Tarratuutiq | Taima Artistic and climatic reflections from Nunavik

Tarratuutiq (mirror) is a concept combining education, art and well-being developed by the MNBAQ for students in Nunavik. The Taima (it's enough) exhibition is the result of this vast collaborative project initiated and piloted by Nathalie Claude, teacher and arts pedagogical advisor for Kativik Ilisarniliriniq. 

Created with students from the Iguarsivik school in Puvirnituq (Nunavik), the works seek to offer a sensitive reinterpretation of works from the MNBAQ's national collection. The students’ works highlight the challenges that climate change is posing, which Inuit communities are facing daily. 

Art as a tool for commitment and inclusion

Elaborated with and for the Inuit community, Tarratuutiq |Taima seeks to develop leadership among young people while fostering their identity development. The project focuses on art, wellness, and health and targets the development of human skills while significantly, positively promoting contacts, communication, expression, self-esteem, and commitment. 

The exhibition seeks to initiate a dialogue between non-Indigenous persons and the Indigenous peoples, heighten awareness of the challenges that Inuit communities are experiencing, and present the MNBAQ’s collection as a creativity and awareness-building tool. 

Photo : Louis Hébert, MNBAQ 
Some of the Iguarsivik students visiting the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec in late March 2024, posing under their creations.

In partnership with the Kativik School Board, the project presented an initial exhibition in April 2023 in Puvirnituq. The works, photographed and printed on large-scale banners, were exhibited on the exterior walls of several key buildings in the village. Since the fall, the travelling version of the initial Tarratuutiq | Taima exhibition has visited different villages in Nunavik. The presentation in 2024 of the project at the MNBAQ is the first outside the Inuit territory.  

AN AWARD-WINNING INITIATIVE

At the end of March 2024, the students behind the Tarratuutiq | Taima project won the Prix Initiative, an Essor Recognition Award. These prizes, awarded jointly by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture and Communications, recognize the initiatives and dynamism of the educational and cultural communities in different regions of Quebec.

¹ Olivia Tookalak Des petites choses qui nous polluent, 2023 Digital proof 90 x 120 cm Iguarsivik school, Puvirnituq, Nunavik Photo: © Nathalie Claude