HELEN KALVAK (KALVAKADLAK; KRALVAK)
Born: 1901 Female W2-423
Died: May 7, 1984
Resided: Holman
Drawings, Prints
"Born on Victoria Island in the northwest portion of Canada's Northwest
Territories, graphic artist Helen Kalvak lived the traditional migratory life
of most early twentieth-century Inuits (Eskimos) for most of her life. Soon
after she moved into the settlement of Holman Island in 1960 Kalvak was given
the opportunity to draw by Father Henri Tardy, an Oblate missionary who
introduced graphic arts to the community. Kalvak made more than 1,800 drawings
between 1962 and 1978, of which 154 were made into stencil prints and
lithographs issued in the annual Holman Island print editions from 1965 to
1985.
Kalvak's childhood training as a shaman informed the artwork she made in
her old age, long after her conversion to Christianity. More than most Inuit
graphics, her work depicts women in the roles of healer, sorcerer, and
transformational figure. `Bird Tracks`, `Enchantress,` and `Dream`--all from
1973--represent this theme. Through her prints Kalvak became a well-known
Inuit artist. She was elected to membership in the Canadian Royal Academy of
Arts in 1975 and was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1979."
Janet Catherine Berlo
In "North American Women Artists
of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical
Dictionary" 1995.
EXHIBITIONS:
1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, Holman Prints
1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, (annual collection)
1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, (illustrated catalogue)
1984, 1985
Nov - Dec 1965 Arctic Values '65
New Brunswick Museum
with the cooperation of the Department
of Indian and Northern Affairs
St. John, New Brunswick
(illustrated catalogue)
1967 The Eskimo Art Collection of the
Toronto-Dominion Bank
Toronto-Dominion Bank
Toronto, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)
June - July 1967 4th National Burnaby Print Show
Burnaby Art Society
Burnaby, British Columbia
August - Sept 1968 Eskimo Sculpture, Eskimo Prints and
Paintings of Norval Morrisseau
Art Association of Newport
Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A.
(illustrated catalogue)
October - Nov 1969 Eskimo Sculptures and Prints including
a collection of Carvings by Osowetokla
Hartford National Bank
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.
(illustrated brochure)
1970 Graphic Art by Eskimos of Canada:
First Collection
Cultural Affairs Division, Department
of External Affairs, Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)
September - Oct 1970 Canadian Eskimo Arts Festival
Alaska Methodist University Galleries
Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.A.
(illustrated catalogue)
1972 Kalvak - Nanogak Drawings
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
January 1972 Canadian/Indian and Eskimo Arts and Crafts
The Snow Goose
Ottawa, Ontario
February - March 1974 Rare Eskimo Prints from Holman Island:
a Review 1965-1973
The Arctic Circle
Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
October 1975 - December 1977
Inuit Games/Inuit Pinguangit/Jeux des inuit
Department of Indian Affairs and
Northern Development
Ottawa, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated brochure)
December 1975 The Art of Eskimo Women: in
Sculpture, Prints, Wall-hangings
The Arctic Circle
Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
1976 - 1982 Shamans and Spirits: Myths and Medical
Symbolism in Eskimo Art
Canadian Arctic Producers and the
National Museum of Man
Ottawa, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)
November 1976 Hunters of Old
Inukshuk Galleries Inc.
Waterloo, Ontario
Jan 1977 - June 1982 The Inuit Print/L'estampe inuit
Department of Indian Affairs and
Northern Development and the
National Museum of Man
Ottawa, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)
Sept - October 1977 The Eskimo Woman: her life and dreams
in prints and sculpture
The Arctic Circle
Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
March - June 1978 The Coming and Going of the Shaman:
Eskimo Shamanism and Art
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(illustrated catalogue)
August 1978 Inuit Games and Contests: The Clifford E.
Lee Collection of Prints
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta
(illustrated catalogue)
November - December 1978 Polar Vision: Canadian Eskimo Graphics
Jerusalem Artists' House Museum
Jerusalem, Israel
(illustrated catalogue)
March - April 1979 Canadian Eskimo Art: a representative
exhibition from the collection of Professor
and Mrs. Philip Gray
Fine Arts Gallery, Montana State
University
Bozeman, Montana, U.S.A.
(catalogue)
March - May 1979 Eskimo Narrative
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)
November 1979 - October 1984
Shamans and Spirits: Myths and Medical
Symbolism in Eskimo Art
Arts and Learning Services Foundation
(this is a duplicate of the C.A.P. and
National Museum of Man exhibition of
1976-1981)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A.
(tour)
August - October 1980 The Inuit Amautik: I Like My Hood
To Be Full
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(illustrated catalogue)
1981 - 1983 The Moveable Feast
Arts and Learning Services Foundation
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A.
(tour)
April - May 1981 Festival of Birds
The Arctic Circle
Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
April 1981 - March 1982 Inuit Art: A Selection of Inuit Art from
the Collection of the National Museum of
Man, Ottawa, and the Rothmans Permanent
Collection of Inuit Sculpture, Canada
National Museum of Man, Ottawa and
Rothmans of Pall Mall Canada Ltd.
Toronto, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)
June 1981 Transformation
The Arctic Circle
Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
(illustrated brochure)
July - August 1981 Eskimo Games: Graphics and Sculpture/
Giuochi Eschimesi: grafiche e sculture
National Gallery of Modern Art
Rome, Italy
(illustrated catalogue)
September 1981 The Year of the Bear
The Arctic Circle
Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
September - Oct 1981 The Jacqui and Morris Shumiatcher
Collection of Inuit Art
Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery,
University of Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
(illustrated catalogue)
Oct 1981 - February 1983
The Murray and Marguerite Vaughan Inuit
Print Collection
Beaverbrook Art Gallery
Fredericton, New Brunswick
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)
March 1982 - Jan 1983 Inuit Myths, Legends and Songs
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)
1983 Hunter of the Sacred Game: Traditional
Life on the Land
Organized by the Arts and Learning
Services Foundation
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A.
(tour)
March - April 1983 Bering Sea to Baffin Bay
The Arctic Circle
Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
September - Oct 1983 Inuit Survival
Enook Galleries, Waterloo, Ontario
Presented at the University of Waterloo
Art Gallery
Waterloo, Ontario
October - November 1983 The Arctic/L'Artique
UNESCO
Paris, France
(illustrated catalogue)
November 1983 - March 1985
Contemporary Indian and Inuit Art of Canada
Department of Indian Affairs and Northern
Development, Ottawa, presented at the
General Assembly Building, United Nations
New York, New York, U.S.A.
(tour)
(illustrated brochure)
Feb 1984 - June 1986 Arctic Vision: Art of the Canadian Inuit
Department of Indian Affairs and
Northern Development and Canadian
Arctic Producers
Ottawa, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)
March 1984 The Story Tellers of Holman Island: A
retrospective exhibition of rare stonecut
prints from 1968 - 1979
The Arctic Circle
Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
March - June 1984 The Oral Tradition
National Museum of Man
Ottawa, Ontario
June 1984 Demons and Spirits and those who
wrestled with them
The Arctic Circle
Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
August - Sep 1984 Visions of Rare Spirit:
20 Years of Holman Prints
Port Colborne Library
Port Colborne, Ontario
(illustrated catalogue)
November - Dec 1984 Die Kunst aus der Arktis
Inuit Galerie, Mannheim
held at Humanities and Social Sciences
Research Institute, University of Siegen
at Villa Waldrich
Siegen, Germany
(illustrated catalogue)
November - Dec 1984 50 Inuit Prints
Canadian Arctic Producers in
coordination with the Hudson's Bay
Company Inuit Art Marketing Service,
held at Simpson's
Toronto, Ontario
(illustrated brochure)
November 1984 - February 1985
Stones, Bones, Cloth, and Paper:
Inuit Art in Edmonton Collections
Edmonton Art Gallery
Edmonton, Alberta
March - May 1985 Uumajut: Animal Imagery in Inuit Art
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(illustrated catalogue)
June 1985 - September 1987 Chisel and Brush/Le ciseau et la brosse
Department of Indian Affairs
and Northern Development
Ottawa, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)
1986 Hunting in the Arctic
Alberta Provincial Museum and Archives
Edmonton, Alberta
May - June 1986 Northern Exposure: Inuit Images of
Travel
Burnaby Art Gallery
Burnaby, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)
July - September 1986 Contemporary Inuit Art
National Gallery of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
(illustrated brochure)
August - November 1986 Die Kunst aus der Arktis
presented by Inuit Galerie
Mannheim, Germany
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)
November 1986 Inuit Graphics Through the Year: Rare
Prints from the Arctic
Arctic Artistry
Scarsdale, New York, U.S.A.
January - February 1987 The Matriarchs: Jessie Oonark, Helen Kalvak,
Pitseolak Ashoona
Snow Goose Associates
Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
May - June 1987 Inuit Graphics from the Past
Arctic Artistry
Scarsdale, New York, U.S.A.
November 1987 Inuit Traditions in Graphics: 1961-1987
Arctic Artistry
Hartsdale, New York, U.S.A.
November 1987 - January 1988
Inuitkonst fran Kanada - skulptor och
grafik
Millesgarden
Lidingo, Sweden
(illustrated catalogue)
December 1987 - March 1989
Contemporary Inuit Drawings
Macdonald Stewart Art Centre
Guelph, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)
March - April 1988 Works on Paper from the Permanent
Collection of Inuit Art
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
April 1988 Inuit Images in Transition
Augusta Savage Gallery,
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
(illustrated catalogue)
June - September 1988 Building on Strengths: New Inuit Art
from the Collection
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
November - December 1988 Inuit Women and their Art: Graphics
and Wallhangings
Gallery 210,
University of Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.
(illustrated brochure)
December 1988 - 1989 Im Schatten der Sonne:Zeitgenossische Kunst
der Indianer und Eskimos in Kanada/In the
Shadow of the Sun:Contemporary Indian and Inuit
Art in Canada
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Ottawa, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)
August - October 1989 Inuit Graphic Art from Indian
& Northern Affairs Canada
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
1990 Inuit Art From the Glenbow Collection
Glenbow Museum
Calgary, Alberta
January - Sept 1990 Arctic Mirror
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Hull, Quebec
June - September 1990 Inuit Graphics and Drawings from 1959-1990
Arctic Artistry
Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, U.S.A.
October - Nov 1990 A Woman's Vision
Art Space Gallery
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
January 1991 Bears of the North
Snow Goose Associates
Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
February - August 1992 Inuit Art on the Mezzanine: New Acquisitions
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(illustrated brochure)
November 1992 - January 1993
Borealis: Inuit Images of Man and Animals
Freeport Art Museum and Cultural Centre
Freeport, Illinois
March 1993 The Prints Never Seen:
Holman, 1977-1987
Albers Gallery of Inuit Art
San Francisco, California
(illustrated catalogue)
November - December 1993 Women Who Draw: 30 Years of Graphic
Art from the Canadian Arctic
Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario
November 1993 - January 1994
Contemporary Inuit Drawings
Muscarelle Museum of Art
College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.A.
(illustrated catalogue)
March 1994 Patiently I Sing
Selections from the Tyler/Brooks Collection
Carleton University Art Gallery
Ottawa, Ontario
(illustrated catalogue)
July 1994 Arctic Spirit
35 Years of Canadian Inuit Art
Frye Art Museum
Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
June 1995 - February 1996 Inuit Woman: Life and Legend in Art
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
March 1996 Kalvak & Nanogak
Albers Gallery
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
March - April 1996 Works on Paper from the Permanent
Collection of Inuit Art
Canadian Guild of Craft Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
1968 Helen Kalvak - Print Retrospective
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
October 1969 Kalvak Retrospective
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
1970 Helen Kalvak Drawings
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
March 1992 The Graphic Art of Helen Kalvak, R.C.A., 1965-1985
Albers Gallery of Inuit Art
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
COLLECTIONS:
Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A.
Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.A.
Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, New Brunswick
Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Ontario
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec, Montreal, Quebec
Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Quebec
Clifford E. Lee Collection, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
Dennos Museum Center, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, Michigan, U.S.A.
Department of External Affairs, Ottawa, Ontario
Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta
Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University, Bristol, Rhode Island, U.S.A.
Inuit Cultural Institute, Rankin Inlet, Northwest Territories
Laurentian University Museum and Arts Centre, Sudbury, Ontario
McMaster University Art Gallery, Hamilton, Ontario
McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario
Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec
Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Petro-Canada Collection, Calgary, Alberta
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba
HONOURS, ACHIEVEMENTS and EVENTS:
1964 Participated in the Holman experimental graphic workshop from 1962 t0 1964.
1970 North West Territories Centennial Print Commission.
1974 The artist's print 'Dance' was commissioned to help celebrate the 'Klondike
Days' exhibition, Edmonton, Alberta.
1975 Elected a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
1975 The Department of Communications Media at the University of Calgary
produced a twenty minute film about Kalvak and her art entitled 'Kalvak'.
1978 Appointed a member of the Order of Canada.
1979 A print by Kalvak entitled 'The Dance' was reproduced on a seventeen cent
stamp.
1986 The new school in Holman was named after Helen Kalvak.
1987 The Holman Eskimo Co-operative released a memorial portfolio of 12 prints
based on drawings by Helen Kalvak and Mark Emerak.
SELECTED REFERENCES:
ARTIST MEMBER OF ORDER. News of the North, January, 1979.
ARTS OF THE ESKIMO: PRINTS: /Ed. by Ernst Roch. Texts by
Patrick Furneaux and Leo Rosshandler. Montreal: Signum Press in
association with Oxford University Press, Toronto, 1974.
CLUTESI-KALVAK PRESERVING LEGENDS. The Trentonian, June 24, 1977.
HOLMAN ARTISTS: Film, Grant and Exhibition. Inuvialuit, Fall,
1982. pp.18-19.
IM SCHATTEN DER SONNE: Zeitgenoessische Kunst der Indianer und
Eskimos in Kanada. [In the Shadow of the Sun: Contemporary Art
of the Indians and Eskimos in Canada]. Stuttgart: Edition
Cantz. Ottawa: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1988.
INUIT ARTIST-TIRED BUT ALERT. News/North, November 28, 1980.
LEADING INUIT ARTIST, HELEN KALVAK DIES. The Ottawa Citizen,
May 10, 1984.
Art Association of Newport
AN EXHIBITION OF ESKIMO SCULPTURE, ESKIMO PRINTS AND PAINTINGS
OF NORVAL MORRISSEAU: From the Collection Cartier, Montreal,
Canada. Newport, R.I.: Art Association of Newport, 1968.
Berlo, Janet Catherine
DRAWING AND PRINTMAKING AT HOLMAN. Inuit Art Quarterly, vol.
10, no. 3 (Fall 1995), pp.22-30, 1995.
Berlo, Janet Catherine
HELEN KALVAK (1901-1984). In North American Women Artists of
the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary/Garland, 1995.
Blakeman, Evelyn
OMINGMAK: The Muskox. The Inuit Art Enthusiasts Newsletter,
Issue 31, April, 1986.
Burgess, Helen
ESKIMO ART FROM HOLMAN. North, vol. 13, no. 3, May-June, 1966.
pp.12-16, 1966.
Burgess, Helen
ESKIMO LEGENDS TOLD IN ART NET $10,000. Globe and Mail, January
26, 1966.
Bushman, Leo
KALVAK (1901-1984). Journal of the Institute of North America,
vol. 41, no. 1, March, 1988. pp.72-74.
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
CANADIAN GUILD OF CRAFTS QUEBEC. = GUILDE CANADIENNE DES METIERS
D'ART QUEBEC: The Permanent Collection: Inuit Arts and Crafts,
c. 1900-1980. Montreal: Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec, 1980.
Driscoll, Bernadette
HELEN KALVAK: IN The Canadian Encyclopedia, James H. Marsh,
editor-in-chief. Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers, 2:931, 1985.
Hall, Judy
SANATUJUT: PRIDE IN WOMEN'S WORK: COPPER AND CARIBOU INUIT
CLOTHING TRADITIONS. Hull, Que.: Canadian Museum of
Civilization, 1994.
Holman Eskimo Co-operative Ltd.
KALVAK/EMERAK MEMORIAL CATALOGUE, 1987: [Twelve prints produced
from the original pencil drawings by Helen Kalvak and Mark
Emerak.]. Holman, N.W.T., Holman Eskimo Co-op, 1987.
Holman Eskimo Co-operatives Ltd.
THE PRINTS NEVER SEEN, HOLMAN, 1977-1987: A Collection of
Previously Unpublished Prints. Holman Eskimo Co-operatives;
Albers Gallery of Inuit Art, 1993?.
Jackson, Marion E.
CONTEMPORARY INUIT DRAWINGS. Guelph, Ontario: Macdonald Stewart
Art Centre, 1987.
Lipton, Barbara
ARCTIC VISION: Art of the Canadian Inuit. Ottawa : Canadian
Arctic Producers, 1984.
McGrath, Robin
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: The Clothing Motif in Inuit Legends
and Art. Inuit Art Quarterly: Vol. 8, No.4, Winter 1993, pp.
16-23.
Muscarelle Museum of Art (Williamsburg)
CONTEMPORARY INUIT DRAWINGS: The gift collection of Frederick
and Lucy S. Herman. Williamsburg, Va.: The College of William
and Mary in Virginia, 1993.
Pratt, Mary
ART OF THE CARIBOU PEOPLE. The Denver Magazine 6 (9):36-40,
August, 1976.
Souchotte, Sandra
INUIT ART: A FANTASTIC ARCTIC SUCCESS STORY. Northwest
Explorer 4(4): 6-20, Autumn, 1985.
Sweetman, Randy
KALVAK. Arctic in Colour, vol. 6, no. 2, 1978. p.11.
Swinton, George
KALVAK/EMERAK MEMORIAL PORTFOLIO. Inuit Art Quarterly, vol. 2,
no. 2, Spring, 1987. pp.12-13.
Van Raalte, Sharon
INUIT WOMEN AND THEIR ART. Communique, May 1975. p.21-23.
Winrob, Harry
NORTHERN EXPOSURE: INUIT IMAGES OF TRAVEL. Toronto, Ont. :
Inuit Art Quarterly 1(2):12, 1986. |
