The museum in Upernavik was established and furnished in the early 1950s in the old church, which the district council had used as a chamber. In 1979, buildings in the old town were handed over to the municipality and the area was zoned for cultural purposes. After a new restoration, in 1997 the buildings were put into use as part of the museum. The buildings included the old church, the old shop, built in 1864, the manager’s residence from 1832 (originally built at Imerissut around 1777), the cooper’s workshop from 1848, the old school from 1911 and the vicarage from 1866.
The cooper’s workshop was converted into an artist’s residence in 2006, and since then, the residence has been visited every year by artists from all over the world. The municipality is responsible for the operation and selection of artists, and every visitor has handed over a work to the museum. Some artists have also held exhibitions or workshops for school children or the town residents.
Further reading
- Churches and church building
- Hans Egede and the work for the mission service
- Home Rule (1979‑2008)
- Kujataa – farming on the brink of the ice sheet
- Religion and religious communities
- The colonial period until the war years
- Towns and settlements
- Traditions and tales
- Upernavik
- Visual arts and crafts
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