Lucy Qinnuayuak: Cape Dorset
Lucy Qinnuayuak (b. 1915-1982) was an Inuk artist born in the small Inuit community of Salluit at the northern tip of Quebec. Her drawings and prints are prolific for her depictions of arctic birds. She also worked with acrylics and mixed media.
As a child, Lucy moved with her family to Baffin Island, where they lived in various outpost camps around Foxe Peninsula. One of these camps, Supujuak, is where she met her husband, sculptor and graphic artist Tikituk Qinnuayuak. She also began to draw during this time. They led a traditional hunting lifestyle until they moved to Cape Dorset in the early 1960's. It was in 1961 that Lucy's work was first featured in the Cape Dorset Print Collection. In 1976, Lucy's design was one of ten chosen to adorn the banners of the summer Olympics. These banners were displayed at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Her work can be found in various collections across Canada and abroad, including the Toronto-Dominion Bank Collection, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, The National Gallery of Canada, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. Her work has also been exhibited in Paris, Stockholm, Ottawa, Houston, Anchorage, Chicago, Los Angeles and London.
