Arctic Journal
From bar room floor to NWT archives
AN ESSAY ON WHAT ACTUALLY TOOK PLACE TO LAUNCH INUIT GRAPHIC ART IN 1959.
Note: Because of the time in history referred to in this article, the word Eskimo
is used in this article.
This essay has been written to fill the gap left unexplored by numerous “chroniclers” of Inuit graphic art. No one I know has sought to scan the files of the Industrial Division, Northern Affairs (now residing in the NWT Archives) to reveal the early development of bringing Inuit Art, known as Eskimo Graphic Art, to the public.
In 1959, Gordon Robertson was the Deputy Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources, Bent Sivertz was the Director of Northern Administration and Robert Phillips known as the “RAJ” was the Assistant Director who might, on occasion, report to the Deputy Minister. Alex Stevenson was a valuable member of the Northern Administration branch and played an important part in the early development of the plan of a