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 1946 in Maniitsoq, Greenland. She is an Inuk artist known for her prints, paintings, and drawings. Germaine grew up near Igloolik in what is now Nunavut. She loved to draw from a very young age, using any paper she could find.
She creates art using different methods like lithographs, etchings, and serigraphs. Her art often shows Inuit myths and traditional ways of life. These stories come from her own experiences and her ancestors' culture. Her designs are flat, with clear lines that tell personal stories mixed with old Inuit tales.
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Her Family and Early Life
Until the mid-1960s, Germaine lived with her family in a camp. This camp was inland from a town where there were many seals and caribou to hunt. Germaine's parents, Therese Nattok and Isidore Iytok, were also talented carvers. They helped shape the unique style of Inuit art.
Germaine was the third of eight children. She was also the oldest daughter in her family.
Her Faith and School
In the Igloolik area, people practiced two main religions: Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism. Priests would visit towns and sometimes even the camps. They would listen to people's confessions and offer spiritual help.
Germaine was baptized into the Catholic faith when she was a baby. When she was nine years old, she went to a Catholic school in Chesterfield Inlet. She stayed there for seven years, only going home to her family each summer. School felt lonely for her during the rest of the year. A nun at the school, who was good at painting, noticed Germaine's artistic talent. This nun gave Germaine art lessons. Germaine's painting skills grew, and she sold her first artwork when she was just eleven years old.
Her Education in Art
Germaine continued her schooling at a place called Churchill, Manitoba. There, a teacher named George Swinton encouraged her even more to follow her passion for 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 to study commercial art at Algonquin College. Even though this wasn't exactly what she wanted to do, she gained experience. She learned how to create illustrations for books at the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. That same year, she moved to Iqaluit (then called Frobisher Bay). She worked at the Frobisher Bay Arts and Crafts Centre for five years. While working there, Algonquin College offered her a special year-long course. This course taught her about historical and cultural crafting techniques.
Her Art Career
After finishing her studies, Germaine moved to Yellowknife. From 1971 to 1976, she worked for the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT). She received many special projects from the Department of Education, GNWT, to create artwork.
Her art is now displayed in many famous museums around the world. These include the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the National Gallery of Canada, and the British Museum. The Winnipeg Art Gallery also bought some of her prints in 2024.
Germaine also created some animated parts for the 2018 movie Tia and Piujuq. In the movie, a book of her art was an important part of the story.
Her Personal Life and Return to Art
Germaine got married in 1976 and had a daughter named Amber. Her family lived in Langley, British Columbia. For ten years, Germaine did not actively create art.
In 1989, she and her husband separated. Germaine moved back to Yellowknife and focused on making art again. In 1992, she moved back to Iqaluit. There, 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 old Inuit stories.
Awards and Exhibitions
Germaine Arnaktauyok has received many special honors for her art:
- She designed the back of the Canadian 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 a series about Native Cultures and Traditions.
- She won the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2021.
Books She Has Made
Germaine is the co-author and illustrator of a book about her own life and art. 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. This comic was written by Jose Kusugak and published in 2016.
Germaine has illustrated many other books too, including:
- Inuit Spirit: A Colouring Book by Germaine Arnaktauyok
- Those That Cause Fear
- Way Back Then
- Kiviuq's Journey
