Filson x Canadian Arctic Producers

Arctic alpine landscape

Canadian Arctic Producers (CAP) was formed to promote and preserve the art of First Nations communities in remote northern territories. Filson collaborated with CAP to create two unique pieces, featuring artwork from Josephee Kakee and Solomon Karpik.

All proceeds will support CAP’s continued mission.

Introducing Canadian Arctic Producers

In Canada’s remote northern territories in the 1960s, Inuit art flourished, yet few people saw it. Local artists would often bring their sculptures, paintings, and wall hangings to their community co-operative—the same place where they purchased groceries and gasoline—but that was as far as their creations went. In 1965, the organization that supplied the co-ops took note, and formed an Inuit-owned, art marketing arm called Canadian Arctic Producers (CAP). Its mandate is to “preserve, promote and protect Inuit Art by acting as an intermediary between the remote northern communities we support and southern markets.”

Indigenous artwork

“Back then, someone had to photograph the art and mail it to the office in Ontario,” says RJ Ramrattan, CAP’s present-day general manager. Today, the bulk of the sales and marketing happen online. CAP runs two websites representing more than 500 artists across 32 indigenous communities in Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories.

Each piece is one-of-a-kind. Prices range from $50 to more than $200,000 and span multiple mediums from soapstone carvings to graphic arts. “This work is not just about marketing the art, it’s about promoting and preserving the culture,” Ramrattan says. He works directly with Inuit and Dene artists to build exhibitions around the world, and regularly travels to the far north to help inspire new master artists. Some of his favorite moments on the job happen in person, in the arctic. “I can show someone, this is what your uncle was doing back in the 1960s,” Ramrattan says. “It brings tears to their eyes. It drives them to want to continue [the craft].”

Filson x Canadian Arctic Producer blanket

Filson x CAP Arctic Blanket | NO. 20228779Coming Soon – Join Waiting List

CAP sells wholesale to galleries, museums, and institutions through canadianarcticproducers.com, and to the general public through its retail site, Northern Images at northernimages.ca. The organization also partners with tourism operators like Adventure Canada (which brings intrepid travelers on expedition-style cruises through the Northwest Passage) and upscale gift shops seeking original Inuit art. CAP has clients all over the U.S. and Canada, as well as in the U.K., France, Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands. Most recently, CAP began supplying Canadian corporations with Inuit and Dene art to offer as service awards to employees. “It’s a beautiful and unique business that we have here, and we want to continue it for generations,” Ramrattan says.

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