Original Prints from Cape Dorset

The Cape Dorset Annual Graphics Collection is the première collection of Inuit prints - chronologically, and because of its high artistic and technical quality. The very first edition was released in 1959, thanks to the enterprising spirit of James Houston. It was in the late 1940's that this WWII veteran, artist and visionary discovered the outstanding artistry of the Inuit people (as well as the dire economic circumstances in which they survived).

James Houston helped found the Co-operative system. As the government administrator in Cape Dorset for ten years, he encouraged and he recruited the first generation of artists in the modern era of Inuit art. He decided to research print-making technology in Japan. This was a time of great social change in the Far North, as the ingenious Inuit people were in transition from living off the land on the tundra to living in new settlements set up by the government.
 
The prints below are in the chronological order of their release date, from 1974 to 2013. Certain limited-edition prints were not released immediately, or, when not yet sold out, were rereleased in subsequent years. The earliest works were stonecuts (printed onto rice paper), and subsequently other print-making methods were added to the Cape Dorset graphics repertory.
 
The prints created enthusiastically by the pioneers in this medium - Eegevudluk, Jamasie, Soroseelutu, Pitseolak, Pitaloosie, Napachie, Mayoreak, Kenojuak, Lucy and Kananginak - testify to the timelessness and the intrigue of the Inuit imagination.

Cape Dorset limited-edition graphic works always have been produced by hand in the Co-op print shop. Today, its inspired artists (including Qavavaw Manumie, Shuvinai Ashoona, Ning Teevee and Tim Pitsiulak) and dedicated, experienced printers continue to produce stonecut, lithograph and copper etching prints of the highest quality.

Please check with us to verify the availability of the limited-edition prints shown below: