Building on a Solid Foundation: “Where are they Now?” with Leanne Inuarak-Dall

When we at Inuit Futures first met Leanne Inuarak-Dall, she was a student at Langara College, and now she’s a graduate of Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECUAD); she’s accomplished a lot over the last few years. Leanne holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with a major in Visual Art, from ECUAD. Originally from Belleville and Ottawa, Ontario, Inuarak-Dall’s familial ties are to Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet), Nunavut. Currently living on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations (Vancouver, British Columbia), Leanne is now working at ECUAD, and we were happy to catch up with her recently and learn about her new position.

Following her graduation, Leanne took on the role of Research Assistant at the Aboriginal Gathering Place (AGP) at Emily Carr. In one of her first responsibilities, she is working with Daina Warren, the Executive Director of Indigenous Initiatives to produce an exhibition and symposium for Indigenous alumni in spring 2026, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the University. Her role includes key administrative tasks related to grant writing and the curation of the 2026 alumni exhibition. Their goal is to exhibit 100 artworks for the 100th anniversary. Leanne began by searching through the archives to complete a list of all Indigenous alumni, then researching them to see what they are producing currently. She has also been assisting with the coordination of the symposium keynote speakers, panel discussions and topics. In this way, her work with the Inuit Art Foundation (IAF) while she was an Ilinniaqtuk helped prepare her for this new role; at IAF Leanne also researched Inuit artists, finding them online and contacting them for interviews or to take part in projects.

 “My past work at the Inuit Art Foundation, and my experience attending events like the Inuit Futures gatherings, the (ᕿᓐᓂᕋᔮᑦᑐᖅ Qinnirajaattuq / Ripples) Symposium last fall, the Arctic Art Summit, and the (Inuit Futures) Curatorial Institute, gave me an idea of what the programming at these events actually look like. What are the topics that are interesting to people? What do artists like to talk about? What are important dialogues to create?”

Leanne Inuarak-Dall facilitating an Aboriginal Gathering Place beading workshop, Emily Carr University, October 2025. Photo credit to Sydney Pascal.

Leanne Inuarak-Dall with Kimberly Ronning at an Aboriginal Gathering Place workshop, Emily Carr University, October 2025. Photo credit to Sydney Pascal.

Looking ahead, Leanne is considering the Master of Archival Studies and Master of Library and Information Services program at the University of British Columbia.

Reflecting on past projects as an Ilinniaqtuk: “I really loved the [Inuit Futures] Curatorial Institute. That’s my favorite thing: going to see art, go into the archives, to meet people that I look up to. Being able to share extended time with these curators, artworkers and artists gives you the opportunity to have regular conversations with them. And that's where a lot of the good tips on navigating institutions and the art world come from.”

“Being able to travel and hang out with Inuit is my favorite thing in the world.”

During her final semester, Leanne co-curated the annual exhibition at Emily Carr for the Indigenous students, alumni, staff and faculty, titled Beadsoup! (2025). This annual exhibition started in the 1990s and it is how many artists and curators started their careers. Beadsoup! featured 80 artworks by more than 30 artists. “I used the planning skills I learned from co-curating TETHER, like let's have a giant spreadsheet, let's keep things organized. But it was different from the work I did at TETHER, because that was mostly working with collections. This project was a lot more personal, because it's my peers and their artworks.”

This is an exciting year for Leanne; she exhibited her artwork in the exhibition Gathering on Indian Time in May 2025 and recently screened a film she made at the Atii! Inuit Film Festival on November 3, 2025. The film, I Don’t Know How, is a video documentation of a performance Leanne did in 2021. And most recently, this past November, Leanne attended the Indigenous Curatorial Collective’s 2025 National Gathering in Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan. 

Leanne Inuarak-Dall during the Inuit Futures Curatorial Institute in 2022.