Ada Eyetoaq (alternatively: Eyetoaq Eyetoaq, Ada Eyetoaq, Kingilik Eyetoaq, Iyi'tuaq Eyetoaq, Eeyeetoaq Eyetoaq, Eyeetoaq Eyetoaq, Eeyeetowak Eyetoaq, Iyi'tag Eyetoaq, Eetoowa Eyetoaq, Eyittuak Eyetoaq, Eeyeeteetowak Eyetoaq, Iti'tuaq, Eeeyeetowa, Eda) was born in 1934 and died in 2014. She was a

Baker Lake (Nunavut) Baker Lake (Inuktitut: ; 'where the river widens') is a lake in the Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is fed by the Thelon River from the west and the Kazan River from the south. It outflows into Chesterfield Inlet. The lake is approximate ...

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, ...

who produced traditional

Inuit art Inuit art, also known as Eskimo art, refers to artwork produced by Inuit, that is, the people of the Arctic previously known as Eskimos, a term that is now often considered offensive. Historically, their preferred medium was walrus ivory, but sin ...

. She is primarily known for her miniature

soapstone Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in the ...

sculptures.

Personal life

Eyetoaq married James Kingilik, also a soapstone sculptor, in the early 1950s. They had seven children, five biological and two adopted. In 1968 they moved from their traditional Inuit camp at Beverly Lake to the Baker Lake settlement. After moving, they lived in a tent for two months due to a lack of housing. It was around this time that the couple began their work as sculptors in order to supplement their incomes.

Art

Besides her sculptures, Eyetoaq also created drawings, prints, wool duffels, and felt wall hangings. But, her carvings are what have brought her notoriety, especially those involving the human form. She began carving in the 1970s and became one of Baker Lake's most respected female artists. Her work has been auctioned at a wide range of prices from the 100s to the 1000s.

Soapstone sculptures

Eyetoaq drew inspiration from her family's traditional Inuit background, especially the hunting and trapping aspects of her culture. Her carvings are primarily of human figures, but she also did work representing animals such as bears, fish, or birds. Often her work more specifically represents women, or mothers with children.

Collections

Amon Carter Museum of American Art Amon may refer to: Mythology * Amun, an Ancient Egyptian deity, also known as Amon and Amon-Ra * Aamon, a Goetic demon People Momonym * Amon of Judah ( 664– 640 BC), king of Judah Given name * Amon G. Carter (1879–1955), American pu ...

* Canada Council Art Bank: Ottawa * Canadian Museum of History * Clifford E. Lee Collection, University of Alberta: Edmonton * Inuit Cultural Institute: Rankin Inlet *

Macdonald Stewart Art Centre The Art Gallery of Guelph (AGG), formerly the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, is a public gallery and adjoining sculpture park in Guelph, Ontario. The AGG has a collection of over 9,000 works and focusses on research, publishing, educational progra ...

* Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal * Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia: Vancouver * Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre: Yellowknife * Red Deer and District Museum and Archives: Red Deer * University of Alberta: Edmonton *

Winnipeg Art Gallery The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) is an art museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Its permanent collection includes over 24,000 works from Canadian, Indigenous Canadian, and international artists. The museum also holds the world's largest collec ...

Publications

''Ada Eyetoaq: Recent Sculpture/Sculpture Récente'', 1979 Canadian Arctic Producers Cooperative Ltd.

References

{{reflist 1934 births 2014 deaths Inuit artists Inuit sculptors