An Inuk artist is looking for answers and compensation from Canadian North after two huge bear sculptures — valued at $20,000 combined — ended up damaged, with one broken in half, following a flight to Inuvik, N.W.T., last month.

Kuzy Curley says he packed the two bears, each weighing 31 kilograms (70 pounds) or more, into two boxes wrapped in layers of bubble wrap and clothing.

"I think for my carving to be broken it was thrown from a two-storey building," says Curley.

Koomatuk (Kuzy) Curley, who is originally from Cape Dorset, Nunavut, but now lives in Toronto, was flying to the Great Northern Arts Festival in Inuvik, N.W.T., when his two carvings were damaged during transit. (Tina Mackenzie/CBC)

The artist, who is originally from Cape Dorset, Nunavut, but now lives in Toronto, planned to display and hopefully sell his work at the Great Northern Arts Festival in Inuvik. Curley checked his boxed art as baggage before a Canadian North flight from Ottawa.

"When I was checking them, I just told them there were two large sculptures in these boxes: 'I want to make sure you guys put a fragile sign on them.'"

The boxes didn't arrive in Inuvik when he did. They arrived several days later.

"I didn't know where my boxes were," said Curley.

He later got a call from a festival organizer with bad news "saying my box is there, my sculpture is broken."

'Not just about money'

Curley went to the airport to retrieve his artwork. He found one box had been opened. Inside, the approximately two-foot-tall bear, arms stretched up high and mouth open, had broken in half, right across the belly.

The sculpture is a maquette — a preliminary model — for a larger piece commissioned for a private buyer in Toronto.

"This money is on hold until this gets resolved," he said.

The second sculpture — a shaman bear made of orange alabaster — is also irreparable. Its nose and ear had broken off. He hopes the airline will cover the damages.

"I just want [Canadian North] to realize these carvings were not just about money. I carve as my career. I want them to understand how much these carvings mean to me."

Kelly Lewis, spokesperson for Canadian North, says the airline is investigating how Curley's art was handled. But Lewis says it's "too soon" to say if Curley will be compensated.

The company's checked baggage policy states Canadian North only assumes liability for damaged baggage up to $750 for travel within Canada. Fragile items such as art are excluded.

"They should be shipped as cargo that is instead packaged and handled and insured properly," said Lewis.

"It's the customer's role to adequately and accurately state what was in their checked baggage and that it was high value and fragile. Our role would be to either say we can ship this or tell them we can't.

"It sounds like there should have been a conversation and for whatever reason that didn't happen when the items were checked in."

When Curley ships artwork to buyers he says he sends them by Canada Post with insurance. But he says at no point did the Canadian North ticket agent recommend putting the sculptures in cargo or getting insurance.

"They should just be more careful and probably not throw stuff and handle them with care."

But he says he plans to be more careful about how he checks his art from now on.

"Next time I'll be insuring my carvings," he said.