A snapshot in time in Ulukhaktok is on display at the University of Lethbridge Art Gallery.
A series of prints from 10 different artists from 1964 to 2001, but mostly from the early days of Ulukhaktok's print-making studio, has been on display in an art gallery SA国际影视传媒� a first for many of the pieces SA国际影视传媒� since June 28. The works will be viewable there until Sept. 28.
"In 1959, Kinngait (formerly known as Cape Dorset) released the first annual portfolio of limited editioned prints," said assistant curator David Smith in his curatorial statement. "Other communities followed suit, including Ulukhaktok in 1964, which began with a collection of 34 prints by five artists. Included in this exhibition are four prints from the very first collection, two of which can be found on the panels outside the gallery entrance.
"In the early years of print portfolios from Ulukhaktok, to which most of the prints in this exhibition date, the dominant type of printmaking was stonecut. In this technique, a skilled carver transfers a drawing from another artist onto a prepared stone surface. The drawing must be accurately drawn in reverse as the carver removes areas of stone. When the carver finishes, a roller applies ink to the raised areas of stone allowed to remain and a sheet of paper is laid down on top and gently rubbed to encourage the ink to transfer to the paper."
Also included in the display are prints from techniques developed in the late 1970s, including lithographs, stencils and stonecuts. A soapstone carving is also on display.
The 43 artifacts were acquired by the university through a bequest from the late the estate of Dr. Margaret (Marmie) Perkins Hess, for whom the gallery is named. More than 600 prints from across Inuit Nunangat were donated in the bequest. Hess was the owner of Calgary Galleries Ltd., which in the 1970s was one of the first commercial galleries to promote Indigenous artists.
Aside from Hess's contribution, the exhibit also features a lone print by Agnes Nanogak that the university already had in its collection. Joining her artwork are the works of Helen Kalvak and Mona Ohoveluk, among many others.
