Egevadluq Ragee facts for kids

Egevadluq Ragee (also known by names like Eegivudluk and Eegyvudluk) was a talented Canadian artist who lived from 1920 to 1983. She became famous for her amazing hand-drawn prints and paintings. Egevadluq was an Inuit artist from Nunavut, and her artwork often showed scenes from traditional Inuit life and fascinating mythical creatures.

Her Artistic Journey

Egevadluq Ragee started her journey in art in 1959. She was living in a place called Tikerak when two other artists, Sheowak and Napachie Pootoogook, encouraged her to begin drawing. This was the start of her artistic career!

At first, Ragee mostly used graphite pencil on paper for her drawings. Her early works often featured magical creatures, animals changing into humans, and everyday scenes from traditional Inuit life. As she grew as an artist, Ragee began to try out new materials. She experimented with acrylic paints, pen and ink, printmaking, and even wax crayons.

Ragee's drawing style was quite special. She used many small, short strokes to shade large areas in her art. This was not common for artists at that time. This unique technique allowed her to add interesting textures to her artworks. By 1970, Ragee also started painting with acrylics. This made her one of the very first Inuit artists in Cape Dorset to use this type of paint.

Her Life Story

Egevadluq Ragee was born on October 30, 1920. Her birthplace was a small camp called Ikirasak, near Cape Dorset in Nunavut. She lived with her parents, Pamiaktok and Sorisolutu, for a while. When her sister was born, Egevadluq went to live with her grandparents in a nearby camp.

Egevadluq's first marriage was to a man named Kootoo. They had a son and a daughter. Sadly, their daughter passed away when she was very young. Soon after, Kootoo also passed away.

Later, when her son was four years old, Egevadluq married Sakkiassie. Together, they adopted four children. The family first lived in Nuvudjuak. Eventually, they moved to Tikerak, which was a camp about eight miles from Cape Dorset. In 1967, Ragee and her family moved again, this time directly to Cape Dorset. They moved because the housing conditions there were much better. Egevadluq continued to live and create her art in Cape Dorset until she passed away on June 26, 1983.

Awards and Recognition

Egevadluq Ragee's art has been recognized in many ways. Her reproductions, which are copies of her original artworks, have been shown in special collections called "folios" by Mintmark Press Special Editions in Toronto.

She was one of three artists who contributed to a special folio of work in the 1982 Cape Dorset Graphic annual catalogue. This collection was called 'Etchings Portfolio V: Timiat'.

In 1984, a year after she passed away, Egevadluq Ragee had a folio of four prints included in the Cape Dorset Graphic annual catalogue. This showed how important her work was.

Between 1976 and 1984, a company called Norgraphics Limited also bought and released some of Ragee's artworks. These selected works were featured in the 1986 Cape Dorset Graphic annual catalogue.

Where You Can See Her Art

Egevadluq Ragee's artwork is held in many important museum collections around the world. This means her art is preserved and displayed for people to see and learn from. Here are some of the places where her work can be found:

• Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A.
• Art Gallery of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario
• Art Gallery of York University, Downsview, Ontario
• Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Ontario
• Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec, Montreal, Quebec
• Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Quebec
• Dennos Museum Center, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, Michigan, U.S.A.
• Department of External Affairs, Ottawa, Ontario
• Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta
• Klamer Family Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario
• Laurentian University Museum and Arts Centre, Sudbury, Ontario
• McMaster University Art Gallery, Hamilton, Ontario
• McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario
• 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
• Red Deer and District Museum and Archives, Red Deer, Alberta
• Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario
• Simon Fraser Gallery, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia
• Teleglobe Canada, Montreal, Quebec
• Toronto-Dominion Bank Collection, Toronto, Ontario
• University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
• University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Lethbridge, Alberta
• University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick
• Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Banff, Alberta
• Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba