Drawing on paper has been the foundation of the Cape Dorset graphic arts program since 1959. With the success of the first experiments in printmaking, local Inuit were encouraged to draw and the response was immediate and profound. At this time, most Inuit families were still living in outlying camp areas, visiting the community frequently to socialize and trade. Those trips always included a visit to the Co-op to bring drawings and pick up more paper and materials to take back to the camp.

From these humble beginnings grew the now internationally acclaimed Cape Dorset annual print collection and other graphic arts projects. The image bank of original drawings – known collectively as “the archives” – now totals well over 100,000 works on paper, providing a permanent record of the stories, myths, way of life and inner thoughts of the Cape Dorset people. This collection is on loan to the McMichael Canadian Arts Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario.

While the community has grown and changed profoundly over the past fifty years, the Kinngait Studios continue to foster drawing as a field of artistic expression. It has captured the imaginations of some contemporary younger artists who are developing reputations for their original work. Three of these artists are represented here.