'The Lure of the Artic' draws Cincinnati collector
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The lifestyle of the Eskimo and Inuit people of the Arctic north is inextricably tied to the weather.
“Living in a harsh climate, these people were still able to create utilitarian pieces with an artistic quality that rivals pieces made by other indigenous cultures of the world,” said Roger Fry, whose collection of artifacts is included in the exhibition “The Lure of the Arctic,” now on view at the Cincinnati Art Museum.
Fry and his wife Elizabeth first began collecting Eskimo and Inuit artifacts about 40 years ago, he said, a detour from collecting Norther Plains and Southwest Native American artifacts.
“We started collecting during our travels through the West, but Native American pieces became quite expensive, so we started buying more from Alaska, Northern Canada, Greenland and even Russia,” he said. “These people were able to make objects from wood, bone and ivory of all descriptions.
“We began acquiring pieces we were interested in displaying and to let other people see how artistic and talented they are.”
Some 200 pieces from the Frys’ collection explore the adaptive lifestyles of the Arctic people, supplemented by 19th century artifacts drawn from the art museum’s collection, including 19th century artifacts assembled by naturalist Edward W. Nelson, one of the first ethnographers to document the lifestyles of native Alaskan peoples.
“Explorers such as Nelson were responsible for some of the oldest ethnographic collections found today in museums worldwide,” said Glenn Markoe, curator of Classical and Near Eastern Art and Arts of Africa and the Americas.
The objects are presented in functional groupings, allowing visitors to get a closer look at how North American Arctic peoples used them for everyday pursuits, including hunting and fishing, recreation and a variety of domestic and social activities.
Also featured in the exhibition are an authentic kayak and an Eskimo umiak, an open boat made of walrus hides stretched on a wooden frame – both of which bear testimony to the technical ingenuity and craftsmanship of the North American Arctic people.
- WHAT: The Lure of the Arctic: Eskimo and Inuit Artifacts from the W. Roger and Patricia K. Fry Collection
- WHERE: Cincinnati Art Museum, 653 Eden Park Drive, Cincinnati
- WHEN: Through Jan. 20
- COST: No charge
- MORE INFO: www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org
