First Ice

Contemporary Inuit prints were first produced at Cape Dorset in 1957. Although precursors to printmaking can be seen in women's skin applique work and in men's incising of ivory, stone and bone, the impetus for printmaking was as a commercial venture. This venture was established jointly by Inuit artists and John Houston, the civil administrator for Cape Dorset. Other Inuit communities quickly followed the commercial success of Cape Dorset's West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative. Printmaking developed as a communal activity following a Japanese, rather than a Western, model of serigraph production. Each year the cooperatives produce a series of limited edition prints which are sold in the retail art market. In 1965, the Canadian Eskimo Arts Council was established from the Canadian Eskimo Art Committee to ensure high standards were maintained. Printmaking, along with stone carving, provide cash income for communities which have undergone rapid and significant change, during the late 20th century, from traditional hunting based societies to settled communities dependent on consumer goods. The prevalent images depicted in Inuit art are of traditional life, arctic animals and mythology. Recently, contemporary subjects have been depicted by a minority of artists.

contemporary art

Print depicting three figures: the woman at the centre is kneeling on one knee and holding an ulu in one hand, and the women at the sides are crouched with one leg and one arm extended infront of themselves. The figures are on a blue area surrounded by black. Below the image to the left is printed the name of the printmaker in Inuit syllabics along with the Cape Dorset stylized red igloo seal. There is also an inscription below the image that reads, "First Ice lithograph 33/40 Dorset 1979 Soroseelutu," with the name of the artist in Inuit syllabics. In addition, the Canadian Eskimo Arts Council's blind embossed stamp is in the lower right-hand corner.