Arctic Quest was launched at the Gallery at First Canadian Place in Toronto on January 12, 2005.

In launching Arctic Quest we focus on commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first successful crossing of Canada's Northwest Passage. We hope to cultivate vital cultural links between southern Canada's artistic community and Inuit artists at both professional and student levels.

We will be forming new connections with Norwegian artists who also seek to commemorate Roald Amundsen's Arctic expedition. 25 painters will honor Canada's early Arctic painters and explorers by following in their footsteps while creating new footsteps to guide future artists.

With this as our mandate we were delighted that Canadian astronaut, author and photographer Roberta Bondar agreed to join us for our launch. Roberta spoke to the crowded gallery of viewing the High Arctic from her vantage point in the space shuttle Discovery in 1992. Roberta was the first neurologist and the first Canadian woman in space. She expressed great concern over the changes that have become evident with the recession of the polar ice cap and her concerns regarding global warming. Roberta spoke of how profoundly this realization had impacted her and how it forced her to become an active voice for the careful stewardship of our fragile planet.

Renown artist, teacher and author Doris McCarthy shared a few of her many memories and love of Nunavut. Art and Arctic enthusiasts alike listened with great interest as Doris recounted some of her delights and mishaps in painting and traveling through Canada's last frontier.

The walls of the Gallery at First Canadian place were vibrant with many of Doris's large and dramatic Arctic landscapes. Doris graciously agreed to have one of her Arctic paintings raffled and the proceeds will be donated to an Arctic arts initiative.

Linda Mackey, a founder of Arctic Quest, introduced the concept of Arctic Quest. She gave a slide presentation of Arctic landscapes resulting from her trip with Doris McCarthy. She spoke of her more recent trip when she met Kathy Haycock.

Linda spoke of Kathy Haycock and her sister Karole Pittman, daughter of Arctic Maurice Haycock and their recent initiative to have two books published in 2006.

The first book covers many historical Canadian Arctic sites, the second book is Maurice's diary of his travels and painting with Group of Seven painter A. Y. Jackson and Canadian scientists/painter Frederick Banting in1927.