Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Spring 2018 | Page 25

Kenojuak Ashevak (1927-2013),
Eegyvudluk Pootoogook (1931-1999),
The Enchanted Owl, 1960,
stonecut on paper, 61.1 x 65.7 cm,
Purchase 1979,
McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1979.10.1
She also seemed to have instinctively understood the
interconnectedness of life and all living things that is so central
to Inuit mythology and cosmology. Although she did not depict
the traditional myths and legends directly in her work, her
understanding of her world and the universe was shaped by
them. Themes of light and darkness are represented by the sun
and the moon, the owl and the raven and, as her work matured, a
serene woman’s face at the centre of it all.
Kenojuak sometimes worried that she would “run out of ideas”;
in fact, she was one of the most prolific and celebrated artists in
Inuit art history. Her work has been reproduced on Canadian
postage stamps and in international print portfolios, and was
the subject of the limited edition book, Graphic Arts of the Inuit:
Kenojuak, published in 1981.
Most recently, her Owl’s Bouquet print from 2007 was selected
by the Bank of Canada to be reproduced on its $10 banknote
celebrating Canada’s 150 th anniversary of Confederation. Among
her many civilian honours, she was a Companion in the Order
of Canada; she held Honourary Degrees from both Queen’s
University and University of Toronto; and she received the
National Aboriginal Achievement Award in 1985. This was the
first time Kenojuak was recognized by the Canadian Indigenous
Kenojuak Ashevak (1927-2013),
Sagiatuk Sagiatuk (born 1932),
Young Owl Takes a Ride, 1984,
stonecut and stencil on paper, 48.7 x 63.6 cm,
Gift from the Collection of Dr. Michael Braudo,
McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1995.4.100
community and the award held a special significance for her,
topped only when she witnessed the birth of her own homeland,
Nunavut, in 1999. In 2012, she was named to the territory’s
highest honour, the Order of Nunavut.
Her many public appearances naturally cast her in the role of
cultural ambassador. On every occasion, she graciously shared her
thoughts and her world with other artists, dignitaries, collectors
and children alike. Kenojuak was also a role model for other Inuit
women, not just artists but professional women in general. As
she matured, she spoke more candidly about herself as a working
artist, supporting her fami ly through the income she earned. She
bristled at questions about when she would stop drawing: “People
often treat art as though it is different from any other profession
and ask, ‘Why would you want to keep doing this?’ This is my job
and my love. I cannot imagine life without art.”
Kenojuak achieved her artistic mission “to make something
beautiful.” She was a beautiful woman—warm, engaging and
generous—and her pleasure in her labour is evident in everything
she created. Therein may lie the essence of beauty and the secret to
her success. Her best work coupled her innate sense of design and
colour with her profound respect for her land and the culture of
her people.
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