Germaine Arnaktauyok facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Germaine Arnaktauyok
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| Born | 1946 (age 78–79) |
Germaine Arnaktauyok was born in Maniitsoq, Greenland, in 1946. She is a well-known Inuk artist. Germaine is famous for her printmaking, painting, and drawing. She grew up near Igloolik in Nunavut, which was then part of the Northwest Territories. Germaine loved to draw from a very young age, using any paper she could find.
Her art often shows Inuit myths and traditional ways of life. These stories come from her own experiences and her family's culture. She creates two-dimensional designs with expressive lines. These lines tell personal stories mixed with old Inuit tales.
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Germaine's Family Life
Until the mid-1960s, Germaine lived with her family in a camp. This camp was inland from a town where they could easily hunt seals and caribou. Her parents, Therese Nattok and Isidore Iytok, were talented carvers. They also helped shape the unique Inuit style of art. Germaine was the third of eight children. She was also the oldest daughter in her family.
School and Early Art Talent
In the Igloolik region, people practiced two religions: Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism. Priests would visit the camps to offer spiritual support. Germaine was baptized into the Catholic faith when she was a baby.
When she was nine years old, Germaine went to a Catholic school in Chesterfield Inlet. She stayed there for seven years. She only returned to her family each summer. School seasons could be lonely for her. A nun at the school noticed Germaine's talent for painting. This nun gave her art lessons. Germaine's painting skills grew, and she sold her first artwork when she was just eleven years old.
Continuing Her Art Education
Germaine kept going to school in Churchill, Manitoba. There, a teacher named George Swinton encouraged her even more to follow art. In 1967, she took art classes on weekends in Winnipeg. A year later, she joined the Fine Arts program at the University of Manitoba School of Art.
In 1969, Germaine moved to Ottawa. She studied commercial art at the Pembroke Campus of Algonquin College. This field was not exactly what she wanted to do. However, she gained experience creating illustrations for books. She worked at the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. That same year, she moved to Iqaluit, then called Frobisher Bay. She worked for the Frobisher Bay Arts and Crafts Centre for five years. While in Iqaluit, Algonquin College offered her a special year-long course. This course focused on historical and cultural crafting techniques.
Her Art Career
After finishing her education for a while, Germaine moved to Yellowknife. From 1971 to 1976, she worked for the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT). She received many projects to create art for the Department of Education.
Germaine's artwork is now in many famous museums. These include the University of Michigan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Canada. Her art can also be seen at the British Museum and the Peabody Essex Museum. In 2024, the Winnipeg Art Gallery bought some of her prints.
She also created animations for a 2018 drama film called Tia and Piujuq. A book of her art was even part of the story in the movie.
Personal Life and Return to Art
Germaine got married in 1976 and had her daughter, Amber. The family lived in Langley, British Columbia. For ten years, Germaine did not actively create art. She separated from her husband in 1989. Then, she moved back to Yellowknife and focused on making art again.
In 1992, she moved back to Iqaluit. She studied printmaking with Kyra Fischer at Arctic College for a year. Since then, Germaine Arnaktauyok has been busy creating drawings and etchings. These artworks often show her personal life mixed with historical Inuit stories.
Awards and Special Designs
Germaine Arnaktauyok has received many honors for her art.
- She designed the back of the two dollar coin in 1999. This coin celebrated the creation of the province of Nunavut.
- She also designed a special two hundred dollar gold coin in 2000. This coin was part of the Native Cultures and Tradition Series.
- In 2021, she won the prestigious Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts.
Books Featuring Her Art
Germaine is the co-author and illustrator of a book about her life. It is called My Name is Arnaktauyok: The Life and Art of Germaine Arnaktauyok.
She also illustrated a short comic called Kiviuq Vs Big Bee. Jose Kusugak wrote this comic. It was published in the Arctic Comics anthology in 2016.
Germaine has illustrated many other books, including:
- Inuit Spirit: A Colouring Book by Germaine Arnaktauyok
- Those That Cause Fear
- Way Back Then
- Kiviuq's Journey
