The North Exposed is an exhibition of Inuit Art from the collection of Dr. H.G. Jones. Dr. Jones has been traveling to the Arctic to study, collect, and write about the culture and art of its native people, the Inuit, since 1971. He has amassed an unmatched collection of Inuit art and artifacts during more than fifty-one trips to the Arctic and has collected over 250 Inuit sculptures and about 200 Inuit prints. Dr. Jones first gift to the collection was in 2005 and has since continued this gracious gift. To date, Dr. Jones has gifted over 114 objects to the Turchin Center including 42 prints and 72 sculptures.
This exhibition features works focusing on the four major artistic themes that comprise Inuit Art: the Inuit people, depictions of Inuit legends and myths, transformation pieces and animals of the arctic. Combined with their individual aesthetic and artistic merits, this collection of work serves to document and preserve an important part of Inuit heritage. This exhibition celebrates the newest gift to the Turchin Center’s Permanent Collection.
Dr. Jones, a 1949 graduate of Appalachian, currently serves on the Carol Grotnes Belk Library Advisory Board. Jones has had several showings of his collections at institutions including the Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University, Winnipeg Art Museum, and the Inter-American Bank Cultural Center in Washington, DC. Additionally, he has made numerous major gifts of the permanent collections of institutions including the Winnepeg Art Museum, the Carol Grotnes Belk Library and Information Commons and the Turchin Center at Appalachian, the Ackland at UNC-CH, and the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas.
About the Permanent Collection
Since 2003, the collection has grown impressively with the addition of many objects by well-known artists. The majority of this collection focuses on artworks of aesthetic, cultural, and historic significance and represents a cross-section of media, caliber of artist, and scope of the collection. Artists, patrons and organizations, for the purpose of enriching and strengthening the depth of the collection, play an important role in the donation of objects featured in this collection.
The Permanent Collection employs its objects as an integral component of the Turchin Center’s exhibition program by providing material for rotating exhibits within the Turchin’s six galleries. These exhibits are important in relaying the depth of the collection, providing educational opportunities, and serve as an example of the importance of creating, maintaining, and exhibiting a collection. The collection is also used as a teaching tool for students and volunteers who are interested in learning about collections management, as well as to provide opportunities for research, preventive care, and organization.
