William Noah

Courtesy the artist

Biography

English | ᐃᓄᒃᑐᑦ Inuktut | Français

William Noah was a graphic artist based out of Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake), NU, who also worked in politics and was a prominent community member [1]. He was a member of the Northwest Territories Legislature from 1979–1982 and was elected mayor of Qamani’tuaq twice. He is the son of renowned artist Jessie Oonark RC, OCA and brother to many accomplished artists including Nancy Pukingrnak, Victoria Mamnguqsualuk (1930–2016) and Janet Kigusiuq (1926–2005).

When he was young, Noah’s mother encouraged him to draw and he began making works more consistently in 1963 and became a printmaker in 1965 [2]. Noah utilized photographs to create paintings and colourful pencil drawings using canvas, paper and sometimes plywood and worked with coloured pencils, acrylics, oils and digital prints. Shamanic references are a notable theme in Noah’s early work. These bold graphic works often depict shamans who, as apprentices, learn to rid themselves of flesh so that all that remains is their bones and internal organs [3]. In an artist interview, Noah described how we was interested in showing how humans and animals might look from the outside in. However, his main interest is in the Arctic landscape and the animals that inhabit it. His art often presents his own perspective of living in a settlement and engages with the urbanization of Qamani’tuaq.

In addition to his art practice, Noah has worked in arts administration, serving as the president of the Canadian Arctic Producers from July 1978 to May 1979 and as a former president of the Sanavik Co-operative. Noah’s work has been showcased around the world in dozens of exhibitions. The artist was also part of the exhibition Art and Cold Cash, a collaboration with Sheila Butler, Ruby Arngna’naaq, Patrick Mahon and Jack Butler [4]. Together they held a number of group exhibitions. Noah has contributed writing and pieces to two exhibition catalogues: Qamanttiaq: Where the River Widens, Drawings by Baker Lake Artists (1995), and the Exquisite Corpse Water Drawing Project (2014). In 2005 he created his first permanent outdoor sculpture, unveiling Kivioq's Journey End at the Art Gallery of Guelph in Ontario. He has pieces in the permanent collections of the National Gallery in Ottawa, ON, and the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, QC, among others.

This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet est financé en partie par le gouvernement du Canada.

Basé à Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake), au Nunavut, William Noah (1943–2020) était un artiste polyvalent qui a travaillé dans de nombreux médiums, mais s’est principalement concentré sur les gravures et les dessins et, plus tard dans sa vie, sur la peinture. Noah était une présence constante dans les collections annuelles d’estampes de Baker Lake, apparaissant dans plus de vingt. Noah a commencé sa carrière de graveur en 1965 et a souvent travaillé et créé aux côtés de sa femme Martha dans l’atelier. Les références chamaniques sont un thème notable dans les premières œuvres de Noah, ainsi que dans les scènes représentant des paysages arctiques et les animaux qui les habitent. Noah était également une figure importante de la communauté, ayant été membre de l’Assemblée législative des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, président du conseil d’administration des Producteurs de l’Arctique canadien, président de la coopérative Sanavik et deux fois maire de Qamani’tuaq. Son travail a été exposé dans de nombreuses expositions et fait partie des collections permanentes du Musée des beaux-arts d’Ottawa, en Ontario, du Musée canadien de l’histoire à Gatineau, au Québec, et de la collection du gouvernement du Nunavut, entre autres.

ᒍᐃᓕᐊᒻ ᓄᐊ ᑲᒪᓂᑦᑐᐊᕐᒥᐅᑕᐅᔪᖅ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, ᒍᐃᓕᐊᒻ ᓄᐊ (1943-2020) ᓱᓇᑐᐃᓐᓇᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᔪᓐᓇᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᑎ ᐅᓇᓗ ᖃᓄᕆᑦᑐᑐᐃᓐᓇᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᓲᖅ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐊᐅᓪᓗᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᕐᓂᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑭᖑᓂᐊᓂ ᐊᒥᐊᕆᖃᑦᑕᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ. ᓄᐊ ᐱᑕᖃᓐᓇᓲᖅ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᑦ ᖃᒪᓂᑦᑐᐊᕐᒥᑦ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂ ᓄᐊᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᓂ, ᓴᕿᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐅᖓᑖᓂ 20. ᓄᐊ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓕᐅᕈᑎᖃᖅᖢᓂ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑕᒥᓂᒃ 1965 ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᕿᑦᑎᕙᒃᑐᖅ ᐱᖃᑎᒋᓪᓗ ᓄᓕᐊᓂ ᒫᑕ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᕐᕕᖕᒥ. ᐊᖓᒃᑯᖑᐊᑦ ᑐᑭᓕᐅᖅᓯᒪᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᓄᐊᑉ ᐱᒋᐊᓕᓵᖅᖢᓂ ᓴᓇᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᖅᑕᖏᑦ. ᓄᐊ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᓂ, ᑲᑎᒪᔨᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᒪᓕᒐᓕᐅᖅᑎᐅᖃᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕐᒥ, ᐊᖓᔪᖅᑳᖑᓪᓗᓂ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᓂ ᑯᐊᐸᒃᑯᓂ ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᑐᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓂ, ᐊᖓᔪᖅᑳᖅ ᓴᓇᕕᒃ ᑯᐊᑉ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᒪᕐᕈᐃᖅᖢᓂ ᒪᐃᔪᖑᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᖃᒪᓂᑦᑐᐊᕐᒥ. ᓴᓇᔭᖏᑦ ᓴᕿᔮᖅᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᓂ ᓴᕿᔮᕐᑎᑦᑎᕕᖕᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᓯᒪᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᓄᐊᑕᐅᕙᓪᓕᐊᒐᒥᒃ ᑲᓇᑕ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᖓᓂ ᐋᑐᕚ, ᐋᓐᑎᐅᕆᐅ, ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᐃᑦᑕᕐᓂᑕᓂᒃ ᑳᑦᑎᓄ, ᑯᐸᐃᒃ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᑦ ᓄᐊᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓂ, ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓂᓗᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᐊᒥᓱᓂ.