The Arctic Arts Summit brings together representatives of Arctic countries and the Indigenous Nations of the Circumpolar region. The Summits serve to strengthen arts and culture in the North and develop circumpolar cooperation to stimulate collaboration in arts and creative industries. 

The first Arctic Arts Summit was held in Norway, initiated by the Arctic Arts Festival and hosted in 2017 by the Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Arts Council Norway. The second Summit was in Finland, hosted in 2019 by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike), and the University of Lapland. The Canada Council for the Arts and the Government of Yukon will co-host the third Arctic Arts Summit in Whitehorse, Yukon.

The 2022 Arctic Arts Summit will connect participants across the North with a program focused on artist-driven exchanges and Indigenous voices. A digital program will invite broader audiences to participate in conversations and exchanges leading up to the in-person event.

Themes of the 2022 Summit

The 2022 Arctic Arts Summit will focus on Connection to the Land, exploring northern arts and culture in relation to:

  • Land: Language, Community, Heritage, Identity
  • Indigenous Sovereignty: Self-determination, Indigenization and Decolonization
  • Climate: Environmental Sustainability, Crisis and Action
  • Creating: Makers, Making, and Sharing Artistic Production
  • Representation: Institutions & Ethics, Engagements, Education, Policy, Protocol, Repatriation
  • Circumpolar Collaboration: Cooperation and Mobility
  • Technology: Digital Arts, Data, Access, New Media
  • Activism: Artists, Movements and Social Change
  • Possible Futures: New Directions, Youth Voices, Imaginings

More information at: About | Arctic Arts Summit