Arctic Art

The art and artists of Canada’s Arctic

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic @arctic_eq
Posted: Sunday, February 5, 2017 at 17:53 — Last Updated: Friday, June 30, 2017 at 18:36
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In the days before mass media reached the remote corners of Canada, before things like Twitter and Facebook, the art and artists of Canada’s Arctic were the main conduit for northerners to communicate their culture and communities to the rest of the world.

From the first generation of artists like Order of Canada recipient Kenojuak Ashevak (1927-2013) to contemporary iconoclasts like the late Jutai Toonoo (1959- 2015), these artists pushed boundaries, exploring everything from traditional culture and family life, to the climate and social change going on in their communities.

Since 2010, Eye on the Arctic’s Eilís Quinn has been travelling to these artists’ studios to talk to them about their techniques and their inspiration, their communities and their collaborations.

Here, you can find their conversations, all in one place, and learn more about the printmakers, graphic artists and carvers responsible for some of the most internationally recognized art out of Canada.

Arctic Art

The New Raw: Documentary Report

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic @arctic_eq
Posted: Saturday, February 4, 2017 at 18:33 — Last Updated: Friday, June 30, 2017 at 20:17
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In this 2010 documentary report, Eye on the Arctic’s Eilís Quinn travelled to Cape Dorset, Nunavut to speak with the Arctic artists whose work is exploring the rapid social and environmental change in their communities.

THE OBSERVER- Jimmy Kamimmalik

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic @arctic_eq
Posted: Friday, February 3, 2017 at 13:38 — Last Updated: Wednesday, June 28, 2017 at 19:53
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We take you into studio with Jimmy Kamimmalik, an artist and printmaker working in Baker Lake, a community in Canada’s eastern Arctic territory of Nunavut.

Arctic Art Art Art (Canada) Canada Culture General Video Reports

THE MENTOR – Louie Nigiyok

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic @arctic_eq
Posted: Thursday, February 2, 2017 at 19:34 — Last Updated: Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at 12:02
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Louie Nigiyok is a printmaker and artist from the Inuit community of Ulukhaktok (Holman), in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Eye on the Arctic’s Eilís Quinn sat with him to discuss his art, his inspirations and the rich history of Holman’s print program.

Arctic Art Canada Culture Culture (Canada) General

THE REBEL – Jutai Toonoo

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic @arctic_eq
Posted: Wednesday, December 24, 2014 at 08:33 — Last Updated: Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at 20:31
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Artists often say they create art for themselves and don’t care what other people think. But when Eye on the Arctic’s Eilís Quinn tracked down Jutai Toonoo working in Nunavut’s Kinngait Studios in 2010, we got the sense that he really, really meant it.

Arctic Art Culture Video Reports

THE TECHNICIAN – Andrew Qappik

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic @arctic_eq
Posted: Monday, February 25, 2013 at 14:00 — Last Updated: Monday, October 28, 2019 at 15:01
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Andrew Qappik is one of the most well-known artists working in Nunavut. He has designed images for everything from tapestries and prints, to the Nunavut Coat of Arms.

Arctic Art Culture Video Reports

THE DREAMER – Jolly Atagooyuk

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic @arctic_eq
Posted: Monday, February 25, 2013 at 13:55 — Last Updated: Monday, October 28, 2019 at 15:01
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Jolly Atagooyuk talks about how Nunavut’s wildlife sparks his imagination and how different printing techniques help images come alive on the page.

Arctic Art Video Reports

THE UP-AND-COMER – Ningeokuluk Teevee

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic @arctic_eq
Posted: Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 20:06 — Last Updated: Monday, October 28, 2019 at 14:48
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There’s little consensus on what the future of Inuit art will or should look like. But there’s one thing almost everyone can agree on — Ningeokuluk Teevee will certainly be part of it.

Arctic Art Video Reports

THE PIONEER – Kenojuak Ashevak

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic @arctic_eq
Posted: Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 19:27 — Last Updated: Monday, October 28, 2019 at 14:47
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The iconic prints of late Canadian artist Kenojuak Ashevak (1927-2013) almost single-handedly came to define Arctic art both in Canada and on the world stage. In this 2010 conversation with Eye on the Arctic, Ashevak talks about her work, her success and what she really thinks about the next generation of northern artists.

Arctic Art Video Reports

THE PRINTER – Niveaksie Quvianaqtuliaq

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic @arctic_eq
Posted: Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 18:28 — Last Updated: Monday, October 28, 2019 at 14:56
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The Cape Dorset art story has been told thousands of times over. But no matter who tells it and how, the printers who actually produce the physical lithographs and stone cuts, often get left out of the narrative. So Eye on the Arctic wanted its audience to meet one.

Arctic Art Video Reports

THE CARVER – Toonoo Sharky

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic @arctic_eq
Posted: Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 17:28 — Last Updated: Monday, October 28, 2019 at 14:55
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Toonoo Sharky is a longtime carver based in Cape Dorset, Nunavut and has developed an instantly recognizable style that’s become a favourite of collectors.

Arctic Art Business Business (Canada) Canada

Is the Holman print program worth saving? – The evolution of the arts economy in Canada’s North

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic @arctic_eq
Posted: Monday, September 24, 2012 at 15:32 — Last Updated: Friday, July 7, 2017 at 19:44
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ULUKHAKTOK (Holman), Northwest Territories – Louie Nigiyok, a printmaker and artist from this remote Inuit community in Canada’s western Arctic, starts his days pretty much the way that he always has since the 1980s. He wakes up and makes his way to the local print studio, now housed at the Ulukhaktok Arts Centre.

Arctic Art Culture Culture (Canada)

The New Raw – Contemporary Inuit art

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic @arctic_eq
Posted: Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 05:00 — Last Updated: Thursday, June 29, 2017 at 19:36
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Ningeokuluk Teevee is primarily known for her work depicting Inuit legends and wildlife. But it wasn’t long before themes like the environment, pollution, drugs and alcohol, began making their way into her work.