Etidlooie Kingmeata

KINGMEATA ETIDLOOIE           (ETIDLUI; ETIDLOIE; KINGMEATTAR; KINGMEEATTA)

Date of Birth:    December 25, 1915                               Male/Female:    Female E7-895

Place of Birth:   Itinik – a small camp near Lake Harbour;
Also lived in Churchill, Manitoba; Resided – Cape Dorset

Deceased:        February 22, 1989

Mother:

Father: 
                                                                                                                                                           

Before his death in 1981, Kingmeata’s husband, Etidlooie Etidlooie, was a graphic and a print artist, a printmaker, sculptor, and painter in Cape Dorset.  Their children, Etulu Etidlui, Omalluq Oshutsiaq, Pukaluk Etungat and Kellypalik Etidlooie, and their grandson, Pitseolak Oshutsiaq, are sculptors.

“Born at Itinik camp near Lake Harbour, Northwest Territories, Canada, Kingmeata Etidlooie grew up and spent most of the first half of her life in similar sites along the southwest coast of Baffin Island.   She began to carve and to draw in the late 1950’s after the death of her first husband, Elijah.  As with most Inuit artists of her generation, Kingmeata’s creative endeavours mark a second phase in her life –one that parallels the significant changes experienced by the indigenous people of the Canadian Arctic over the past five decades.  With her second husband, Etidlooie Etidlooie (1910 – 1981) and their family, Kingmeata moved into the settlement of Cape Dorset in the mid -1960’s, exchanging a seasonally-based cape for a permanent residence.  Both she and her husband became artist members of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative, recognized internationally for its printmaking studio and the strength of the graphic artists it represented.

A relatively prolific artist, Kingmeata had more than fifty of her prints published between 1970 and her death in 1979. Her work is characterized by a strong sense of order and structure.  Using predominantly simplified animal and bird motifs, she concentrated on the formal rather than the narrative qualities of her subjects.  However, her most important contribution to Inuit art has probably been her experimentation with media that are more painterly than linear.  In the late 1960’s to the early 1970’s Kingmeata became one of the first Cape Dorset artists to work with watercolours, which had  been given to her by Terry Ryan, Co-op manager and arts advisor, who recognized the painterly qualities of her drawings.  In the mid-1970’s the presence of Toronto painter, K.M. Graham, provided a further catalyst who came North to sketch and work with acrylic paints in her own color-field style.  Graham was impressed by Kingmeata’s watercolours and offered her acrylics upon he departure.  When a painting studio was established by the Cooperative in 1976, Kingmeata, along with Pudlo Pudlat (b. 1916) was one of the most committed and enthusiastic users.  The rich, saturated colors that were now attainable seemed to mesh perfectly with her formal sense of composition.  In works such as,”Sea Creatures with Birds” (1976), color, shade, texture, and shape are enmeshed in a delightful, lyrical image.”

                                                            Marie Routledge.
In “North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century:
A Biographical Dictionary”, 1995.

EXHIBITIONS:

August – September 1968                                 
Eskimo Sculpture, Eskimo Prints and Paintings of Norval Morrisseau
Art Association of Newport
Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A.
(illustrated catalogue)

1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974,                            Cape Dorset Graphics
1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980,                            (annual collection)
1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1988,                                                    (illustrated catalogue)

1973                                                               
  Canadian Eskimo Lithographs: Third Collection
Presented under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Division of the Department of External Affairs Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)

October – November 1974                                
Eskimo Art
Queen’s University
Flushing, New York, U.S.A.
(illustrated catalogue)

1978                                                                
Looking South
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)

November – December 1978                             
Polar Vision: Canadian Eskimo Graphics
Jerusalem Artists’ House Museum
Jerusalem, Israel
(illustrated catalogue)

May – August 1979                                           
21 x 12 (Eskimo Drawing Exhibition)
Inuk I Gallery
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.

July 1979 – May 1980                                       
Inuit Art in the 1970’s
Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, and the Agnes Etherington Art Centre
Kingston, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)

January – February 1980                                   
Inuit Master Artists of the 1970’s
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia

April – May 1980                                              
The Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art
Art from the Art Gallery of Ontario
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario
(illustrated catalogue)

February – March 1983                                     
Return of the Birds
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)

Mary 1983 – April 1985                                     
Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art
Art Gallery of Ontario
Toronto, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)

October – November 1983                                
The Cape Dorset Print
Presented at Rideau Hall by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Ottawa, Ontario

September 1984                                               
Drawings by Keeleemeeoonee and Kingmeata of Cape Dorset, Baffin Island
Houston North Gallery
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

May – June 1986                                              
The Spirit of the Land
The Koffler Gallery
Toronto, Ontario
(illustrated brochure)

November 1986                                                
Inuit Graphics Through the Year: Rare Prints from the Arctic
Arctic Artistry
Scarsdale, New York, U.S.A.

May – June 1987                                              
Inuit Graphics from the Past
Arctic Artistry
Scarsdale, New York, U.S.A.

October – November 1987                                
1987 Eskimo Art
Franz Bader Gallery
Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

November 1987                                                
Inuit Traditions in Graphics: 1961 – 1987
Arctic Artistry
Hartsdale, New York, U.S.A.

December 1987 – March 1989                           
Contemporary Inuit Drawings
Macdonald Stewart Art Centre
Guelph, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)

June – September 1988                                    
Building on Strengths: New Inuit Art from the Collection
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba

June – September 1988                                    
The World Around Me
University of Lethbridge Art Gallery
Lethbridge, Alberta

March – April 1989                                            
Kingmeata and Lucy: Cape Dorset Drawings
Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario

August – October 1989                                     
Inuit Graphic Art from Indian and Norther Affairs Canada
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba

August – October 1989                                     
Dorset: dessins originaux/original drawings
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
Montreal, Quebec

October – November 1989                                
Art/Facts
McMaster Art Gallery
Hamilton, Ontario

February – March 1990                                     
Inuit Drawings
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)

June – September 1990                                    
Inuit Graphics and Drawings from 1959 – 1990
Arctic Artistry
Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, U.S.A.

January 1991                                                    
Sojourns to Nunavut: Contemporary Inuit Art from Canada
At Bunkamura Art Gallery, presented by the University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Tokyo, Japan
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)

April – May 1991                                              
Inuit Master Carvers
Snow Goose Associates
Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

November – December 1991                             
Art Inuit: Autour de la Collection de Cape Dorset 1991
Presented by l’Iglou Art Esquimau, Douai
At Le Colombier
Ville D’Avray, France

December 1991 – March 1992                           
In Cape Dorset We Do It This Way: Three Decades of Inuit Printmaking
McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Kleinburg, Ontario
(illustrated catalogue)

February 1992                                                  
The Inuit Print and Sculpture 1960 – 1980
National Gallery of Canada
Hamilton, Ontario

February – September 1992                              
Original Drawings from Cape Dorset by Lucy, Pitseolak, Kingmeata
Albers Gallery
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.

November 1993 – January 1994                         
Contemporary Inuit Drawings
Muscarelle Museum of Art
College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.A.
(illustrated catalogue)

March – August 1994                                        
Kunst aus der Arktis
Volkerkundmuseum der Universitat Zurich
Zurich, Switzerland
(illustrated catalogue)

September – October 1994                               
Kunst van de Inuit Eskimo’s
Gemeentelijk Kunstcentrum
Edegem, Belgium
(illustrated brochure)

December 1995 – January 1996                         
Inuit Art: from the collection of Maurice Yacowar
Collector’s Gallery
Calgary, Alberta

December 1995 – March 1996                           
Imaak Takujavut: The Way We See It
Paintings from Cape Dorset
McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Kleinburg, Ontario

March – June 1996                                           
Imaak Takujavut: The Way We See It
Paintings from Cape Dorset
McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Kleinburg, Ontario
(illustrated catalogue)

October – November 1996                                
Old Friends
Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art
Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario
(illustrated catalogue)

April – May 1997                                              
Inuit Prints and Drawings 1961 – 1990
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
Montreal, Quebec

June – August 1997                                          
Art from the Top of the World
The Story of the Inuit at 360
Isaacs/Innuit Gallery and the 360 Restaurant at the CN Tower
Toronto, Ontario

August – September 2001                                 
Nuliajuk: Mother of the Sea Beasts
Houston North Gallery  
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

April                                                                
Art by Women: An investigation of Inuit Sculpture and Graphics
Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario

April                                                                
Cape Dorset: First Generation Printmakers
The Albers Gallery
San Francisco, California, U.S.A
(illustrated brochure)

April – May 2003                                              
Classic Prints from Cape Dorset: 1960 – 1972
The Albers Gallery
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
(illustrated brochure)

Fall 2007                                                          
The First Tourist
McMaster University Museum of Art
Hamilton, Ontario

SOLO EXHIBITIONS:

May 1977                                                         
Watercolour Fantasies by Kingmeata of Cape Dorset
The Innuit Gallery of Eskimo Art
Toronto, Ontario

1978                                                                
Acrylic Works on Paper
Waddington Galleries
Montreal, Quebec

June 1978                                                        
Kingmeata
Burlington Art Shop Ltd.
Edmonton, Alberta

February 1979                                                  
Acrylic Drawings by Kingmeata
The Innuit Gallery of Eskimo Art
Toronto, Ontario

January – February 2007                                   
Kingmeata Etidlooie: Paintings
The Albers Gallery
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.

COLLECTIONS:

Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.A.
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia
CIBC Collection, Toronto, Ontario
Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Ontario
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec, Montreal, Quebec
Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Quebec
Confederation Centre of the Arts, Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Department of Foreign Affairs, Ottawa, Ontario
Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
Klamer Family Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario
Laurentian University Museum and Arts Centre, Sudbury, Ontario
Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, Guelph, Ontario
McMaster University Art Gallery, Hamilton, Ontario
McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario
Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec
Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Simon Fraser Gallery, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia
Tom Thomson Memorial Gallery and Museum of Fine Art, Owen Sound, Ongtario
University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Woodstock Public Art Gallery, Woodstock, Ontario

HONOURS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND EVENTS:

1982     “Canada Living” Poster Commission.  Kingmeata was one of four  artists commissioned to create prints which were used as poster designs for “Canada Living”.

1984     “Canada Living” Poster Commission. Kingmeata was one of several artists commissioned to create prints which were used as poster designs for “Canada Living”.

SELECTED REFERENCES:

Blodgett, Jean
GRASP TIGHT THE OLD WAYS: Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art. Toronto, Ont.: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1983.

Blodgett, Jean
IN CAPE DORSET WE DO IT THIS WAY: THREE DECADES OF INUIT PRINTMAKING: Jean Blodgett/with essays by Heather Ardies, Leslie Boyd and Linda Sutherland. Kleinburg, Ont.: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1991.

Broder, Patricia Janis
ARCTIC IMAGERY: Contemporary Inuit Drawings from a  private New Jersey collection. Montclair, N.J., U.S.A.: Montclair Art Museum, 1992.
Five College Canadian Studies Program
PERSPECTIVES ON INUIT CULTURE: A five college Symposium and Art Exhibit, April 4 – 14, 1988. Proceedings and Catalogue./ Edited by Joel M. Halpern [et.al.]. Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.A.: Published jointly by Five College Canadian Studies Program and the University of Massachusetts Department of Anthropology, 1988.

Hassler, Gitta
KUNST AUS DER ARKTIS: GRAPHIKEN DER INUIT IN KANADA. Zurich, Switzerland: Volkerkundmuseum der Universitat Zurich, 1994.

Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
INUIT DRAWINGS. Vancouver, B.C.: Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, 1990.

Jackson, Marion E.
CONTEMPORARY INUIT DRAWINGS. Guelph, Ont.: Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, 1987.

Macdonald, John
TAUVIJJUAQ; THE GREAT DARKNESS. Inuit Art Quarterly: Vol. 8, No. 2, Summer 1993, pp. 19 – 25.

Muscarelle Museum of Art (Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.A.)
CONTEMPORARY INUIT DRAWINGS: The gift collection of Frederick and Lucy S. Herman. Williamsburg, Va., U.S.A.: The College of William and Mary in Virginia, 1993.

Reeves, John
THE WOMEN ARTISTS OF CAPE DORSET. City and Country Home, April, pp. 35 – 43, 1985.

Routledge, Marie
INUIT ART IN THE 1970’s/L’ART INUIT ACTUEL: 1970 1979. Kingston, Ont.: The Agnes Etherington Art Centre, 1979.

Routledge, Marie
KINGMEATA ETIDLOOIE (1915 – 1989). In North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary/Garland, 1995.

Speak, Dorothy
IN CAPE DORSET WE DO IT THIS WAY. Inuit Art Quarterly, Vol. 7, No. 2, Spring 1992, pp. 38 – 42.

Wight, Darlene
BUILDING ON STRENGTHS: New Inuit Art from the Collection. Tableau, Vol. 1, No. 5, p. 4, 1988.