After years of struggles, Great Northern Arts Festival sees boost in visitors

At the 30th annual Great Northern Arts Festival in Inuvik this year, organizers and artists are all commenting on one noticeable difference from last year: there are more visitors.

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Organizers believe the new Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway is contributing to the increase in foot traffic at the 10-day summer festival. It promotes Northern art and artists in Canada and beyond. It's struggled financially in recent years, losing major funding from oil and gas companies, but it has forged ahead.

"We are doing well this year, and we had a really good first sales day. It was quite awesome," said Mary Ann Ross, the new executive director of the Great Northern Arts Society.

"We've had people say, 'We are coming back tomorrow.We are going to drive to Tuk but we are coming back and we are going to do some workshops."

She says that, as of Thursday, about 2,000 people have attended. Ross couldn't provide figures for how many visitors the festival saw last year.

The festival has been smaller over the past few years, with about 30 artists attending, compared to 100 in previous years.

Ross says there are a couple of changes this year they added new workshops, and screenings of documentaries.

"We are just happy that we can add these other options to what is available here, and it has actually filled up the place even more."

Carving is most popular event

Ross saidthere weren't as many carvers at the festival last year,but many more came this summer, and those workshops have proven to be the most popular.

Carli O'Hara came to Inuvik from Sudbury, Ont., to visit a friend from university. She took a soapstone carving workshop.

"I've never been to anything like this before. It's pretty great," said O'Hara.

"I actually graduated from art school...so I've been involved with the arts my whole life. So I guess getting involved in another genre of art is pretty neat."

Her instructor was long-time festival artist Derrald Taylor. Although he lives in Yellowknife, Taylor is originally from Tuktoyaktuk. Taylorfirst went to the festival in 1998 and thinks this is his eighth time attending. He says it feels like a homecoming because the festival helped him become the artist he is today.

"What I learned I'm trying to teach now," Taylor said. "It would be nice to see more emerging artists from all over to come here, and not only learn but show what they do, because... I still learn from other artists."

Town's 60th birthday

Bruce and Mary Sposi drove up on their motorcycles from Utah, hoping to see Tuktoyaktuk.

An accident on the Dempster Highway left Bruce in a sling, so they won't be able to finish the trip, but Mary is happy to be going home with reindeer earrings. She wishes they could fit more on their bikes.

"It reminds me that a lot of the artwork is exhibiting the topography here, and that's nice to see," she said.

The festival coincides with Inuvik's 60th birthday celebration this year, so organizers are expecting to see even more visitors before it wraps up onSunday.