Current ads
Jobs
Tenders
Notices
General

Click below

Son to celebrate James Houston on cruise ship

“He always celebrated the North and his life was so inspiring”

JACKIE WALLACE

Filmmaker and tour guide John Houston will join an Arctic cruise from Iqaluit to Cape Dorset to help guide passengers through a celebration of the life of his father, James Houston, who is often credited with introducing Inuit art to the South.

---

Houston’s son John, a well known filmmaker, is a resource guide with the travel company Adventure Canada, which has a variety of Arctic cruises on their itinerary every year. He was approached by Carol Heppenstall, the director of arts and culture at Adventure Canada, to put together a cruise that celebrated the life of his father.

The cruise ship MS Explorer will leave from Iqaluit on Sept. 9 with more than 100 passengers onboard and spend five days traveling to Savage Harbour, Kimmirut, Digges Island, Ivujivik and Cape Dorset.

“The legacy of Houston in the Arctic is unique and it seemed fitting that we should do something to celebrate his life,” said Heppenstall. “He always celebrated the North and his life was so inspiring.”

Houston, who died in 2005, lived in the Arctic between 1948 and 1962 and continued to return each year throughout his life. He worked closely with Inuit artists in the North and marketed their work to galleries and collectors down south and helped to bring Inuit art to the attention of the world.

He was also the author and illustrator of children’s books, novels, non-fiction and directed documentary films, much of which captured the experience of the North and Inuit art and culture.

The trip will be similar to other Arctic cruises as it explores the landscape and the wildlife, visiting communities and learning about Inuit culture, but this trip is different because of the personal touch.

The MS Explorer will be a floating classroom for over 100 passengers who will learn about the life of James Houston and his impact on the Arctic, but also about Inuit art and culture, the landscape and the wildlife on a five-day cruise.

---

“It’s a coming together of all of these people who were important in James’ life,” said Cedar Bradley-Swan of Adventure Canada, who will also be on board. She said that it is important to the company to host the one-time event, because Houston worked as a guide on their first Arctic cruise in 1991.

Guests will include Budd Feheley, who traveled with Houston in the Arctic in the 1960s and was one of the first Inuit art collectors, and Douglas Gibson, Houston’s friend and editor at McClelland and Stewart.

Both of Houston’s sons, John and Sam, and his wife, Alice, will be aboard the ship and John’s son, Dorset, will have an opportunity visit his father’s northern childhood stomping grounds for the first time. John will not only be a representative of the family, but will be joining 12 other resource guides who will offer formal and informal discussions on art, wildlife, archeology and Inuit culture.

“Our crew on this particular trip is more arts and culture based,” said Bradley-Swan.

The crew will include renowned artist Cape Dorset artist Kenojuak Ashevak, Inuit culturalist and musician Aaju Peter and sculptor Jimmy Manning.

“It provides an opportunity to tell the story in a much larger context,” said Heppenstall. “For people who love Inuit art, they rarely get an opportunity to meet the artist or visit the communities where they live. It’s like a floating classroom and it’s an incredible opportunity.”

The opportunity is priceless for Tammy Flauenwhite, an honours student doing her thesis on Inuit art at Acadia University and the manager of the Houston North Gallery, owned by John Houston, in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia. She has never been to the Arctic before.

“It’s important for the gallery that I learn more about the communities and the art,” said Flauenwhite. “It’s going to be very educational for me.”

The itinerary leaves lots of time to spend in the communities, along with roundtable discussions. Heppenstall, an art history professor, will lead a discussion on Houston’s legacy in helping develop the first printmaking programs. In Cape Dorset there will also be a roundtable of elders who knew Houston when he first arrived in the Arctic.

“It’s a nice combination of village life, expeditionary elements and, if we’re lucky, we’ll see some wildlife,” said Heppenstall. “And it continues the legacy.”

TOP

Advertising
Specs, rates,
& maps
Multi-paper
buying services
About the market
E-mail ad dept

More Information