Description
2025 Dorset Calendar
Qavavau Manumie: Prolific Artist & Master Printmaker
Printmaking in Kinngait (Cape Dorset), a practice revered for its graphic forms and colourful representations of Arctic life, emerged prominently in the late 1950s. This period was introduced through Toronto-based artist James Houston’s efforts to tap into the potential of a graphic process of Inuit Art. Inspired by the Japanese sōsaku hanga (creative print) movement, Houston studied under pioneering artist, Un’ichi Hiratsuka, and others. Houston brought to Kinngait a collection of prints, new techniques, and materials in order to inform the development of the local graphic process.
Differences in available materials, climate, and lifestyles led to the development of innovative solutions. Stone replaced wood for carving, and a division of labour reminiscent of Japanese ukiyo-e (traditional woodblock prints) and shin-hanga (new prints) printmaking, which separated artists, carvers, and printers, was adopted to reflect community values and offer artists greater mobility in place of the constraints of a linear production process. This collaborative approach to printmaking became integral to Kinngait Studios’ continued practice as it is known today.
Qavavau Manumie, a distinguished Kinngait graphic artist and printmaker, stands as a testament to the collaborative ethos of the studio. Renowned for his skillful explorations of Arctic lifescapes and Inuit legends, Manumie has garnered critical acclaim from contemporary art audiences worldwide. Having commenced his printmaking journey in the 1980s, Manumie has since taken position as master stonecut printer, producing his own works while imparting his expertise to younger artists and fostering the spirit of collaboration within the studio.
Manumie’s printed editions, based on his own graphic portfolio as well as the work of other Kinngait artists, have become a staple feature in the studio’s annual catalogue since the early 1990s. His contributions, both as an artist and mentor, leave an indelible mark on the legacy of stonecut printmaking.
2025 calendar backcover
