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Osuitok Ipeelee

Biography

Osuitok Ipeelee was born in 1922 at Neeouleeutalik Camp, Nunavut. He first learned to carve by watching his father, Ohotok make ivory cribbage boards, which he often sold to sailors. At thirteen, Ipeelee began carving toys out of leftover pieces of wood from packing crates. In his twenties he was carving ivory sculptures to sell to the Roman Catholic missionaries in Kinngait [1]. The first carving he ever sold, in the 1940s, was a miniature ivory fox trap.

His work is easily identifiable due to the delicacy, detail, balance, and unique creativity he brought to each work he produced [2]. Ipeelee also worked as a printmaker, and his skills in both sculpture and printmaking led to his work being recognized as some of the best by fellow artists and collectors. Ipeelee became an instrumental part of both printmaking and sculpture becoming established art practices in Kinngait [3]. When James and Alma Houston told him their plan to buy Inuit art that would then be shipped to southern galleries, he responded enthusiastically. He began selling sculptures to them and eventually went to work for James Houston as a guide and assistant [4]. This lead to his move to Kinngait with his wife, Nipisha, and their children.

In 1952, The National Gallery of Canada presented the exhibition Eskimo Art, which included four of his works. The 1955 exhibition Eskimo Sculpture, also held at the National Gallery of Canada, featured six of Ipeelee’s sculptures. This began a long list of museum and gallery exhibitions around the world that have presented his sculptures and prints [5]. In 1955, Ipeelee was asked to take part in carving an official mace for the Council of the Northwest Territories. Alongside Peter Pitseolak, he lead the team of craftsmen. He was also commissioned in 1959, to carve a sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II to be given to the Queen herself upon her arrival in Canada. His major achievements include being elected as a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1973 and receiving the Lifetime Aboriginal Art Achievement Award, now known as the Indspire Award, in 2004.

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Accomplishments

1970: Commissioned by Public Works Canada to create an Inukshuk at External Affairs Headquarters in Ottawa

1959: Created a carving of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth which was presented to her on the occasion of her visit to Canada.

Osuitok Ipeelee est un artiste originaire du camp de Neeouleeutalikwas. Il apprend d’abord à sculpter en observant son père, Ohotok, puis en expérimentant à l’adolescence la sculpture sur bois et sur les autres matériaux qu’il trouve. Après avoir déménagé à Kinngait (Cape Dorset), au Nunavut, il joue un rôle crucial dans les programmes communautaires de gravure et de sculpture, créant des représentations d’animaux de l’Arctique et d’humains engagés dans des activités traditionnelles. Les caribous font partie de ses sujets de prédilection. Il façonne leurs corps élégants dans la pierre et le bois, comme dans sa pièce Standing Caribou (1985). En 1955, de concert avec Peter Pitseolak, il dirige une équipe d’artisans pour sculpter la masse officielle du Conseil des Territoires du Nord-Ouest. En 1959, il est chargé de créer une sculpture de la reine Elizabeth II, qui lui est présentée lors de sa visite au Canada la même année.
ᐅᓱᐃᑦᑐᖅ ᐊᐃᐱᓖ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᑎ ᓃᐅᓖᐅᑕᓕᒃ ᑕᒻᒫᕐᕕᐊᓂᑦ. ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᒥᒃ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑕᐅᑐᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᑖᑕᖓ ᐅᕼᐅᑐᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕋᓱᐊᖅᑐᓂ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᕿᔪᖕᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᑐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓱᓇᐃᑦ ᓇᓂᔭᖓᓂᑦ. ᐅᕙᑦᑎᐊᕈᙳᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᑭᖓᓄᑦ ᓅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ (ᑮᑉ ᑐᐊᓯᑦ), ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, ᐊᐃᐱᓖ ᐊᔪᙱᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᒥ, ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑐᓂ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑑᑉ ᐆᒪᔪᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᖏᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᙳᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ. ᑐᒃᑐᐃᑦ ᐱᓗᐊᖅᓂᖅᓴᐅᓲᖑᔭᖏᑦ, ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᑐᒋᑦ ᑐᒃᑐᐃᑦ ᑎᒥᖏᑦ ᐅᔭᖅᑲᓂᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓇᒡᔪᓂᑦ, ᐆᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᓇᖏᖅᑐᖅ ᑐᒃᑐ (1985). 1955−ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᐱᖃᑎᒋᓪᓗᒍ ᐱᑕ ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓛᖅ, ᐊᐃᐱᓖ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᑎᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᕐᓂᐊᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᐊᓇᐅᑕᒥᒃ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᑦᑎᐊᒥ. 1959−ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᐊᑭᓕᖅᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᕐᓂᐊᕐᓗᓂ ᑯᐃᓐ ᐃᓕᓴᐱ II, ᑐᓂᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᑯᐃᓐᒧᑦ ᐅᐸᖕᓂᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᑲᓇᑕᒧᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖑᓂᐊᖅᑐᒥ.

Artist Work

About Osuitok Ipeelee

Medium:

Graphic Arts, Sculpture

Artistic Community:

Kinngait, NU

Date of Birth:

Artists may have multiple birth years listed as a result of when and where they were born. For example, an artist born in the early twentieth century in a camp outside of a community centre may not know/have known their exact date of birth and identified different years.

Neeouleeutalik camp, NT
13 November 1922

Date of Death:

Artists may have multiple dates of death listed as a result of when and where they passed away. Similar to date of birth, an artist may have passed away outside of a community centre or in another community resulting in different dates being recorded.

2005

Igloo Tag Certified

The Igloo Tag Trademark is an internationally recognized symbol that denotes handmade, original artwork made by Inuit artists in Canada. Established in 1958, the Trademark is now managed by the Inuit Art Foundation. The appearance of the Igloo Tag on an artist profile means they have had the Trademark applied to their artwork.
Exhibition

ᖃᓪᓗᓈᖅᑕᐃᑦ ᓯᑯᓯᓛᕐᒥᑦ PRINTED TEXTILES FROM KINNGAIT STUDIOS, 2020

Publication

Calendar, 2014

Achievement

Indspire Award (formerly National Aboriginal Achievement Award), 2004

Public Collection

Amon Carter Museum of American Art

Edit History

September 12, 2017 Created by: Evelyn Richardson-Haughey Updated by: Inuit Art Foundation