Kenojuak Ashevak
Kenojuak Ashevak (1927–2013) was a Canadian Inuit artist born in 1927, in Ikerrasak camp, on southern Baffin Island, Nunavut. She was one of Canada's most accliamed graphic artists for her unique and colorful prints, drawings, and sculptures that depicted Inuit mythology, legends, and everyday life. Ashevak was one of the first Inuit women to begin creating art and was instrumental in the development of the Inuit art movement.
Ashevak's artistic journey began in the 1950s when she started creating drawings and prints to supplement her family's income. She quickly gained recognition for her bold, imaginative designs and use of bright, vivid colors. Kenojuak is primarily known for her graphic prints which depict flora, fauna, and spirits, with a particular focus on birds. In 1959, her print "The Enchanted Owl" was included in the Cape Dorset annual print collection, and it became one of the most popular and widely reproduced Inuit prints of all time.
Additionally, Kenojuak’s prints were featured in nearly every annual Cape Dorset Print collection since 1959. In 1969, she and Johnniebo travelled to Ottawa to collaborate on a mural that was installed in the Canadian Pavilion at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan. Ashevak continued to produce stunning works of art throughout her life and received many awards and honours, including the Order of Canada in 1967, the Governor General's Award for Visual Arts in 2008, and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Toronto in 2010.