The Culture and Heritage Division is responsible for documenting, researching, promoting, and preserving Northwest Territories’ (NWT) culture and heritage. Activities include: 

• Providing funding to the NWT’s arts and heritage sectors
• Operating the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, including caring for its collections of historical, natural history and fine art collections
• Developing programs, exhibits and educational materials related to NWT culture and heritage 
• Operating the NWT Archives to protect records of the history of the NWT and its people
• Recording and protecting archaeological and other heritage sites in the NWT
• Identification and registration of geographical place names 

The division is guided by Heritage Services Policy, as well as the Archaeological Sites Act, Archives Act, Historical Resources Act. Guiding strategies include the GNWT Culture and Heritage Strategic Framework and the NWT Arts Strategy 2021-2031.

The division participates in the development of NWT arts, culture and heritage-related policies and participates in Federal, Provincial, Territorial (FPT) arts, culture, and heritage meetings.

NWT Arts Strategy 2021-2031

View the Progress Tracker for an overview of the progress of all actions and deliverables of the plan.

The creative community plays a central role in preserving the NWT’s arts, cultures, heritages, and languages, diversifying our local economies, and sharing the beauty of NWT art far and wide. The NWT Arts Strategy 2021-2031 sets out a vision for how we will help to support the creative sector for the next 10 years.

The original NWT Arts Strategy was released in 2004. The action plan for this strategy was updated through consultation and released as the NWT Arts Strategy Action Plan Two in August 2007. These documents directed the Departments of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) and of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) programming over the past 15 years. ECE and ITI continue to have a shared interest in supporting the arts sector through separate mandates to deliver a variety of programs and services.