Ookpik Pitsiulak
Ookpik Pitsiulak | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 25, 1946[1] |
| Died | 2019 (aged 72–73)[2] |
| Relatives | Peter Pitseolak (father-in-law)[2] |
Ookpik Pitsuilak (also known as Okpik Pitseolak)[2] was an Inuk carver and sculptor who worked in the Cape Dorset community of Inuit artists in Canada.
Early life
Pitsiulak was born in Lake Harbour, Northwest Territories (now Kimmirut, Nunavut)[2] in 1946.[1] She was raised in Lake Harbour and Cape Dorset (now Kinngait, NU),[2] where some of her relatives worked for the Hudson's Bay Company trading posts in the area.[3]
Artwork
Pitsiulak began carving in the late 1960's.[2] She worked in soapstone, often using female figures as subjects[3] and motherhood as a major theme. Many of her works are self-portraits.[2] She also worked in beadwork and incorporated beading into her sculptures. Her works are part of collections in the Canadian Museum of History, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery.[3] In 1999, she completed a tuberculosis memorial in Kinngait with Pootoogook Qiatsuk.[2]
Pitsiulak also engaged in jewelry making and beadwork, which she learned from her paternal grandmother. She took courses in jewelry making at Nunavut Arctic College.[2]
Advocacy
Pitsiulak was a long-time member of Board of Directors of the Inuit Art Foundation and advocated for the interests of Inuit artists.[2]
References
- ^ a b "Pitsuilak, Oopik". Katilvik. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Remembering Okpik Pitseolak". Inuit Art Quarterly. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ a b c Leroux, Odette; Jackson, Marion E.; Freeman, Mini Aodla, eds. (1996). Inuit Women Artists: Voices from Cape Dorset (1st paperback ed.). San Francisco: Chronicle Books. pp. 190–195. ISBN 9780811813075. OCLC 34894395.