Ms. Faye Settler
In 1949 Faye and her mother opened The Curiosity Shop, a small antique shop in Winnipeg. In 1966 the store expanded with the addition of an art gallery, The Upstairs Gallery, with Faye Settler as director. Faye's first gallery exhibition featured members of the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. For almost 40 years, Faye continued to feature artists from across Canada with an emphasis on Manitoba and the prairies.
Throughout her career, Faye established an international reputation as one of the leading galleries of Inuit art. In 1972 Faye made her first trip to the Northwest Territories to investigate and educate herself on Inuit art-making practices. After travelling to Baker Lake, Faye championed the work of artists in that remote region with a goal to bring their unique work to the rest of the world. In 1984 Faye was invited to participate in a series of consultative meetings to formally plan the development of Inuit art. These meetings resulted in much needed polices regarding the production and selling of Inuit art including the availability of the coveted soapstone.
Faye's commitment to contemporary art cannot be underestimated. The Upstairs Gallery represented a distinct history of the visual arts in Canada and the growth and development of the Inuit art market. Before her death in 2004 at the age of 88, Faye continued to excel in both antiques and art, winning the 2003 Manitoba Woman of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award. She was a longstanding member and former Board Member of ADAC. Faye was also a member of the Canadian Antique Dealers Association, an active member of many local Winnipeg associations and a frequent guest on CBC Radio and local television.
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In 1949 Faye and her mother opened The Curiosity Shop, a small antique shop in Winnipeg. In 1966 the store expanded with the addition of an art gallery, The Upstairs Gallery, with Faye Settler as director. Faye's first gallery exhibition featured members of the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. For almost 40 years, Faye continued to feature artists from across Canada with an emphasis on Manitoba and the prairies.
Throughout her career, Faye established an international reputation as one of the leading galleries of Inuit art. In 1972 Faye made her first trip to the Northwest Territories to investigate and educate herself on Inuit art-making practices. After travelling to Baker Lake, Faye championed the work of artists in that remote region with a goal to bring their unique work to the rest of the world. In 1984 Faye was invited to participate in a series of consultative meetings to formally plan the development of Inuit art. These meetings resulted in much needed polices regarding the production and selling of Inuit art including the availability of the coveted soapstone.
Faye's commitment to contemporary art cannot be underestimated. The Upstairs Gallery represented a distinct history of the visual arts in Canada and the growth and development of the Inuit art market. Before her death in 2004 at the age of 88, Faye continued to excel in both antiques and art, winning the 2003 Manitoba Woman of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award. She was a longstanding member and former Board Member of ADAC. Faye was also a member of the Canadian Antique Dealers Association, an active member of many local Winnipeg associations and a frequent guest on CBC Radio and local television.
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Photo by William Eahier. Faye Settler, Drum Dancing, Inuit Fine Art Task Force, Baker Lake, 1985