Weekly We Make: Visual Storytelling
Pitseolak Ashoona, Legend of the Narwhale, 1968, stonecut print. MacKenzie Art Gallery, Kampelmacher Memorial Collection of Indigenous Art.
About the Weekly We Make Activity
Can you tell a story from beginning to end with just one picture? Make a drawing that tells a story without using multiple pictures or panels. This Weekly We Make is inspired by the work of Inuk printmaker Pitseolak Ashoona, which can be viewed in the exhibition Death Boat and Other Stories: The Kampelmacher Memorial Collection of Indigenous Art, on view at the MacKenzie Art Gallery until 2 May 2027.
This workshop is led by one of our amazing Gallery Educators.
About Weekly We Make
It’s an art party! Weekly We Make at the MacKenzie Art Gallery, presented by Canada Life, is an opportunity for individuals and families to drop in and create artwork.
Learn about the artists and artworks in MacKenzie’s Permanent Collection and featured exhibitions with weekly in-person hands-on workshops that can be modified for all ages. Visit our studio to make art with Gallery Educators and guest artists, exploring new and beloved techniques and art materials.
There is no cost to attend these drop-in sessions. All materials are provided.
The Artwork that Inspired Us
Pitseolak Ashoona created this artwork while working with the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative in Kinngait (which used to be called Cape Dorset), Nunavut. She made the original drawing, and the co-operative turned it into a print. Another artist likely carved the drawing onto a soapstone slab to make a print block (basically a giant stamp for making copies of artworks). This work was shared in the co-operative’s yearly print collection in 1969 (the year after the artwork was made). The print collections have been very successful and are still made every year.
Pitseolak was known for her visual storytelling. Many of her artworks tell stories that were passed down to her by her father, Ottochie. Others are how-to stories that show Inuit ways of living. Many are stories of her own personal life.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Pitseolak Ashoona lived through a time of great change for Inuit. She was likely born in the early 1900s on Nottingham Island. She spent most of her young life in places throughout the Foxe Peninsula of Qikiqtaaluk (Baffin Island). She experienced living off the land, hunting, and moving with the seasons and animals. She also saw many Inuit transition to living in one place in towns and houses.
Pitseolak was married to a man named Ashoona. They had many children, several of whom passed away young. Others were adopted by different Inuit families. Their surviving children who lived with them were Namoonie, Qaqaq, Kumwartok, Kiugak, Ottochie and Napachie. Several of these children also became artists.
The family lived a nomadic life, travelling and living in many locations. That was until Ashoona passed away from an illness. With many children to care for, Pitseolak had to find a way to make a living. She began to create art for the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative in Kinngait (which used to be called Cape Dorset). She also found great joy in drawing.
« To make prints is not easy. You must think first and this is hard to do. But I am happy doing the prints. After my husband died I felt very alone and unwanted; making prints is what has made me happiest since he died. I am going to keep on doing them until they tell me to stop. If no one tells me to stop, I shall make them as long as I am well. If I can, I’ll make them even after I am dead. »
Pitseolak Ashoona in Pitseolak: Pictures out of my life, second edition, p. 90-92.
Pitseolak Ashoona passed away on May 28th, 1983.
Pitseolak Ashoona, Legend of the Narwhale, 1968, stonecut print. MacKenzie Art Gallery, Kampelmacher Memorial Collection of Indigenous Art
Studio Activity
Can you tell a story from beginning to end with just one picture? Inspired by the work of Inuk printmaker Pitseolak Ashoona, make a drawing that tells a story without using multiple pictures or panels.
MATERIALS
- Paper
- Pencils, erasers, and sharpeners
- Markers, pens, and pencil crayons
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1
Think of a story that is important to you. It could be something that happened to you, a story someone else told you, or an important part of history.
Step 2
Draw this story, thinking about how you will tell it with one picture. You will need to show:
- Who are the characters of the story
- What important events take place in the story
- When and where the story takes place (it’s setting)
Think about ways to make different parts of your drawing stand out as important. Can you use colour and texture to make things pop? And how will you show that one event leads to another? How can lines help you show your viewer the order things are happening?
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
- How can you tell that this artwork tells a story? How did Pitseolak tell us that this is a story visually?
- This artwork has a strong sense of line, one of the many elements of art. In what ways does it use lines? How do the lines help tell the story?
IMPORTANT WORDS
- Printmaking: a way of making artworks by transferring an image onto another surface. Often, this lets artists make many copies of an artwork. It includes many techniques, such as block printing, lithography, copper plate etchings (by hand carving or etching with an acid), and stencil printing.
- Nomadic cultures: groups of people who move from place to place rather than making their homes in one location.
- Co-operative: a business owned and run by its members and meant to support the community.
