INUVIK - This spring Northern Images Gallery in Inuvik is appealing to Northern artists to share their work with the public.

Alice Kimiksana of Ulukhaktok sews a mens parka in the Northern Images Gallery during an artist demonstration in Inuvik in April. - Alice Kimiksana from Uluhoktuk

"We are open and seeking artists who would like to discuss their projects with us and explain their projects to the public, provide workshops or demonstrate their work," said gallery manager Maria Stella Patera, adding that musicians are welcome, as well.

"We can mix together performance and visual art, why not."

This past Saturday the gallery scheduled a sale and exhibit of parkas created by Ulukhaktok traditional textile artists Mary Okheena, Roberta Memogana, Lisa Alikamik and Alice Kimiksana.

The women visited the gallery from April 6 to 10 and made five parkas as members of the public watched the process. The gallery had worked with Okheena and Memogana, who also do printmaking, in the past. Patera met Alikamik when she came into the gallery to sell crafts one day.

"She said she loved sewing so we invited her," Patera said. "She was very enthusiastic."

Alikamik attended to learn sewing techniques from the other women.

"The purpose was to demonstrate the process for making a parka – from the pattern, cutting out the fabrics and the lining inside." Patera said. "The only part that people didn't see was the cutting of the fox fur for the hood because the women had to finish the parkas later on."

Other artist features in the galleries include visits last year by Lena Wolki of Sachs Harbour, who works in qiviut, and bead artist Lucy Kay of Fort McPherson. Earlier this year the gallery hosted the Art in the Park exhibit, which featured work by a wide variety of Northern artists who captured the vast beauty of Ivvavik National Park in the Yukon.

During the exhibit opening, musicians with the Inuvik Jazz Band performed in the gallery. The band also played music in the gallery for the Northern Lights exhibit by painter Barry McEvoy in February.

Patera said she would like to meet more musicians and artists interested in using the gallery space to share art with an audience.

In early June the gallery will present bead work on black velveteen by Margaret Donovan-Nazon that depict the beauty of images recorded from space by the Hubble Telescope. Donovan-Nazon created the series to celebrate 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy.

In July the gallery will feature new work by the Inuvik Quilting Guild and this summer there will also be a collaboration with young artists from the Tuktoyuktak Youth Centre.

Any artists or musicians with ideas for more programming at the gallery can contact Patera this spring.