Naulaq LeDrew

Based in Toronto, ON and hailing from Apex, NU, Naulaq LeDrew is a mult-disciplinary artist, performer and seamstress as well as a pivotal member of the Toronto urban Inuit community. Among her favourite things to create are her textile creations such as jackets, parkas and other garments, which she began to actively produce after having her last child.  She also produces a range of accessories in sealskin, such as backpacks and handbags, and even creates her own outfits for performances and educational presentations she delivers on Inuit culture. A creative all her life, LeDrew credits her godmother as her earliest artistic inspiration and first teacher in the arts.

“My godmother was there all the time for me when I was growing up and she showed me many things about the arts,” she recalls,  “Now, I am having a wonderful time passing it down to my daughters and my grandchildren. I am very thankful for her patience and the way she taught me to also be patient.” [1]

LeDrew also produces carvings and collaborates on model kayaks with her husband, which can reach lengths of up to three feet long.  While her husband crafts the frame of the model, LeDrew adds the skin coverings and even creates the model dolls that sit inside. Creating out of her home in Toronto, she sells her work in the digital marketplace on Facebook.

An internationally touring performing artist, throat singer and drum dancer as well as a visual artist, LeDrew has performed across Canada and Europe and frequently collaborates with dancer and choreographer Avatara Ayouso, of Ava Dance Company in London, England where LeDrew travels annually to perform for British audiences.