Description
This Bear with Cub by Pootoogook Jaw is one of Pootoogook’s more traditional animal carvings.Pootoogook Jaw is a carver based out of Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU. Jaw began carving at a young age by learning the skill from his father. He has since become known for his detailed renditions of Arctic wildlife, hunters, drum dancers and scenes of traditional Inuit life. One of the three sculptor sons of master carver Joe Jaw, [Kingwatsiak (King) Jaw, Mathew Saviadjuk] Pootoogook has been carving from an early age. He uses a wide range of subjects in his work, and his style varies depending on the nature of the stone that he is dealing with. He enjoys carving human figures like drummers and musicians and honours his Inuit heritage. At times, his sculptures have multiple figures interacting and are almost obsessively detailed; at other times, particularly when working with very hard stones, his work is simpler and more iconic. His quiet sense of humour often surfaces in his work.
– Excerpt from Cape Dorset Sculpture, 2005.
Jaw has been active in mentoring younger generations of carvers. In 1998 he organized a carving program through the Nunavut Training Company to help teach less experienced artists new skills. Jaw was motivated to help new carvers develop their talents beyond the production of expedient carvings, which he perceives as linked with habits of substance abuse, and give artists greater confidence and autonomy. The key lesson that Jaw aspires to impart is patience, and encourages new carvers to take the time to develop their skill. He is supportive of actions that will lead to greater interdependence and self-determination among Inuit artists.
Jaw currently lives and works out of Kinngait. His work is held in the collections of the Musee d’art Inuit Brousseau, Quebec City, QC and the Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, BC. He has been included in several exhibitions in Canada and internationally, and has been featured in the Inuit Art Quarterly.
Biography Pootoogook Jaw
POOTOOGOOK JAW
Date of Birth: February 9, 1959
Male/Female: Male E7-1667
Place of Birth: Cape Dorset
Mother: Melia Pootoogook
Father: Joe Pootoogook
Pootoogook’s parents, Melia and Joe are also artists in Cape Dorset.
EXHIBITIONS:
November 1990
Inuit Masterworks
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)
May 1992
Our Hoods Are Full
Arctic Artistry
Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, U.S.A.
October – November 1992
Arctic Ice: Sculptures in Marble by the Artists of Cape Dorset, NWT
Marion Scott Gallery
Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)
April 1995
Inuit Mythology Arctic Expressions Hamilton, Ontario
May – September 1995
Keeping Our Stories Alive: An Exhibition of the Art and Crafts from Dene and Inuit Canada
Institute of American Indian Arts Museum
Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A.
(illustrated catalogue)
November 1995
Inspiration
Four Decades of Sculpture Marion Scott Gallery Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)
November – December 1996
New Visions
Spirit Wrestler Gallery Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)
May – June 2001
Baffin Island Sculpture
The Albers Gallery of Inuit Art San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
(illustrated catalogue)
September – October 2002
Ohito Ashoona and Pootoogook Jaw The Albers Gallery of Inuit Art
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
(illustrated catalogue)
2004
Masterworks III Canadian Arctic Gallery Basel, Switzerland
Spring 2005
Cape Dorset Sculpture Spirit Wrestler Gallery Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)
March – April, 2010
Vancouver Olympic Exhibition Canadian Arctic Gallery Basel, Switzerland
May – June, 2010
Polar Bears
Canadian Arctic Gallery Basel, Switzerland
October, 2010
Arctic Wind III: An Expression of Survival Coastal Peoples Gallery
Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated brochure)
December, 2010
Small Sculptures by Great Artists Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario
(illustrated catalogue)
January – February, 2011
Small Treasures 2011
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver Vancouver, British Columbia
COLLECTIONS:
Musee d’art Inuit Brousseu, Quebec City, Quebec
Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia
SELECTED REFERENCES:
Dewar, Patricia
YOU HAD TO BE THERE. Nepean, Ontario: Inuit Art Quarterly, 9(1), Spring 1994, pp. 20-28.
Goo-Doyle, Ovilu
