Why was kenojuak ashevak important?
Matthew Wilson
Updated on June 10, 2026
Ashevak is perhaps the best-known Inuit artist because of her famous print The Enchanted Owl (1960), which was featured on a Canada Post stamp. She was also the first woman to become involved with the newly established printmaking shop at Cape Dorset. Kenojuak is one of Canada’s best-known printmakers.
What culture is kenojuak ashevak?
Inuit
With a career spanning more than five decades, Cape Dorset Inuit artist Kenojuak Ashevak (1927–2013) was part a pioneering generation of Arctic creators. She enjoyed an illustrious international career and continues to be recognized as one of Canada’s preeminent Inuit artists and cultural icons.
Where is kenojuak ashevak from?
Baffin Island, Canada
Kenojuak Ashevak/Place of birth
What materials does kenojuak ashevak use?
Kenojuak Ashevak became one of the first Inuit women in Cape Dorset to begin drawing. She worked in graphite, coloured pencils and felt-tip pens, and occasionally used poster paints, watercolours or acrylics.
Why did kenojuak ashevak create art?
Ashevak spoke of her artistic practice as a way for her to financially support her family, especially after her first husband passed away in 1972. However, drawing and creating were also deeply embedded in her everyday life, and she loved it.
Where did kenojuak live?
Born on south Baffin Island at a camp area known as Ikirisaq, Kenojuak grew up traveling from camp to camp on south Baffin and in Arctic Quebec (Nunavik). As a young woman, she was married to Johnniebo and lived with him in various camps including Keakto, a scenic area seven miles from Cape Dorset.
When was kenojuak ashevak born?
October 3, 1927
Kenojuak Ashevak/Date of birth
Where did kenojuak ashevak go to school?
Kenojuak received many special honours over the years. She was a Companion in the Order of Canada, which she originally received in 1967. In 1992, she was awarded Honourary Degrees from both Queen’s University and the University of Toronto.
What did kenojuak do?
Kenojuak Ashevak was born in the outpost camp of Ikirasaq, on the southern coast of Baffin Island, to Silaqqi and Ushuakjuk, a hunter, fur trader and respected shaman [1]. Ashevak worked in carving and drawing but rose to prominence through her graphic works. …
What does the Enchanted Owl represent?
The artist Kenojuak Ashevak created The Enchanted Owl in 1960, at a time when Inuit art was beginning to generate real excitement in Canada. The stonecut print represents a stylized owl with a spotted body and long fanning feathers.