

Caption
Birds: Stonecut by Achealak.
Release Date
February 21, 1961
Materials
Typescript with illustrations
Collection
CMCP fonds
Credit Line
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography fonds, National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives
Caption
Living in the traditional ways of their ancestors, the Eskimos at Cape Dorset in Canada's Eastern Arctic, are hunters first and foremost. When there is no wind they strike out across the snowy wilderness in search of bear and walrus, seal and whale. When the wind blows they put in the long hours turning out some of the most sought after art in the world today. Long renowned for their powerful soapstone carvings. Cape Dorset Eskimos have recently turned their attention to a new art form combining old stonecutting skills with graphic design. The new art form has produced the widely acclaimed Eskimo prints made from stone block and sealskin stencil. Their first showing in March, 1960, at galleries across Canada and the United States was an immediate success. Many dealers had their limited supply bought up by enthusiastic buyers on the first day. Prints which sold for $40 to $50 traded a few weeks later for several hundred dollars. This month "Bear and Cub in Ice" by the late, great Niviaksiak fetched the top price to date of $700. The 1961 exhibition will contain some 70 designs which will go on sale in Canada and the United States on March first. Nine of the prints are by the well-known carver turned printmaker, Kiakshuk (above), considered by many to be a native genius. His work, they predict with confidence, will one day hold its own with the finest graphic art being produced anywhere in the world. Requests for prints from last year's show came from a score of countries, including Holland, North Africa, Australia and Brazil. An exhibition in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia received critical acclaim. Plans are for the show to move on to Russia.
Date
January 1, 1960
Accession Number
LAC-NFB96085
Materials
Black and white negative
Photographer
Enumber
e011177401
Collection
National Film Board of Canada
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928
Caption
A Kiakshuk print, "Owl and Hare", is pulled off the stone block by printer at the Cape Dorset Arts Centre. Plans are underway to build what will be Canada's most northerly art gallery at Cape Dorset this summer.
Date
August 1, 1960
Accession Number
LAC-NFB95813
Materials
Black and white negative
Photographer
Enumber
e011177384
Collection
National Film Board of Canada
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928
Caption
Top printmakers at the tiny Dorset craft centre are (1. to r.) Iyola, Luktak and Eejyvudluk. The trio pulled most of the prints which will be on exhibition in the 1961 show. Iyola is also a talented graphic artist. One of his prints, "Canada Geese in Flight", was presented to Her Majesty the Queen during her '59 visit to Canada.
Date
August 1, 1960
Accession Number
LAC-NFB95814
Materials
Black and white negative
Photographer
Enumber
e011177385
Collection
National Film Board of Canada
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928
Caption
A uniquely Eskimo creation is the sealskin stencil. A design is cut out of sealskin and paint is forced through the opening with stiff-bristled brushes, usually of polar bear hair. Prints frequently carry 2 signatures, that of the artist as well as the signature of the stone or stencil cutter.
Date
August 1, 1960
Accession Number
LAC-NFB95810
Materials
Black and white negative
Photographer
Enumber
e011177383
Collection
National Film Board of Canada
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928
Caption
The man behind the thriving arts centre at Cape Dorset on the southwestern shore of craggy Baffin Island, James Houston. His Eskimo friends call him "Saumik" which means "Left-handed One".
Date
January 1, 1960
Accession Number
LAC-NFB95711
Materials
Black and white negative
Photographer
Enumber
e011177371
Collection
National Film Board of Canada
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928
Caption
Female Owl: Stonecut by Innukjuakjuak.
Date
January 1, 1960
Accession Number
LAC-NFB96188
Materials
Black and white negative
Photographer
Enumber
e011177403
Collection
National Film Board of Canada
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928
Caption
Polar Bear Hunt in Summer: Stonecut, Niviaksiak.
Date
January 1, 1960
Accession Number
LAC-NFB96202
Materials
Black and white negative
Photographer
Enumber
e011177404
Collection
National Film Board of Canada
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928
Caption
Searching for Seal Holes: Stonecut, Innukjuakjuak.
Date
January 1, 1960
Accession Number
LAC-NFB96186
Materials
Black and white negative
Photographer
Enumber
e011177402
Collection
National Film Board of Canada
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928
Caption
Perils of the Sea Traveller: Stonecut by Pitseolak.
Date
January 1, 1960
Accession Number
LAC-NFB96210
Materials
Black and white negative
Photographer
Enumber
e011177406
Collection
National Film Board of Canada
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928
Caption
In progress Photostory 4/4.
Photostory #279: Eskimo Artists at Cape Dorset: When the Wind Blows They Make Prints
Photographers
,
Maker
National Film Board of Canada
Release Date
February 21, 1961
Collection
CMCP fonds
Credit Line
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography fonds, National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives
Main Text
Birds: Stonecut by Achealak.