health of the co-operatives no longer requires the financial help generated by the sale of art but the FCNQ is still one of the largest worldwide promoters of artwork from Quebec's Great North.
Artist Remuneration
The artists of Nunavik are paid up front for their artwork by their local FCNQ co-operative. Once the co-operative has amassed a good number of artworks, they will ship them to the FCNQ headquarters in Baie d'Urfé (Greater Montreal area), where we at Art Nunavik will establish a retail value for each piece. When a piece is sold by Art Nunavik, an algorithm ensures that if the artist was underpaid at the co-op level, he or she will get the difference back after a certain amount is accrued.
Certification
Authentic Inuit sculptures and crafts are certified by the Inuit Art Foundation (formerly by the Canadian government) and, as authorized agents for Inuit artists, we assign each of our sculptures and crafts with a certificate of authenticity, otherwise known as the "Igloo Tag".
For more information about the Igloo Tag, please visit the IAF's website.