Brief BioCanadian Inuit, 1904-1983NationalityCanadian Inuit, Kinngait (Cape Dorset)DescriptionOne of the most prolific artists in the history of Inuit art, Pitseolak Ashoona produced nearly 7000 drawings in 25 years. Her epic creative output has made her the most represented Inuit artist in the University of Alberta Art Collection with more than 70 works. Her images range from the fantastical—drawn from an imagination stimulated by the oral and shamanic traditions of the Inuit—to the more naturalistic, chronicling past ways of living in the Arctic. Of particular note is Ashoona’s love of birds—a recurring subject throughout her career, and one shared by her granddaughter Shuvnai Ashoona—which she depicts with great colour and enthusiasm.
(Source: "Sanaunguabik: Ideas and Transformations in Inuit Art" exhibition didactic material, October 1 - December 21, 2013)
Name
Ashoona, Pitseolak
Honorary Suffix
CM; RCA
Brief Bio
Canadian Inuit, 1904-1983
Nationality
Canadian Inuit, Kinngait (Cape Dorset)
Description
One of the most prolific artists in the history of Inuit art, Pitseolak Ashoona produced nearly 7000 drawings in 25 years. Her epic creative output has made her the most represented Inuit artist in the University of…
One of the most prolific artists in the history of Inuit art, Pitseolak Ashoona produced nearly 7000 drawings in 25 years. Her epic creative output has made her the most represented Inuit artist in the University of Alberta Art Collection with more than 70 works. Her images range from the fantastical—drawn from an imagination stimulated by the oral and shamanic traditions of the Inuit—to the more naturalistic, chronicling past ways of living in the Arctic. Of particular note is Ashoona’s love of birds—a recurring subject throughout her career, and one shared by her granddaughter Shuvnai Ashoona—which she depicts with great colour and enthusiasm.
(Source: "Sanaunguabik: Ideas and Transformations in Inuit Art" exhibition didactic material, October 1 - December 21, 2013)
"People Details - Ashoona, Pitseolak - CM; RCA, University of Alberta Museums Art Collection." University of Alberta Museums Search Site, https://search.museums.ualberta.ca/g/6-1899/11-4033. Accessed 10 May. 2025.