The death has been announced of Terry Ryan, who for almost 30 years was the General Manager of the West Baffin Co-op. Terry helped many Inuit artists gain recognition in Canada and beyond.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends in their loss.

Photo Credits: Dorset Fine Arts

In Canada, the month of June is National Aboriginal History Month. June 21, the first day of summer, is recognized as National Aboriginal Day, a special time to honour and celebrate our aboriginal peoples: First Nations, Inuit and Metis.

As I think of this years aboriginal day, the total acceptance, warmth and hospitality my wife and I enjoyed during our time in the Inuit territories of Nunavik and Nunavut and the Cree village of Whapmagoostui between 2007 and 2014, remains fresh in my mind. 

In Quaqtaq, we were eagerly invited to share in the community freezer as soon as we arrived. The community freezer was supplied with hunted food supplies paid for by the Municipal office. Supplies at the freezer varied with ample supplies of arctic char, lake trout, caribou sometimes and sometimes nothing at all. Nevertheless, this situation was no deterrent to our open invitation to partake. It was an honour system and in spite of recurrent scarcity, no one took more than was required.

While Whapmagoostui had no community freezer, the sense of hospitality was generally the same. During the goose hunting season, we received fresh and roasted goose from our Cree friends. Among the Cree, laughter was in no short supply and it was in their arena that I learned to skate without ever paying a dime.

As I often share with our customers at Northern Expressions, in showcasing aboriginal art, we strive to maintain an environment and tradition of warmth and friendliness in serving our customers. For us, the art we showcase projects the creativity, resourcefulness and resilience of our First Peoples. 

Happy National Aboriginal Day 2017!

Northern Expressions is now open to the public at quaint Jordan Village, at the heart of  wine country, Niagara. 

Home to the renowned Cave Spring Cellars and Inn On The Twenty, the new 1500 square foot space is carefully designed to provide a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere among the best collection of Inuit art. 

The gallery is open 7 days a week from 10:00am till 6:00pm.

We look forward to seeing you!

Northern Expressions joins in celebrating the unveiling of a commemorative Bank of Canada $10 note featuring Kenojuak Ashevak's stone cut print "Owl's Bouquet" from the 2007 Cape Dorset Print Collection. The unveiling took place at the head office of the Bank of Canada on April 7, 2017 with members of Kenojuak's family in attendance.According to Dorset Fine Arts, "This is the first time that work by an Inuit artist has appeared on a bank note and only the second time that original visual art has been included in a composition."  This is a great endorsement of aboriginal art by Canada's central bank and demonstrates the place of aboriginal creativity in Canada's history.

We are proud to announce that our new Ottawa downtown gallery is now open.

Many thanks to all who contributed towards this exciting new venture.

We look forward to seeing you at Place Bell, 160 Elgin Street. Our new telephone number is 613 567 1208.

Thanks You.

To commemorate the centenary of Pudlo Pudlat's birth, two never before seen limited edition lithographs, "Formidable Muskox" and "Caribou in Northern Lights," have been released. Printed at the Cape Dorset studios in 1985 and 1987 respectively, these two dynamic prints are superb examples of Pudlo's work created during the apogee of his career.