Inuit Art

Carving in stone, bone and ivory is old in the Arctic, but the art world people mean by Inuit art is recent and traceable: from the late 1940s, co-operatives were established in communities across the north, and in Kinngait on Baffin Island a printmaking studio began producing stonecut and stencil editions that were sent south in annual collections from 1959. Artists like Kenojuak Ashevak became internationally known within their own lifetimes. The tradition is now several generations deep and has moved well beyond owls and hunters into drawing, video and installation. Qaumajuq, opened in Winnipeg in 2021, holds the largest public collection in the world, with thousands of carvings in a glass vault visible from the street.

What you actually see

• Qaumajuq - the visible glass vault of carvings in Winnipeg.
• Kinngait prints - the annual print collections from the Baffin studio.
• Serpentine and basalt carving - the stone traditions of different communities.
• Contemporary work - drawing, film and installation by younger artists.

When to go

Year-round in Winnipeg. Buying directly in the north means travelling to Arctic communities, where co-operatives and community sales operate on their own schedules; summer is the practical season for that. Major auctions of Inuit art run in spring and autumn.

Honest expectations

Much of what is sold as Inuit art in airport and souvenir shops is imitation, often made overseas; look for the artist's name, community and the igloo tag, and buy through co-operatives or reputable galleries. Prices for significant work are high. Older labels and titles imposed by southern dealers frequently misrepresent what the artist intended, which the better galleries now address directly.

Nearby

Winnipeg's Exchange District and the human rights museum are nearby.