Michigan museum showcases its recently donated Inuit art

Visitors will discover innovative stonecut and stencil prints, and exquisite sculptures of arctic animals based on the artists’ life experience. Image courtesy of UMMA

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) – A new exhibition at the University of Michigan Museum of Art features a recently donated collection of Inuit art.

The museum in Ann Arbor is presenting “Tillirnanngittuq” (pronounced tid-ee-nang-ee-took), which showcases 58 works from the collection of Philip and Kathy Power that includes more than 200 stone sculptures and prints. The Powers gave the collection and $2 million to the museum last year.

The museum says the title of the exhibition translates from Inuktitut to “unexpected.” Most of the works on view are from the 1950s and ’60s.

The term Inuit is used to characterize northern North America’s native peoples.

UMMA Director Christina Olsen says in a statement that the exhibition marks “an exciting new direction” for the museum, which plans more Inuit art exhibitions, programs and research efforts.

Copyright 2019 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-03-25-19 0942GMT