Though humans have lived in the Arctic for more than 4,000 years, the Inuit trace their ancestry back to the period around AD 1000, when the Thule people migrated across the Canadian territories from northern Alaska.

Because a relatively small population was— and remains— dispersed across the vast swath of Arctic tundra, Inuit art took on regional distinctions over time, as hundreds of scattered family groups coalesced into the larger communities that exist today.

Some of the museum's most dramatic works came from Cape Dorset (now known as Kinngait), a community on Baffin Island where artists such as Osuitok Ipeelee, Pauta Saila, and Latcholassie Akesuk incorporated a stylized naturalism into their representations of animals and mythological creatures.

Harris said that by displaying a range of regional styles, the museum "helped visitors appreciate the distinctions between, for example, the large, semi-abstract Keewatin stone carvings commonly made in Baker Lake, and the realistic family-scene sculptures by Inukjuak-area artists in northern Quebec".

This followed a decline in visitors and revenue following two summers of construction activity along Queens Quay West, which caused the temporary closure of streetcar access to the area of the museum.