| Inuit art has been introduced to the non-Arctic world | | | | walking bear. The Inuit art market has accepted this |
| for several decades now and has enjoyed a nice | | | | fact and collectors are willing to pay more for nice |
| climb in stature as a fine art form. Throughout the | | | | dancing bear carvings as evidenced by their |
| years, Inuit stone carvers have changed their | | | | popularity.Other Nunavut communities such as Iqaluit |
| artwork a bit as a result of market feedback and | | | | also have carvers who produce excellent dancing |
| demand. Generally speaking, they managed to make | | | | bear carvings now. Some carvers have demonstrated |
| artistic changes in response to the market without | | | | such wild imaginations by adding drums made of |
| losing the northern Arctic spirit of their Inuit art form. | | | | caribou antler to bear carvings resulting in drum |
| Inuit art stone carvings have become larger and | | | | dancing bears. Talk about giving a wild animal a human |
| more polished compared to those early primitive | | | | characteristic! Others have turned other Arctic |
| looking carvings that made their debut in the | | | | animals such as walruses and seals as well as objects |
| commercial art market years ago.One of the later | | | | such as the Inuit inukshuk into balancing dancing |
| innovations in stone carvings from the Inuit art world | | | | versions. A few carvers have produced dancing bears |
| was the dancing bear. The Inuit carvers from Cape | | | | which have the ability to balance on either the right |
| Dorset in Nunavut sometimes added humor and play | | | | or left hind leg. In an effort to elevate the skill levels |
| into their artwork. They gave animals such as polar | | | | and artistry even further, polar bears have been |
| bears some human like characteristics. Instead of | | | | carved in handstanding positions balancing on both or |
| carving polar bears only in walking positions or other | | | | even one front paw. Sometimes these are known as |
| poses often seen in the natural wild, the carvers | | | | diving bears.Interestingly enough, the Inuit carvers in |
| began to make the bears in upright positions standing | | | | some regions such as Nunavik (northern Quebec |
| on one hind leg. This pose represented the polar bear | | | | Arctic) and the western Arctic have not added |
| in a happy state of dancing and celebration. Some | | | | dancing bears to their subjects portfolios. They have |
| carvers claim that dancing bears represent a form of | | | | chosen to focus and excel on other aspects of Inuit |
| shamanism and transformation between a human and | | | | art such as hunting scenes involving human subjects |
| a bear. But the market generally sees these carvings | | | | or miniature Inuit camps using ivory. The dancing bear |
| as happy bears.The dancing bear carving elevated | | | | carvings are generally produced in the central |
| the skill requirement of the Inuit carver because the | | | | Nunavut region but it will be interesting to see if |
| entire stone carving had to be balanced on one leg | | | | other Arctic regions will produce their own versions |
| of the bear without toppling over. This balancing act | | | | of balancing carvings as a result of market |
| in carving was not a project for the beginning carver. | | | | demand.Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery ( , |
| Because of the skill level required to carve a dancing | | | | an online gallery specializing in Inuit Eskimo and |
| bear, the price of such an Inuit carving would | | | | Northwest Native American art including carvings, |
| generally be a bit higher compared to a comparable | | | | sculpture and prints. |