A Celebration of Etching

September 13 –November 5, 2025

Opening reception: Saturday, September 13, 1-3 PM

Although Inuit printmaking is most closely identified with stonecut printing, etching has played an equally vital role in graphic expression from the North. As early as the 1960s, well known artists such as Parr, Pitseolak Ashoona and Jamasee Teevee were making prints by engraving images directly onto copper plates. Many of these early etchings were published as editions and included in Kinngait’s annual print collections along with classic stonecut prints. Although the production of etchings stopped in Kinngait by the 1970s with the advent of lithography, a revival of the form in the 1990s brought fresh energy and vitality to Inuit printmaking, with more sophisticated techniques being adopted. Etching procedures also spread to other print making settlements in Nunavut, including, Pangnirtung and Qamanittuaq (Baker Lake), at this time.

This exhibition, our first of the fall season, showcases etchings from this second phase. Included are works by some of Inuit art’s most prominent practitioners as well as images by less well known artists. The exhibition features works that use innovative techniques such as sugar-lift, aquatint and chine collé, as well as images that have been hand coloured after the printing process. Collectively, these works reveal the expressive possibilities of etching while offering an important snapshot of Inuit culture.

Works by Germaine Arnaktauyok, Arnaqu Ashevak, Kenojuak Ashevak, Shuvinai Ashoona, Skeojuk Etidlooie, Elisapee Ishulutaq, Salamonie Kanayuk, Tawkie Karpik, Joanasie Papatsie,  Jamasee Pitseolak, Annie Pootoogook, Jutai Toonoo.