Special holiday box designs were presented this early November courtesy of Purolator. One of the designs shows the artwork of Inuk artist Aedan Corey, who is originally from Cambridge Bay.
In an interview with Nunavut News, Corey explained they were chosen by another artist to do the art creation.
“For the last three years, Purolator has been running this campaign through which every artist who designs a box, and then has to nominate another artist to create the following one.”
The artist is unaware of who nominated them, and says they’re grateful for the opportunity.
Corey says the creative process started in the beginning of August and took about three weeks to complete.
When asked about their inspiration for the boxes, Corey said they based it on the highlights of Inuit holiday celebrations and memories they lived through the years participating in the traditional festivities.
“I’ve been an artist for as long as I can remember, but really started taking it more seriously in the last two years,” said Corey.
The goal behind their art piece was to capture “how we are defined by the meals shared, the memories made together, and the traditions passed on,” Corey described.
As for mentors, Corey explaind that growing up around a multitude of artists and creators, two of them stand out in the way they inspired her.
“Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona helped me when I started wanting to do art professionally, she gave me a lot of advice and became a really great friend in the process,” said Corey. “Taqralik Partridge was another amazing mentor who has always been so supportive of me and my art. Both of these women have been very inspiring to me as people, but also as Inuk artists who have made names for themselves.”