Kenojuak Ashevak (1927 – 2013)

Kenojuak Ashevak was a pioneering artist whose work bridged Inuit and Western cultures. Born at Ikirisaq, on the southern coast of Baffin Island, Ashevak's traditional, semi-nomadic life came to a halt when she was diagnosed with tuberculosis in the early 1950s. After three years in a Québec City hospital, she returned to the North and settled in the burgeoning arts community of Cape Dorset. Ashevak was among the first women to be involved in Cape Dorset's new printmaking shop. She received widespread recognition and many awards for her work, which has been shown at the National Gallery of Canada. One of Ashevak's drawings, The Enchanted Owl (1960), was featured on a Canada Post stamp.

“When I started drawing my artwork, I was given a pencil and just started to draw.”