Triple K Co-operative facts for kids

Triple K Co-operative Incorporated was a special Canadian company run by Native artists. It was based in Red Lake, Ontario and focused on silk-screen art. From 1973 to the early 1980s, Triple K made high-quality, limited edition prints by artists from the Woodland School of Art. Today, it operates as an online and physical art gallery in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Triple K was all about giving Aboriginal artists control over their own art and how it was shown. They wanted to represent themselves fairly, without outside organizations taking advantage. This idea was similar to the goals of the Professional Native Indian Artists Incorporated, also known as the “Indian Group of Seven”, which started around the same time.

The name “Triple K” comes from the last name of the three founders, who were brothers: Joshim Kakegamic, Henry Kakegamic, and Goyce Kakegamic. Besides their own artwork, they also printed editions for other artists like Barry Peters, Paddy Peters, Saul Williams, and their brother-in-law Norval Morrisseau.

How Triple K Started

The idea for Triple K began in 1962 when artist Norval Morrisseau became very popular in the Toronto art world. He was the first Aboriginal artist to have his work shown in a modern art gallery. His bright, unique Ojibwa spiritual images were loved by many, and this led to the creation of the contemporary Woodlands Style of art.

Norval Morrisseau was married to Harriet Kakegamic, who had three brothers: Henry, Joshim, and Goyce Kakegamic. Joshim and Goyce were greatly inspired by Norval Morrisseau and other artists like Daphne Odjig. They started painting as teenagers. By the early 1970s, in their twenties, they were recognized as professional artists themselves.

Why Native Artists Needed Control

In the 1970s, most Native artists were not included in the main art community, except for Norval Morrisseau. Exhibitions of what was then called “Indian art” usually happened in museums or anthropology displays. To change this, Native artists decided to take charge of their own business in the art world. They wanted to control what had become a low-quality, government-run souvenir business for Native art and craft. They also wanted to manage how Native people were seen in Canada.

Artist Daphne Odjig was a key leader in these efforts. In the early 1970s, she helped create Indian Prints of Canada Ltd (1970), which was a print co-operative controlled by Native people. She also opened what was likely the first Aboriginal artist-run ‘Warehouse Gallery’ (1974). In 1973, she started the Professional Native Indian Artists Incorporated, known as the Indian Group of Seven. This group worked together on issues like copyright, art markets, and the politics of the art world at that time.

Opening the Co-operative

In the fall of 1973, following this spirit of change, Joshim, Goyce, and their brother Henry learned printmaking techniques in Toronto. With government support, they opened the Triple K Co-operative Incorporated. It was located in a simple building on Howey Street in Red Lake, Ontario.

In their first year, they made many prints on cloth and paper. Most of the artwork came from Joshim and Goyce Kakegamic. As the artists became more famous and they started printing some works by Norval Morrisseau, it became very important to keep a high standard. So, Triple K decided to only print original limited edition prints. “Original” meant that all prints were made from drawings specifically designed by the artist for the silk-screen process. The artist was also involved in every step of making the print.

From the start, Triple K showed their prints wherever they could. By the end of the 1970s, they had sold their work to forty leading art galleries. From May 15 to June 30, 1977, the Royal Ontario Museum even had an exhibition called “Contemporary Native Art of Canada – Silk screens from the Triple K Co-operative, Red Lake, Ontario.”

Triple K was successful in making high-quality art prints that were both affordable and easy to find. This helped make the art of the involved artists available across Canada and to the international art world. Besides the Kakegamic brothers’ artwork, they also produced prints for other artists like Barry Peters, Paddy Peters, Saul Williams, and Norval Morrisseau.

Triple K helped create a path for Native artists to control their own art. The co-operative disbanded in the early 1980s.

Why Triple K Was Important

Triple K was founded on important ideas: artistic control, self-representation, and self-determination. This meant artists represented themselves and each other on their own terms. They did not want non-Aboriginal organizations to take advantage of them. They were part of a larger movement that created opportunities for artists. This included getting their art into galleries, helping them access fine arts education, and forming Aboriginal artist-run organizations. The Professional Native Indian Artists Incorporated, which started around the same time, was also part of this movement.