About the Gallery
Orca Aart specializes in
the art of the Inuit, Eskimo and Northwest Coast Indian. We carry a large collection
of stone sculpture, as well as works in wood, bone, antler and a limited amount of
old ivory. We also offer masks, limited edition Canadian Inuit and Northwest Coast
prints, totem poles, tapestries and artifacts.
We have a selection of Northwest Coast Indian silver jewelry and Haida argillite.
In addition, we sell a range of books covering these art forms and cultures.
Whales are a particular interest and we offer sculpture and prints depicting killer
whales, beluga, narwhal and other northern species.
Cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard and American Express are accepted. We ship fully insured
worldwide.
We look forward to serving you.
David Carlson
Director
About the Owner
Jay Fahn is a recognized authority on
contemporary Canadian Inuit art. Educated at Williams College and Oxford University,
Jay was an investment banker in 1987 when he combined his business skill with a long-time
interest in the art and cultures of the circumpolar region to found Orca Aart in Chicago.
In the past twelve years Jay has visited most of the very remote art producing communities
of Canada, from Baker Lake and Cape Dorset to Holman, Arviat and Pagnirtung. He has
served as an art consultant to the government of Canada’s Northwest Terrritories,
and has lectured at Northwestern and DePaul Universities as well as at the Shedd
Aquarium, the Chicago Field Museum and Chicago’s Sculpture, Objects and Functional
Art (SOFA) Exposition. Jay is a former director of the Hyde Park Arts Center and
served as a juror to the Old Town Art Fair 2000 and the CityArts 2000 review panel
for the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs. He is currently an executive
board member for the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association. In his "spare" time, Jay is a Senior Vice President with Hyde Park Bank.
New Gallery Hours
The gallery is open to the public only by appointment. Our general regular hours and the best time to reach us is between 12:00 noon and 5:00 pm on Saturdays. Please call us toll-free at 1-800-672-2278 or send us an email (orca@inuitart.com) to arrange for a viewing.
We are closed Sunday and Monday. We offer after-hour and Sunday appointments for out-of-town visitors and for clients with special time constraints.
Location
Orca Aart is located in the Washington Square Building, 651 W. Washington Boulevard, on the southwest corner of Washington Blvd. and Des Plaines Street, just east of the Kennedy expressway in the West Loop Gallery District. It is easily accessible from the Kennedy expressway by taking the Washington Blvd. exit ramp.
Our mailing location and showroom are in Suite #301 (3rd Floor) and we have another showroom in Suite #204 (2nd Floor). The main building entrance is on the Des Plaines St. side of the building. The elevators at the end of the corridor service both of our showrooms. Please contact us for handicapped access instructions.
The gallery is two blocks west of the Chicago & Northwestern Train Station (Ogilivie Transportation Center Metra Station). We are also five blocks west of the Washington-Wells station on the CTA's Brown, Purple and Orange Lines and four blocks southwest of the Clinton station on the CTA's Green Line. |
