Kingmeata Etidlooie facts for kids
Kingmeata Etidlooie (1915–1989) was an amazing Indigenous artist. She was an Inuit sculptor, drawer, and printmaker. Her artwork often showed birds and animals from the Arctic.
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About Kingmeata Etidlooie
Her name can be spelled in a few ways. You might see it as Kingmeata, Kingmeeatta, or Etidloie. This is common for Indigenous names.
Her Early Life
Kingmeata was born in a place called Itinik Camp. This camp was near what is now Kimmirut, Nunavut. For the first half of her life, she lived in camps along the south coast of Baffin Island. This was a traditional way of life for many Inuit people.
Becoming an Artist
Kingmeata started making art in the late 1950s. She began drawing and carving after a difficult time in her life. In the mid-1960s, she moved to a settlement called Kinngait. This place is also known as Cape Dorset.
After moving to Kinngait, she joined the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative. This group helps Inuit artists share and sell their work. Her second husband, Etidlooie Etidlooie, who was also an artist, joined with her.
Kingmeata was one of the first artists at West Baffin to use paint. Her early drawings were known for looking like paintings. She even received watercolor and acrylic paint sets from other artists. Between 1970 and 1989, more than fifty of her prints were published. She loved contributing to the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative's painting studio, which started in 1976. Her children, Etulu Etidlui, Omalluq Oshutsiaq, Pukaluk Etungat, and Kellypalik Etidlooie, also became sculptors.
Her Artistic Style
Kingmeata's art is known for being well-structured. She mostly featured birds and animals in her works. As she started using drawings, paintings, and prints, her art showed rich, bright colors. Her compositions were also very formal and balanced. You can see this in her early 1980s prints. Two examples are Birds Share A Fish and Lake Trout Near Our Camp.
Where Her Art Is Kept
You can find Kingmeata Etidlooie's artworks in many important places. These include the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Her art is also held by the Canada Council Art Bank and the Canadian Museum of History.
