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Published: October 11th 2015
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The Shumiatcher Art Collection is currently on display at the McKenzie Art Gallery in Regina. This part features some of their vast Inuit art collection, especially carvings, prints & paintings.
Morris Cyril "Shumy" Shumiatcher (1917 – 2004) was a Canadian lawyer best known for his contribution to the field of human rights and civil liberties. Born in Calgary, Alberta, he received a BA in 1940 & a LL.B in 1941 from the University of Alberta. He received his LL.M in 1942 from the University of Toronto. From 1943 to 1945, he served with the Royal Canadian Air Force as an air gunner. After the war, he received his PhD from the University of Toronto.
In 1946, he moved to Regina, Saskatchewan at the invitation of Tommy Douglas to become law officer of the Attorney General. He soon became the personal assistant to Douglas. In 1948, he was appointed the youngest King's Counsel in the Commonwealth of Nations. His wife Jacqueline (Jacqui) Shumiatcher was a high school teacher at Sacred Heart Academy on 13th Avenue. Their ample house on College Avenue across the street from Regina College was amply decorated with locally-produced paintings, many of which were later
donated to Mackenzie Art Gallery, originally adjacent to Regina College and later relocated in the T.C. Douglas Building at the western eastern end of Wascana Centre.
He was the author of the Saskatchewan Bill of Rights, the model for the Canadian Bill of Rights. It was the first Bill of rights in Canada and was one year before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1949, he left government to practise private law and appeared in his practice many times before the Supreme Court of Canada. For 14 years he was an honorary consul general for Japan and Dean of the Consular Corps for Saskatchewan. He authored Welfare: Hidden Backlash in 1971 and Man of Law: A Model in 1979. In 1981, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 1996, he was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit.
More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Shumiatcher
Jacqui Shumiatcher (1923 - ) is a woman whose passion for the fine arts is matched only by her generous support of them as a benefactor. Born in France in 1923, she moved with her family to Regina in 1927. Her first job was instructor of typing and shorthand at Sacred Heart Academy.
Shumy & Jacqui
I sat & watched an interesting AV presentation narrated by Jacqui. This was one of their earlier photos. They were married in 1955. They met when he was counsel to T.C. Douglas. See intro text for both of their stories. She had several other subsequent jobs. In 1955 she married Morris Shumiatcher whom she met when he was counsel to T.C. Douglas. She later established Managerial Services Ltd. in support of her husband’s law office.
Her financial assistance, along with her husband’s, has been a great help to organizations such as the Regina Globe Theatre, the Regina Symphony Orchestra, and the MacKenzie Art Gallery. As well, she has been a prominent patron of the University of Regina, the Saskatchewan Federated Indian College (now the First Nations University of Canada), and a diversity of groups that include Regina Little Theatre, Lyric Light Opera, Juventus Choirs, the Youth Ballet Company of Saskatchewan, and New Dance Horizons. Other major involvements have included the National Conference of Canadian Clubs, the Dominion Drama Festival, the Regina Council of Women, and the Women’s Business and Professional Club. Jacqui Shumiatcher has received numerous awards, including the Saskatchewan Order of Merit (2001) and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Regina (2002).
More info: http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/shumiatcher_jacqui_1923-.html
The
Inuit community of Cape Dorset, which is located on the SW coast of Baffin Island, has about 1200 residents. Cape Dorset, the "capital for
Cape Dorset locator map
Cape Dorset, the "capital for Inuit art", is the largest producer in the world for Inuit carvings.
Life in Cape Dorset, google immage gallery: http://tinyurl.com/nbqncnj Inuit art", is the largest producer in the world for Inuit carvings. Inuit art, Cape Dorset's main industry, produces both Inuit carvings & Inuit prints. Cape Dorset is world renowned for its art because it was the first community to innovate & properly market the legend of the Dancing Bear which exemplifies & attests the true beauty and skill of Inuit art. They are by far the most in demand subjects by consumers today. The dancing bear is inspired by the concept of transformation between shaman & spirit helper or spirit animal which are arctic animals adopting natural or humorous human-like poses.
The stone used is important. Serpentine stone is found only in the Baffin Island region where Cape Dorset resides. It is a very hard rock which is very condensed and hard. Because of these properties, Serpentine not only allows for the carving to take on a spectacular glossy and smooth finish, but it is strong and heavy enough to allow subjects like the popular dancing bear to balance firmly on one foot. Other Inuit regions tend to have lighter and softer stone which does not allow them to be able to do this.
More info: http://www.inuitsculptures.com/collections/dancing-bears
CARVINGS
See intro text for more info.
http://www.inuitsculptures.com/pages/cape-dorset-kingait
Google images gallery: http://tinyurl.com/q8h69zl
Unuit carvings, images gallery: http://tinyurl.com/nam4aaq
Inuit prints are also a huge market for Inuit art and has a very strong presence in Cape Dorset as well. Kenojuak Ashevak and Kananginak Pootoogook. Inuit prints are in very high demand.
More info: http://www.inuitsculptures.com/collections/inuit-prints
http://www.inuitsculptures.com/pages/cape-dorset-kingait
Google images gallery: http://tinyurl.com/q8h69zl
Carving materials:
In addition to stones, Unuit carvers use ivory, caribou antler, or bones. The most common stone used by artists is serpentine
which can have unique color variations from black, brown or grey to olive green or yellow. Serpentine usually comes from Nunavut territory, and especially from Kinngait (Cape Dorset in English) where most of the artists live and carve.
Another oft-used stone is steatite, commonly known as “soapstone”, which is softer than serpentine and easier to carve. Steatite’s color is grey, blue-gray, and white to almost silver. Nunavik in Northern Quebec is rich in steatite so most carvers in that area use steatite. Steatite is sometimes imported from other countries such as Brazil, Italy and United States.
More info: http://www.inuitartzone.com/pages/carving-stones
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Fred Perrry
non-member comment
Outstanding !
That's the only way to describe this article: my Lord, the Shumiatchers have been/are outstanding people, as you have documented so thoroughly. And you have done a wonderful job of photographing the individual carvings and woks of art, including the well-known "Ookpik". I think this will make a lot of people around the world sit up and take notice of Inuit art, if they didn't already know about it. I'm sure they're already ... like me ... looking forward to Part II. Well done indeed !!