Notice Board

Designing the Canadian High Arctic Research Station: the Story
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: Art, Architecture and Traditional Knowledge
November 4 | 6 p.m. MT | Room L1060
Free admission, everyone welcome

Alain Fournier & Isabelle Laurier join us via Zoom in Room L1060 for this presentation.This talk is about how the community of Ikaluktutiak (Cambridge Bay) and the architects put their hearts and minds together to create a facility that speaks to the Copper Inuit and how art and architecture work hand in hand to achieve this deep connection. 

Alain Fournier is a graduate of the McGill University School of Architecture (1975) and is a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. 

Alain is a founding partner of EVOQ Architecture. For over four decades, Alain has been a leader in collaborating with Canadian Inuit and First Nations communities to develop contemporary designs that reflect their local culture. 

He works in the Canadian Arctic’s Inuit Nunangat territory (Nunavik, Nunavut and Nunatsiavut). He also works with the Cree of Eeyou Istchee, the Mi’gmaq, the Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet), the Innu, the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawks) the Nehirowisiw (Attikamekw), the Anishinabeg (Algonquin), the Innu and the Treaty 8 Tribal Council. Thanks to his long-term commitment, he has become a partner respected by the Inuit and First Nations and an active player in the dialog between Nations.

His professional expertise in construction technology and practices in northern climates is complemented by his extensive knowledge of First Peoples’ history and culture. As a result, he is often solicited to speak at conferences and to participate in architectural juries on Indigenous architecture.  He teaches an Indigenous design studio at the Université de Montréal and chairs the Architectural and Planning Advisory Panel at McGill University, with a specific emphasis on indigenizing the campus.

Alain Fournier recently received the 2022 Quebec Government Ernest-Cormier life-time achievement award in recognition of his advocacy work and educational contributions as well as his commitment to environmental justice and improving the quality of life for First Nations and Inuit communities across Canada. 

Isabelle Laurier, B.Arch, Université de Montréal (1992), Senior Designer and Project Manager. She is a student member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) at Laval University. She also has a degree in classical piano affiliated with UQAM (1997), has taught privately for nearly thirty years and is a professional painter who has been among the artists of the Clarence Gagnon Gallery.

Over the last 10 years with EVOQ, she has overseen art integration projects in Air terminals in Nunavik as well in the much-celebrated new Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) in Ikaluktutiak (Cambridge Bay). In September 2017, she managed the pan-Canadian Inuit art competition for the CHARS, a Canadian first.

As curator of the prestigious Inuit art exhibition "Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, Art, Architecture and Traditional Knowledge”, Isabelle has been in charge of introducing this traveling exhibition to the rest of the world. The exhibition shows and tells the story of the CHARS art integration competition and architecture project.This exhibition of Canadian Inuit artworks has already been presented in twelve different venues, from art galleries to museums, cultural centres and public libraries around the world. 

Isabelle has developed hands-on experience in working alongside Inuit artists from all across the Inuit Nunangat. Her communication skills and technical knowledge help support the artists.

Image: Canadian High Arctic Research Station, Ikaluktutiak (Cambridge Bay), EVOQ Architecture. Courtesy of the speakers.Photo credit: Alex Fradkin.