A student-led project brings works from York University’s Inuit sculpture collection to broader audiences through an innovative pairing of physical and virtual exhibitions.
Anne Hudson, a professor in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design, posed a challenge for her students in the Joan Goldfarb Visual Arts Study Centre Curatorial placement (ARTH 4110).
Over the last three years, she has led a research project funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Partnership Grant focused on finding fresh ways to present Inuit, Sámi and Alaska native art, archives and cultural knowledge.
As part of this grant, Hudson asked her students to explore York’s Inuit sculpture collection – much of it, tucked away in the Visible Vault & Study Centre in Accolade East – and find creative ways to bring these works into public view.
“I wanted students to experience first-hand what it means to share and activate these important collections,” she says. “By working directly with York’s Inuit sculptures, they could explore ways to curate these works for broader access and help Inuit art be seen and understood in new ways.”
The class divided into two groups, each approaching the challenge differently: one would curate a physical exhibit in the Joan Goldfarb Visual Arts Study Centre, while the other would create an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience.
Virtual exhibition platforms allow museums and galleries to share artwork in immersive digital spaces, making collections accessible to audiences anywhere. For Hudson's project, students selected Art Gate VR, an online platform that lets artists, institutions and curators upload 3D scans or digital renderings of artworks and create virtual galleries viewable through a browser or VR headset.
The VR group enlisted Objex Unlimited, a Toronto-based 3D scanning and digital imaging company, to create 3D object files by scanning more than 20 sculptures. The files were then uploaded into the students’ virtual gallery on Art Gate VR for curation. Next, they collaborated with Art Gate VR experts to design a themed exhibition that walks visitors through six virtual rooms, each showcasing York sculptures – most made of black stone and depicting people or animals – representing different aspects of Inuit life, including home, hunting and storytelling.
The final room features a 3D scan of Ahqahizu, a granite sculpture of an Inuk soccer player poised in a high-kick position. In the digital VR space, Ahqahizu is shown gazing at the Northern Lights. The sculpture, which is located outside the York Lions Stadium, also gives the VR exhibition its name: Return to Ahqahizu.
Alongside the sculptures, the virtual rooms feature 2D works from outside York’s collection by well-known Inuit artists, including prints and drawings by Annie Pootoogook, Quvianatuliak Parr, William Noah, Ningiukulu Teevee and Nujalia Quvianaqtuliaq. Hudson and her students carefully selected pieces that complemented the sculptures, adding them to the thematic virtual rooms.
“The results not only showcase exceptional Inuit art in a way that visitors around the world can engage with, but also highlight how VR can bring these works to life in exciting, new ways,” says Hudson.
As the VR group worked on their project, students responsible for the physical exhibition faced a unique challenge. The Joan Goldfarb Visual Arts Study Centre could not display many of the original sculptures due to their delicate nature or because some were already housed elsewhere on campus, such as the Centre for Indigenous Student Services.
Their solution? Photography. The group produced high-quality prints of the sculptures, allowing them to be displayed safely.
Adding to the exhibit, the group paired prints with contemporary pieces by students in York’s Visual Arts program. Student-artists were encouraged to submit artwork aligning thematically, with a focus on connection, culture, spirituality and identity. The pairing of photographs and student art created a bridge between the historical sculptures and new artistic interpretations.
“Bringing the Inuit sculptures within a contemporary context fosters a greater appreciation and understanding for Inuit art and its relationship to broader northern Indigenous artistic traditions, as well as establishing cross-cultural contact,” says Claire Timmins, a visual arts and concurrent education student who participated as a curator of the exhibit.
The physical exhibit, Echoes of the Land, is on view in the Joan and Martin Goldfarb Study Centre until March 5 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. A VR headset is also available in the gallery, allowing visitors to explore the VR exhibit, Return to Ahqahizu.
“Seeing students bring these sculptures to life, both physically and virtually, is incredibly rewarding,” says Hudson. “It’s exciting to watch them make Inuit art and culture more accessible to everyone – which is exactly what my SSHRC project set out to do: share knowledge, inspire curiosity and connect people to these rich artistic traditions.”
With files from Brian Ginther