Prints and their origins
Print making and lithographs were one of the driving forces which lead the way to the development of Inuit art we see today.
Inuit art enthusiasts on a global scale anxiously await for the releases of new collections twice a year, every fall and spring. These prints often tell a story of how the Inuit lived, their culture and the struggles they had to endure.
Kenjouak Ashevak was one of the world's first Inuit print makers. From her humble beginnings eighty years ago, she lead a very traditional life. The hardships she and the Eskimo had to overcome in order to survive their harsh environment was often put into drawings and prints, some by Ashevak herself.
When the CO-OP settled in the North, they took an immediate interest in her beautiful sketches and wanted to develop them into prints.
Here is a wonderful documentary by the National Film board of Canada describing the Inuit way of life in the 1970's and how Kenojuak Ashevak and her beautiful print making came about.
