Making the Cup
In August 2005 Mme. Clarkson contacted me and asked that I oversee the design and construction of the Cup. At her request I worked with Inuit artists Okpik Pitseolak, Pootoogook Qiatsuk and Therese Ukaliannuk. Clarkson specified that the Cup be a conventionally shaped trophy with a cup on top and handles on each side. She wanted a base with approximately enough space for 5 years of championship names. She also requested that an image of Sedna, the Inuit goddess of the sea, be placed on one side of the Cup and her Coat of Arms on the other.
The Cup was produced in 3 locations in Canada. The stem and handles were constructed at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design in Fredericton. The main cup was spun in Montreal at Desmarais & Robitaille Silversmith. The Cup was then brought to Nunavut were Pitseolak, Quiatsuk, Ukaliannuk and I created images that were chased onto the surface of the metal. The cup was then returned to Montreal to have details of the Coat of Arms engraved by Jacques Robillard and polished by Desmaries & Robitaille.
