Cassidy-Ann Netser

Cassidy-Ann Netser is an Inuk artist whose creative expressions are deeply rooted in her love for her community. During a gap year from her pre-law studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, Netser ventured into printmaking and embroidery, finding these mediums served as a good outlet for storytelling. Her artworks, shared under the Instagram handle @Tuuraluk, encapsulate the beauty and cultural energy of her home. 

Netser's artistic journey began with a series of workshops in printmaking and caribou tufting offered by Embrace Life in Iqaluit, sparking a deep-seated passion for the arts. “I just fell in love [with printmaking],” she says. [1] These initial forays into the artistic world were influenced by the desire to find belonging when she was at a crossroads between the life she knew in Iqaluit and the dynamic and fast paced city where she was going to school. “I was really missing home,” she says about that time. “I really miss[ed] going on the land where it’s pretty quiet, where I could just be outside and have fresh air without the pollution and all the noise.”

Netser’s linocut prints bring to life scenes from her memories of pastimes and the tranquil landscapes of Nunavut, allowing her to connect back to her community. Her pieces often explore personal and community narratives, such as ice fishing, camping and familial gatherings, rendered with a strong sense of place and identity. “A lot of my prints are very personal,” says Netser. “There’s one called Aulasaq, which means ice fishing. That is of my grandmother and my uncle…he was clearing up the ice from the hole so that she could fish.”

In addition to her family and memories, inspirations for Netser’s artistic practice include her artistic family, fellow Inuk artists such as Yurak, Natashia Allakariallak and Malaya Kisa- Knickelbein. “One of my roommates graduated from NSCAD University, and so there’s always art supplies in our apartment and we’d have paint night together,” she says, explaining the support she has felt from being surrounded with artists. Her roommates also served as a testing ground for Netser’s growth into textiles through sewing and embroidery. She has begun making sealskin pualuks, or mittens, and slippers, with the first pairs made going to her roommates.

In the future Netser hopes to sew more, particularly to learn the mechanics of working with a sewing machine. She hopes to expand into parkas, bags and other sewn objects. At the same time, she plans to refine her printmaking skills, particularly in the areas of gradients and fine lines. “Eventually I’d like to work for myself,” she says, adding that in future she wants to sell her work at a greater scale.