7:00 pm
Nick Newbery spent 30 years living and teaching in several small Inuit communities in Nunavut, with much of his work being with at-risk aboriginal youth. During that time he photographed as much of Inuit life as possible, travelling broadly in the territory. His published work includes poetry, media articles, posters, calendars, postcards, a film, many teacher resource manuals and three coffee table books. He was present at many historic northern events and was the government photographer at the creation of Nunavut in 1999. He now teaches a northern studies course at Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax and runs a program which allows some of his students to do part of their teaching practice in a Nunavut school as an orientation experience prior to applying on a job North of 60. He recently bequeathed his entire photo collection to the Government of Nunavut, which can be accessed on a website created by the Govt. of Nunavut at www.newberyphotoarchives.ca He returns to the North on a regular basis.
His presentation at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic will serve as an introduction to Canada's newest territory in the Eastern Arctic, illustrating how Inuit have transitioned, in many ways successfully, from the well-known traditional ways of kayaks and igloos to dealing with land claims, self-government and mineral exploration. He will provide a brief geographic and historical overview, will tell stories, present a slide show drawn from his website and will make the session a fun, hands-on experience by introducing his audience to some unique northern artifacts, music and games and will field questions. It is hoped that his personalized account of living in the Arctic will provide visitors with a taste for the Canadian North and a sense of what its northern people are facing at a time of enormous rapid change.
For additional information:
Richard MacMichael
902-424-8897
richard.macmichael@novascotia.ca