James Houston and the Making of Inuit Art.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ayre, John.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Houston, James, 1921-2005.

Houston, James.

Art and society--Canada--History--20th century.

Art and society.

Inuit art--Appreciation.

Inuit art.

Inuit art--Marketing.

Inuit artists--Canada.

Inuit artists.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (244 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Jefferson : McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, 2022.

Summary:

"In 1954, eager buyers lined up three abreast for over half a block to get into the Canadian Handicrafts Guild in Montreal where, once inside, they wrestled and argued to purchase stone sculptures carved by Inuit artists. In a short span, Inuit carvings had changed from a special interest to a worldwide phenomenon and a major source of income for the Inuit. Their sculptures, tapestries and prints later became the unofficial national art of Canada, gracing homes, corporate offices, postage stamps and international art showcases. This is the story of how Inuit art came to be regarded as some of the best Indigenous art of the twentieth century. James Houston, an artist as well as a brilliant raconteur and lecturer, was unquestionably instrumental in its marketing. His enthralling Arctic stories were a gift to journalists, but his inconsistencies became a major hurdle for historians. This book portrays the unusual alliance between James Houston and early Inuit enthusiasts, the Canadian Handicrafts Guild and the Canadian Department of Northern Affairs. Through painstaking research, it presents their adventures, management, concerns and successes in the Inuit art market"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Cover

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface by Mary Ann Evans

Abbreviations in the References

Terminology and Place-Names

Introduction: Getting to Houston

1. Early Interest

2. Houston's Early Life

3. Flying to Port Harrison, 1948

4. Second Sale

5. West Hudson Bay, 1950

6. A Book of Instruction

7. South Baffin Island, 1951

8. Back South, 1951

9. New York and Mexico, 1952

10. Fort Chimo and Cape Dorset, 1952

11. Recovery

12. The North Matters

13. Houstons of the Arctic

14. A Canadian Art

15. Feverish Interest

16. Future Plans

17. Making Inuit Art

18. George Swinton and Edmund Carpenter: The Critics

19. Problems of Success

20. Highly Saleable Objects

21. Cape Dorset Experiments

22. Prints in Winnipeg and Japan

23. Back Home, 1959

24. New Yorkers and Tellick Bay

25. Stratford, 1959

26. Breakthrough Prints

27. Exceeding Wildest Hopes, 1960

28. A Summer of Journalists

29. Leaving Cape Dorset, 1962

30. The Canadian Eskimo Art Committee

31. New York Life

32. Escoheag, Rhode Island, 1974

33. Stonington, Connecticut, 1987

34. Cape Dorset, 1992

Appendix: Inuit Artists' Names by Mary Ann Evans

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Other Format:

Print version: Ayre, John James Houston and the Making of Inuit Art

ISBN:

9781476647876