Kenojuak Ashevak

Kenojuak Ashevak
ᕿᓐᓄᐊᔪᐊᖅ ᐋᓯᕙᒃ (Qinnuajuaq Aasivak)
Ashevak in 1960
Born
Kenojuak Ashevak

October 3, 1927
Ikirasaqa[1] / Ikirasaq,[2] Baffin Island, Northwest Territories, Canada
DiedJanuary 8, 2013(2013-01-08) (aged 85)
Cape Dorset (now Kinngait), Dorset Island, Nunavut, Canada
NationalityInuit
Known forsoapstone carver, graphic artist
MovementInuit art
Spouse
Johnniebo Ashevak
​
(died 1972)​
Etyguyakjua Pee
​
(died 1977)​
Joanassie Igiu
​
(died 1978)​
AwardsOrder of Canada

Kenojuak Ashevak, CC ONu RCA (Inuktitut: ᕿᓐᓄᐊᔪᐊᖅ ᐋᓯᕙᒃ, Qinnuajuaq Aasivak), (October 3, 1927 – January 8, 2013) was a Canadian Inuk artist. She is celebrated[3] as a leading figure of modern Inuit art and one of Canada's preeminent artists and cultural icons.[4] Part of a pioneering generation of Arctic creators, her career spanned more than five decades. She made graphic art, drawings and prints in stone cut, lithography and etching, beloved by the public, museums and collectors alike.[5][6]

Ashevak surmounted her circumstances to become an artist. Her range of mediums was exceptionally broad and included stained glass. Her achievements were honoured. She was the first Inuit artist inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame (2001), was made an Officer of the Order of Canada (1967) and promoted to Companion in 1982. She received the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts (2008) and the Order of Nunavut (2012). Her work, with its superb design qualities, was used for Canadian stamps, coins and banknotes. For instance, in 1970, Canada Post placed her 1960 print Enchanted Owl on a stamp to commemorate the centennial of the Northwest Territories and in 2017, the Bank of Canada unveiled a commemorative $10 banknote in honour of Canada's 150th birthday featuring Ashevak's print Owl's Bouquet on the note. She received Honorary Doctorates from Queen's University (1991) and the University of Toronto (1992) and many films were made about her life.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ikirasaqa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ikirasaq was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Tippett, Maria. "Sculpture in Canada". Douglas & McIntyre, 2017. p. 186. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  4. ^ Hessel, Ingo (2010). "Inuit Art in the Twentieth Century". The Visual Arts in Canada: the Twentieth Century. Foss, Brian, Paikowsky, Sandra, Whitelaw, Anne (eds.). Don Mills, Ont.: Oxford University Press. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-19-542125-5. OCLC 432401392.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference cdfa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Jean Blodgett, Kenojuak (Toronto: Firefly Books, 1985) ISBN 0-920668-31-3