Inuit Peoples Inuit peoples are from Arctic areas of North America Inuit means “the people” in Inuktitut, the Inuit language.

Inuit Art Inuit art is primarily an art of observation; with animals, hunting scenes, and people being the most recurring themes. Kenojuak Ashevak, The Enchanted Owl, 1960, Stone cut

Kenojuak Ashevak Inuit Artist Kenojuak Ashevak was born October 3, 1927 Kenojuak spent her childhood on Baffin Island, living in igloos and skin tents Kenojuak created art until she died on January 8, 2013

Background In the 1950’s, the government began to encourage native people to make and sell their native arts and crafts to earn extra money Kenojuak was hospitalized for 3 years with tuberculosis from 1952-55. In the hospital, she learned different arts and crafts, including beading Kenojuak was then taught the art of printmaking, and helped create an active artist community in Cape Dorset in 1959

Inuit prints Inuit prints are produced in a variety of media with the most common being either lithographs or stonecuts. Stonecuts are quite unique to the Inuit in that the standard lithographic stone is carved out into a bas relief image of the design to be printed. Often the stonecuts are augmented with stencils to apply subtle colours to the prints.

Inuit beliefs and values The force that animates all life forms is unseen but knowable. This form is in the spiritual realm. Dog Sees the Spirits, © Kenojuak Ashevak, 1960, Stencil on paper, 48.7 x 60.9 cm, Collection of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-Operative Ltd., on loan to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection

Inuit beliefs and values All life is sacred and all life forms are interconnected; the survival of each life form is dependent on the survival of all others. Custodians of Ancestral Lore, © Kenojuak Ashevak, 1992, Stonecut and stencil on paper, 61.9 x 76.3 cm, Collection of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-Operative Ltd., on loan to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection

Inuit beliefs and values Humans are equal to all others in the circle of life. Everything that exists in the circle is one unity, one heart. Evitaruit (Large Red Fish), © Kenojuak Ashevak, 1975, Stonecut and stencil on paper, 60.6 x 81.2 cm, Collection of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-Operative Ltd., on loan to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection

Inuit beliefs and values Connections to the land and community are highly valued. Katajatuit (Throat Singers Gathering), © Kenojuak Ashevak, 1991, Lithograph on paper, 56.1 x 76.0 cm, Collection of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-Operative Ltd., on loan to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection

Inuit beliefs and values A sacred relationship with nature Illustrious Owl, © Kenojuak Ashevak,1999, Lithograph on paper, 57 x 76.5 cm. Collection of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-Operative Ltd.

Transformation scenes Transformations are strong meaningful topics in reference to Inuit cosmology and shamanism. According to Inuit people, the universe (silajjuaq) is organized around three worlds: one where live human beings (humans, animals, vegetables); another one inhabited by dead animals or humans; and, a last one occupied by spirits (tuurnngait).  Myself and I, © Kenojuak Ashevak, 1981, handcoloured etching on paper, 72.4 x 85.0 cm, Collection of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-Operative Ltd., on loan to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection

Transformation scenes According to Kenojuak, her father believed he could predict weather, predict good hunting seasons and even turn into a walrus; he also had the ability "to make fish swarm at the surface so it was easier to fish. Drawing for print Walrus Spirit, © Kenojuak Ashevak, 1965-66, Graphite and felt-tip pen on paper, 35.4 x 43.0 cm, Collection of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-Operative Ltd., on loan to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection

“The making of prints, what you call art, is simply to transfer the real to the unreal.”– Kenojuak Ashevak Guardian Owl, © Kenojuak Ashevak, 1997, Etching and aquatint on paper, 80.0 x 98.0 cm, Collection of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-Operative Ltd., on loan to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection

The Challenge “I have a style of drawing that doesn’t belong to anybody but me. It is my own... people can try to copy it but they can’t… It would be hard for me to express how little I desire to imitate anybody else’s work. I have no desire on earth to do that. At the same time I don’t really want my style, what I feel belongs to me, to be imitated by anyone else. I feel that’s fair.” – Kenojuak Ashevak

The process 1) Find Arctic images that inspire you from the Internet, books in the library or your imagination.

2. Sketch images into your sketchbook (at least 3 images are required) 3. Fine-tune your image so that it is a simple line design that contours your images

4. Transfer and then carve your image into a lino-block

5. Print your image.

Resources http://www.canadianart.ca/news/2013/01/08/kenojuak-ashevak/ (http://www.elcalondon.com/about_inuit_art.asp) http://inuitartalive.ca/index_e.php?p=133 http://www.nfb.ca/film/eskimo-artist-kenojuak http://www.inuitartzone.com/inuit_art_transformations_s/50.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenojuak_Ashevak Sources for drawing http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/unusual-number-of-arctic-snowy-owls-spotted-in-u-s/ http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/photos/13-animals-of-the-arctic/polar-bear Print Images from: http://ccca.concordia.ca/artists/work_detail.html?languagePref=en&mkey=27400&title=The+Enchanted+Owl&artist=Kenojuak+Ashevak&link_id=2010

Artist: Kenojuak Ashevak, Title: Guardian Owl (1980), Lithograph

The Enchanted Owl, © Kenojuak Ashevak,1960, Stonecut on paper, 61 The Enchanted Owl, © Kenojuak Ashevak,1960, Stonecut on paper, 61.0 x 66.0 cm, Collection of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-Operative Ltd., on loan to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection