The Arctic Arts Summit brought together representatives of the Arctic countries and the Indigenous nations of the circumpolar region. The Summit’s main objectives were to strengthen arts and culture in the North and to develop circumpolar cooperation that would stimulate ongoing, sustainable collaboration in the arts and creative industries throughout the region. The Summit did this by creating North-to-North opportunities, exploring key questions and advancing timely discussions.
In partnership with the Government of Yukon, the Canada Council for the Arts co-hosted the Arctic Arts Summit from June 27 to 29, 2022, in Whitehorse, with a digital program in the lead-up to the event.
Through the 2022 Summit, participants from across the circumpolar region engaged on subjects of shared interest, including:
- support for northern artists, organizations and communities;
- international collaborations in the arts and cultures of the circumpolar Arctic regions; and
- self-determination and the sovereignty of Indigenous peoples.
Digital programming was offered in advance of the June 2022 in-person gathering. The programming enabled a wider audience to interact with the Summit’s themes at arcticartssummit.ca.
The Summit in Whitehorse, Yukon
Official delegations from each of the Arctic countries and Indigenous nations of the circumpolar region including artists and cultural leaders gathered in person in Whitehouse, Yukon. Together they met for three days of keynote speeches, knowledge sharing, capacity building sessions, networking opportunities and artist showcases.
The in-person participants were chosen with a view to empowering artists and cultural voices in the North and to championing strong Indigenous engagement and leadership. For Canada, the majority of participants came from the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, northern Quebec, Northern Labrador and from self-governing and self-determining Indigenous nations and communities in the North. Participants included individuals who identified as northerners or with the North regardless of where they lived.
A digital program for the Summit
The digital program broadened engagement around key themes established leading up to the Summit, putting a spotlight on Arctic arts and culture in Canada and around the world. The program included livestreamed events, gallery-quality imagery, artist profiles, national podiums for each of the circumpolar countries and more.
Visit arcticartssummit.ca to learn more.
The partners are:
Official broadcast partner
Other collaborators included:
A complete list of collaborators who attended the 2022 Arctic Arts Summit can be found at https://arcticartssummit.ca/about/.
Media
Read more about the 2022 Arctic Arts Summit in our press release.
Follow the Summit’s activities on X, Facebook and Instagram.
#ArcticArtsSummit2022
A brief history of the Arctic Arts Summit
Initiated by the Arctic Arts Festival, the first Arctic Arts Summit was hosted in 2017 by the Norwegian Ministry of Culture with Arts Council Norway. The second Arctic Arts Summit, hosted by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) and the University of Lapland, was held in 2019.
The third Arctic Arts Summit, which was originally slated for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was later held in Whitehorse, Yukon, from June 27 to 29, 2022.
The Yukon had strong connections to the Arctic Arts Summit. It worked with the Department of Canadian Heritage, Global Affairs Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts to bring the event to Canada.