IQ on the Edge
Panel
This session, "IQ on the Edge" explores zones of transition in arctic higher-education where technologies, disciplines, ways of knowing and bodies of knowledge overlap, producing adaptation, hybridity, transition and transformation in art and design. Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ), or Inuit Traditional Knowledge, is the worldview that defines Inuit culture. As described in Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: What Inuit Have Always Known to Be True, Joe Karetak explains the holistic application of Inuit culture through an integrated system of beliefs and practices which does not place Inuit at the center but rather engages environmental and spiritual realms as considerations of equal importance (2017). Indigenous worldview intrinsically impacts knowledge and the ways in which that knowledge is obtained, analyzed, and used within an educational context.
As internet connections become more reliable in remote communities, York University and Concordia University are embedding IQ into digital course work aimed at expanding educational opportunities in the arctic. This panel explores digitally delivered IQ beliefs and principles within the post-secondary art and design curriculum. Dr. Anna Hudson will explore the cognitive and cultural gap between orality and materiality through information exchange and manifestation of knowledge for Inuit in the Canadian Arctic. As principal investigator for the Mobilizing Inuit Cultural Heritage (MICH) SHHRC partnership grant, Dr. Hudson will draw on examples of IQ through grant projects over the past six years.
Following Dr. Hudson, a 2017 recipient of the York University Academic Innovation Grant, Angela Norwood will discuss her new online course, "Design and Inuit Cultural Artifacts" which introduces students to a range of Inuit artifacts and cultural practices by considering them as objects of design and evidence of externalized knowledge.
The aim of rooting curricula within IQ, as outlined in the Government of Nunavut's Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Education Framework policy, is to provide "a learning environment where silaturniq (becoming wise) is fostered, and within which the strength of inummarik (a capable person) can develop" (2007). This panel supports integrating Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit within higher-educational frameworks. Utilizing art and design as the basis of discussion, incorporating IQ into digital course delivery can provide new insights, allow us to challenge conventions, and rethink our engagement with the world around us.
Timetable
The panel discussion will last 1 hour and 30 minutes. Each panelist will have 15 minutes of presentation time with 30 minutes question and open discussion at the end of the session.
Takeaway
Takeaway objectives from the "IQ on the Edge" panel are:
- An introduction to the principles Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ);
- Effective ways of incorporating Indigenous worldview into design curriculum;
- Methods of engaging remote and isolated art students through innovative digital delivery;
- An understanding technological challenges of remote communities and tools to meet the challenges of low-bandwidth areas.
Abstract
"IQ on the Edge" will take a close look at how Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ), Inuit Traditional Knowledge, is applied in higher-educational frameworks through immersive digital experiences in Inuit Art courses. The four panelists will discuss individual projects innovating Inuit art and design course delivery through an immersive digital technology experience.
Speaker 1: Dr. Anna Hudson, "Mobilizing Inuit Cultural Heritage: What happens when an Inuit worldview meets global capitalism"
Mobilizing Inuit Cultural Heritage (MICH) is a six-year SSHRC Partnership Grant that focuses on the contribution of Inuit visual culture, art, and performance to Inuit language preservation, social well-being, and cultural identity. As Principle Investigator on the MICH grant, Dr. Hudson will discuss what knowledge is needed to thrive in an interconnected landscape and how emerging technology can help leverage the goals of IQ and its benefits.
Dr. Anna Hudson is an associate professor in the Department of Visual Arts & Art History and Associate Dean, Partnerships, Recruitment, Alumni in the Faculty of Fine Arts.
Speaker 2: Angela Norwood, "Design and Inuit Cultural Artifacts"
A 2017 recipient of the York University Academic Innovation Grant, Angela Norwood will present her upcoming online course, "Design and Inuit Cultural Artifacts." This course introduces students to a range of Inuit artifacts and cultural practices by considering them as objects of design and evidence of externalized knowledge. Students are challenged to study design as a way of knowing, as a process for devising human-made responses to environmental conditions, and as a category of informative and expressive craft, of which Inuit cultural objects are often exemplars.
Angela Norwood is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Design at York University where she teaches across the curriculum with an emphasis on information design.
Speaker 3: Erin Yunes, "Making Educational Connections through ICT Blackout Zones"
Insufficient broadband connections make it harder for post-secondary students to access online resources such as funding bodies, software, and research tools, which are available to southern Canadian students. The implementation of high-speed broadband is essential for the socio-economic sustainability of Nunavut communities. Erin Yunes will examine the status of internet development in remote and isolated areas of the arctic, digital challenges which still exist for communities, and the importance of access to Inuit cultural media in education.
Erin Yunes is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Art History and Visual Culture at York University.
Speaker 4: Jocelyn Piirainen, "Re-establishing Connections: An Urban Inuk's Personal Perspective"
From a purely subjective perspective, Jocelyn Piirainen will be discussing how she has approached Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit through various projects, such as curating the Art Gallery of Ontario exhibit Tunirrusiangit, in relation to being an urban inuk. Further, Jocelyn will discuss how she has come to curate and work with the AGO on such an exhibit, as well as talk about the importance of Inuit curators within the art world and educational systems.
Jocelyn Piirainen is an emerging Inuk curator currently living in Ottawa.