Creation and Transformation: Defining Moments in Inuit Art

The treasures of the world's largest public collection of Inuit art are revealed in this seminal history of art from the Arctic.

The collection of Inuit art held by the Winnipeg Art Gallery, one of Canada's most important public galleries, is extraordinary by any standard: its geographic range, diverse media and size have brought international renown to the collection of some 11,000 artworks. The wag celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2012-13 and this book, as well as a major exhibition from January 24 to April 17, 2013, will feature many of the gallery's treasures as it marks this important milestone.

Creation and Transformation is a major art book that describes the genesis and evolution of contemporary Inuit art from 1949 to the present day: from carvers in the 1950s, such as Johnny Inukpuk, to later storytellers in stone, such as Davidialuk Alasua Amittu, and in whale bone such as Karoo Ashevak; from pioneer graphic artist Jessie Oonark, to graphic artists working today in new and personal idioms, such as Shuvinai Ashoona. The book is a celebration of creativity that has had many transformations over six decades.

Organized chronologically, this remarkable volume will constitute a new historical narrative of a contemporary art form as revealed in essays by international authorities led by Winnipeg Art Gallery's curator of Inuit art, Darlene Coward Wight, and explored through the personal insights of the artists themselves. Expertly designed and produced, this book features 150 colour and archival images.