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MARY QAYUARYUK (KUDJUAKJUK; KUDJURAKJU; KUDJUARJUK) Born: April 25, 1908 Female E7-1012
Place of Birth: Amadjuak
Died: June 7, 1982
Resided: Cape Dorset; also lived in Keatuk, Ikigarsak, and Kanayok camps
Sculpture, Drawings, Prints, Printmaking
Mary Qayuaryuk was married to the carver Kopapik 'A' (1923-1969). She
and her husband lived a traditional life in camps before settling in Cape
Dorset in 1966. She experimented with both drawing and carving as early as
the late 1950s, and eventually produced eleven prints in the Cape Dorset
annual collections. Three daughters followed in her artistic footsteps:
Qaunaq Mikkigak is a graphic artist and carver; Sheojuke Toonoo is a graphic
artist; and Laisa Qayuaryuk is a printer.
"I always find it very hard to think of what I'm going to draw. It is
easier when I'm just chopping a stone because what I'm going to make is
already there--I just chop the pieces off, but I get tired doing soapstone
carving because I am too old now."
Qayuaryuk
Cape Dorset Print Catalogue 1978
Mary was an accomplished figure in her community, being the first woman
elected to the Cape Dorset Community Council. In the catalogue for the
exhibit "Strange Scenes: Early Cape Dorset Drawings" it is noted: "Among the
people in the Cape Dorset area, she is fondly remembered for her skills as a
midwife, for her ability to dress and treat infected wounds, and for her
knowledge of medicinal plants, not to mention her cooking skills and warm,
generous hospitality", (Strange Scenes, p.90).
EXHIBITIONS: 1965, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1977, Cape Dorset Graphics
1978, 1981, 1982 (annual collection)
(illustrated catalogue)
May - June 1969 Eskimo Sculpture '69
Robertson Galleries
Ottawa, Ontario
(illustrated catalogue)
September - Nov1969 The Eskimo
Museum of Fine Arts
Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
(illustrated catalogue)
1970 Graphic Art by Eskimos of Canada:
Second Collection
Cultural Affairs Division, Department
of External Affairs, Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)
September - Oct 1970 The Woodget Collection of Eskimo Art
and Artifacts
Nova Scotia Museum of Fine Art
Halifax, Nova Scotia
(catalogue)
September - Oct 1970 Canadian Eskimo Arts Festival
Alaska Methodist University Galleries
Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.A.
(illustrated catalogue)
1975 Cape Dorset - Selected Sculpture from the
Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(illustrated catalogue)
February - March 1983 Return of the Birds
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)
May - July 1986 Cape Dorset Through the Years: 25 Years of
Graphics and Sculpture
Arctic Artistry
Scarsdale, New York, U.S.A.
November 1986 Inuit Graphics Through the Year: Rare
Prints from the Arctic
Arctic Artistry
Scarsdale, New York, 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.
January - February 1989 The Early Years: Sculpture from the 50's
and 60's
The Innuit Gallery of Eskimo Art
Toronto, Ontario
(illustrated brochure)
May 1989 Birds: Sculpture from Cape Dorset
& Rock Ptarmigan Limited Edition
Print by Kananginak
The Guild Shop
Toronto, Ontario
June - July 1990 Small Sculptures from across the
Canadian Arctic
Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario
June - September 1990 Inuit Graphics and Drawings from 1959-1990
Arctic Artistry
Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, U.S.A.
March - June 1993 Strange Scenes: Early Cape Dorset Drawings
McMichael Canadian Collection
Kleinberg, Ontario
July 1994 Arctic Spirit
35 Years of Canadian Inuit Art
Frye Art Museum
Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
March - April 1996 Works on Paper from the Permanent
Collection of Inuit Art
Canadian Guild of Craft Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
COLLECTIONS: Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Ontario
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec, Montreal, Quebec
Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Quebec
Dennos Museum Center, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, Michigan, U.S.A.
Department of External Affairs, Ottawa, Ontario
Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University, Bristol, Rhode Island, U.S.A.
Inuit Cultural Institute, Rankin Inlet, Northwest Territories
Klamer Family Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario
Laurentian University Museum and Arts Centre, Sudbury, Ontario
London Regional Art Gallery, London, Ontario
McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario
Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba
SELECTED REFERENCES: Bies, Ernie
IN MEMORIAM: MARY KUDJUAKJUK (1908-1982). Edmonton, Alta. :
Inuit Art Enthusiasts Newsletter November 9-10, 1982.
Blodgett, Jean and Susan Gustavison
STRANGE SCENES: EARLY CAPE DORSET DRAWINGS. Kleinburg, Ont.:
McMichael Canadian Collection, 1993.
Eber, Dorothy Harley
VISITS WITH PIA. THE BEAVER, WINTER: 20-27, 1983.
Winnipeg Art Gallery
CAPE DORSET: Selected Sculpture from the Collection of the
Winnipeg Art Gallery. Winnipeg: The Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1975.
(c) Inuit Art Section, INAC 1995
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