Newsletter Sign Up Alec Lawson Tuckatuck Tel: 514-776-8850 alec@inuitstonecarving.com Website: InuitStoneCarving.com   Education   Bachelor Degree (August /  2001) University of New Brunswick,  Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada Physical Education Grandfather & Uncle (1983-1987)  Kuujjuaraapik, Nunavik-Quebec, Canada Sculpting training with my grandfather & uncle: My grandfather, before he passed away, started teaching me how to envision what is in the stone and started to teach me how to use his tools when I was seven years old. After he passed away, my uncle began taking my grandfathers role as a teacher and leader.   Exhibitions   Sacred Fire Productions, Montreal/Quebec  11 Nations (November/ 2011 - December/ 2012) It is with pride and delight that the Sacred Fire Productions will produce this exhibition of contemporary Aboriginal art. The Bonsecours Market in Old Montreal, will host this event called 11 NATIONS that will allow Quebec's Aboriginal artists to be in the forefront of contemporary art. The project will feature native artists of all nations of Quebec, for a single exposure. It will be a great privilege for the public to learn about Aboriginal culture together from across Quebec. -Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Vancouver/British Columbia  Exhibit/Demonstrate/Sales (February/ 2010 - March/ 2010)   -Northern Lights 2010 Business & Cultural Showcase, Montreal/Quebec  Exhibit & Demonstrations (January/ 2010 - January/ 2010) -Great Northern Arts Festival 2010, Inuvik/NWT  Exhibit/Demonstrations/Workshop July/ 2010 - July/ 2010)   -Canadian Guild of Crafts, Montreal/Quebec  Expression Tradition (November/ 2009 - December/ 2009) Group exhibit   -Great Northern Arts Festival 2009, Inuvik/NWT Exhibit/Demonstrations (July/ 2009 - July/ 2009)   -First Peoples Festival 2009 , Montreal/Quebec Exhibit/Demonstrations (June/ 2009 - June/ 2009) -Canadian Guild of Crafts, Montreal/Quebec  Group Exhibit (June/ 2009 - June/ 2009) Exhibit   -Lester B. Pearson School Board, Montreal/Quebec  Culture Day (June/ 2009 - June/ 2009) Exhibit/Demonstrate/Sales   -Conseil des metiers dart du Quebec, Montreal/Quebec  Francois Houde Prize Exhibit (December/ 2008 - December/ 2008) I was a finalist for this prize, City of Montreal purchased one of my works for their permanent collections   -Festival des arts traditionnels et contemporains de Wendake, Wendake/Quebec  Exhibit/Demonstrations/Sales (August/ 2008 - August/ 2008)   -Home & Away Gallery, Kennebunkport/Maine/USA  Exhibit & Demonstrations (August/ 2008 - August/ 2008) Exhibit/Demostrations   -Great Northern Arts Festival 2008, Inuvik/NWT  Exhibit/Demonstrations (July/ 2008 - July/ 2008) -First Peoples Festival 2008, Montreal/Quebec  Exhibit/Demonstrations/Sales (June/ 2008 - June/ 2008)   -Northern Lights 2008 Tradeshow & Conference, Montreal/Quebec  Exhibit (February/ 2008 - February/ 2008)   -Home & Away Gallery, Kennebunkport/Maine/USA  Exhibit & Demonstrations (August/ 2006 - August/ 2006) Exhibit/Demonstrations   -National Aboriginal Hockey Tournament, Miramichi/New Brunswick Exhibit (August/ 2005 - August/ 2005)   Recognitions -Selected to attend the Vancouver 2010 Olympics to exhibit & demonstrate -Musee des Confluences - Lyon, France: "Sad Kiviuq" sculpture purchased and on permanent display -Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum - Bowdoin College, Maine, USA: "Brother Moon Sister Sun" sculpture purchased and on permanent display -City of Montreal - Montreal, Canada: "The Offering" sculpture purchased and on permanent display   Awards/Achievements   2010 Great Northern Arts Festival Artist Choice Award - 2010   Paul Qayutinnuaq Award For Artist Excellence - 2009   2008 Francois Houde Prize Finalist 2008 Francois Houde Prize Finalist - 2008     ARTISTIC STATEMENT The core of my artwork is a means of cultural affirmation and expression. I sculpt using traditional as well as non- traditional Inuit media. My expression is what, I believe, people outside our culture, but more importantly, our own people need to learn, keep, and remember of our cultural past and present. I sculpt, ultimately, to pass on my own knowledge of our people, but to also learn more of our traditions so that we maintain and preserve this knowledge. Many of my inspirations come from my experiences as a hunter and also what I have seen, encountered, and learned from the land. My passion comes from the traditional legends, myths, stories, and living of our people. Our traditions and language, although still quite strong, are not only changing but also being lost and forgotten. We have survived for thousands of years through the cold and challenging conditions. We now have a new challenge that we must accept in order for our language and culture to survive for thousands of more years. Every single one of us are important in how we survive, protect, and preserve our culture. I have accepted this challenge and it is through sculpting that I passionately do so. Most often I will take a moment out of a story or legend or personal experience and sculpt it. These moments that I capture are often subjective to my sentiments on that particular scene or story. They can also be significant or symbolic and crucial to the overall definition. In any instance, they have to reach or affect me in a way that I absolutely have to create its meaning. It is from those exact moments that I will envision its final outcome and see what materials it wants to be created out of. The material that I work with, whether if it is soapstone, caribou antler, or what have you, will often tell me what they want to be. Sometimes I have no choice but to sculpt the beauty that is already revealing itself in its own medium. When these materials expose themselves, it is next to impossible to fail to create its chosen destiny. If I can acquire material, mainly soapstone, from my homeland, I will, but it is very difficult to do so. Quarrying is quite difficult and the local artists will often only be able to carry enough stone for a few sculptures for themselves. It is also very expensive to ship stone from the north. So, it is much easier, never the less still a challenge, for me to get walrus tusks, caribou antler, musk ox horns, whale bone, wolf skulls, essentially lighter materials, from the north and order stone from distributors and suppliers in the south. Traditionally we would sculpt by using raw material on raw material or by making tools out of raw material. When rasps, files, riflers, chisels etc were introduced many years ago, they were the modern tools of the day. The modern tools of today, I and most of the new generations of artists use powered rotary tools such as dremels, foredoms, and angle grinders. I have invested a lot of money into modern equipment such as band saws, belt sanders, drill presses, concrete saws and more. These enable me to create in a way that the tools of the past couldnt allow. Therefor, I am able to capture my intentions much more effectively. Alec Lawson Tuckatuck