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KALVAK, Helen

Born
Tahiryuak Lake, Northwest Territories, 1901
Died
Holman, Northwest Territories, 1984
Biography synopsis
Helen Kalvak (Kalvakadlak or Kralvak) was born near Tahiryuak Lake, on Victoria Island and moved into a settlement on Holman Island in 1960. During her childhood, she learned Inuit folklore, spiritual healing, and hunting from her parents, Aluksit and Ingataomik. She was first encouraged to draw in 1962 by Father Henry Tardy, an Oblate missionary who introduced graphic arts to the Holman community. She also received instruction from a teacher at the Co-operative. Between 1962 and 1978, Kalvak made more than 1,800 drawings. Most of her drawings represent Inuit life and women as healers, shape shifters and sorcerers. Her first print retrospective was held at the Canadian Guild of Craft in 1968 and two years later an exhibition of her drawings was held at the same place. Her work was included in several Inuit exhibitions, such as “The Coming and Going of the Shaman” in 1978 and “The Inuit Amautik” in 1980, both held at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. In 1975, she was elected member of the Canadian Royal Academy of Arts and nearly four years later she became a member of the Order of Canada. Kalvak's prints are part of the collections of the Toronto Dominion Bank, the Museum of Civilization, the Amon Carter Museum and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Her granddaughter, Julie Manoyok Ekpakohak, is a contemporary artist.
Media used
Drawing
Printmaking
Education
Holman Eskimo Co-operative (under Rev. Father Henry Tardy)
Memberships
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, 1975
Order of Canada, 1978
File & Archive locations
University of Calgary Library, AB
Edmonton Art Gallery, AB - Library
University of British Columbia - Fine Arts Library
Winnipeg Art Gallery, MA - Clara Lander Library
National Gallery of Canada, ON - Library and Archives
Art Gallery of Ontario - Edward P. Taylor Research Library and Archives
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts / Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, QC
Vancouver Art Gallery, BC - Library
Canadian Women Artists History Initiative Documentation Centre, QC
Canadian Museum of Civilization Archives, QC
Library and Archives Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, ON
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Writings about
Biographies of Inuit Artists, Volumes One and Two. Ottawa: Canadian Arctic Producers, Arctic Co-operatives Limited, 1984
"Artist Member of Order." News of the North (Jan. 1979)
"At Almost 70 Kalvak Became an Artist." Edmonton Journal 14 Mar. 1969
"Clutesi-Kalvak Preserving Legends." Trentonian (24 Jun. 1977)
"Eskimo Artist Visits City With 'ulu' Show." Edmonton Journal 2 Mar. 1968
"Helen Kalvak, Holman Island, NWT." Quintana Galleries: Indigenous Art 2010
http://www.quintanagalleries.com/htmls/artists/pages/Artists-713.htm
"Holman Artists: Film, Grant and Exhibition." Inuvialuit (Fall 1982): 18-19
"Inuit Artist - Tired But Alert." News/North (28 Nov. 1980)
"Kalvak, Helen, 1984." Globe and Mail (10 May 2005): S9
"Leading Inuit Artist, Helen Kalvak Dies." Ottawa Citizen (10 May 1984)
"Obituaries: Helen Kalvak." Canadian News Facts 1984
"Pioneer Inuit Artists Honored." Winnipeg Free Press (6 Feb. 1987): 31
"Special Tribute to Inuit Artists." Vancouver Sun (7 Feb. 1987): H10
Arctic Circle. The Story Tellers of Holman Island: A Retrospective Exhibition of Rare Stonecut Prints From 1968-1979. Los Angeles: The Arctic Circle, 1984
Arts and Culture of the North (Organization). Arts and Culture of the North, Volumes 17-26. Madison, Wisconsin: Arts and Culture of the North, 1984
Ayre, Robert. "This North Vision Remains as Vital." Montreal Star (18 Oct. 1969)
Berlo, Janet Catherine. "Drawing and Printmaking at Holman." Inuit Art Quarterly 10 (Fall 1995): 22-30
Berlo, Janet Catherine. "Helen Kalvak." St. James Guide to Native North American Artists. Detroit: St. James Press, 1997
Blodgett, Jean. Eskimo Narrative. Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1979
Blodgett, Jean. The Coming and Going of the Shaman: Eskimo Shamanism and Art. Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1978
Blodgett, Jean. The Coming and Going of the Shaman: Eskimo Shamanism and Art. Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1978
Burgess, Helen. "Eskimo Art From Holman." North 13.3 (May/June 1966): 12-16
Burgess, Helen. "Eskimo Legends Told in Art Net $10,000." Globe and Mail (26 Jan. 1966)
Bushman, Leo. Kalvak. Calgary: University of Calgary, 1975
Bushman, Leo. "Eskimo Art." Art Education 23.2 (Feb. 1970): 14-18
Bushman, Leo. "Holman Island Art Evolves." Information North (Winter 1986): 7-8
Bushman, Leo. "Kalvak (1901-1984)." Arctic: Journal of the Arctic Institute of North America 41.1 (March 1988): 72-74
Canadian Arctic Producers Limited. Shamans and Spirits: Myths and Medical Symbolism in Eskimo Art. Ottawa: National Museum of Man, 1977-1982
Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art. Helen Kalvak 2010
http://www.ccca.ca/artists/artist_info.html?languagePref=en&link_id=5253&artist=Helen+Kalvak
Clifford E. Lee Collection of Prints. Inuit Games and Contests. Edmonton, Alberta: University of Alberta Press, 1978
Collinson, Helen et al. Inuit Games and Contests: The Clifford E. Lee Collection of Prints. Edmonton, Alberta: University of Alberta Press, 1978
Colombo, John Robert. Colombo's Canadian References. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1976
Condon, Richard G. & Ogina, Julia. The Northern Copper Inuit: A History. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1996
Cook, Sharon Anne, et al., eds. Framing Our Past: Canadian Women's History in the 20th Century. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2001
Crandall, Richard C. Inuit Art: A History. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2000
Desjardins, Marie-Paule. Dictionnaire biographique des femmes célèbres et rémarquables de notre histoire. Montréal: Guérin, 2007
Driscoll, Bernadette. Inuit Myths, Legends and Songs. Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1982
Driscoll, Bernadette. Kalvak/Emerak Memorial Catalogue. Holman Island: Holman Eskimo Co-op, 1987
Driscoll-Engelstad, Bernadette. The Inuit Amautik: I Like My Hood to Be Full. Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1980
Friesen, John W. & Virginia Lyons. Canadian Aboriginal Art and Spirituality. Calgary: Detselig Enterprises, 2006
Furneaux, Patrick & Rosshandler, Leo. Arts of the Eskimos: Prints. Montreal: Signum Press and Oxford University Press, 1974
Government of Canada. Canadian Aboriginal Art at the Senate. Ottawa: Government of Canada, 2007
Gray, Philip Howard. Directory of Eskimo Artists in Sculpture and Prints. Bozeman, Montana: Philip Howard Gray, 1974
Great Plains Instructional Television Library et al. Kalvak. Lincoln, Nebraska: Great Plains Instructional Television Library, 1970
Halpern, Joel Martin. Perspectives on Inuit Culture: A Five College Symposium and Art Exhibit, April 4-14, 1988. Michigan: Five College Canadian Studies Program, 1989
Heller, Jules and Nancy. North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century. New York: Garland, 1995.
Hessel, Ingo and Dieter. Inuit Art: An Introduction. Michigan: Harry N. Abrams, 1998
Hobson, George D. "Helen Kalvak: 1901-1984 (Obit.)." Musk-ox 33 (Winter 1983): 94
Holman Eskimo Cooperative. Annual Holman Island Print Catalogues: 1965-1985. Holman Island: Holman Eskimo Cooperative, 1985
Holman Eskimo Cooperative. Eskimo Graphic Art, 1968: Kalvak, Ohoveluk, Nanogak, Papidluk. Holman Island, Northwest Territories: Holman Eskimo Cooperative, 1968
Howell, David. "Life & Times: Father Henri Tardu Helped a Hamlet in N.W.T. Show its Art to the World." Edmonton Journal (3 Mar. 2004): B1
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. Inuit Art Bibliography. Ottawa: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 1992
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. The Western Arctic Claim: A Guide to the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. Ottawa: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 1984
International Tele-Film Enterprises. Kalvak. Toronto: International Tele-Film Enterprises, 1975
Inuit Art Foundation. "The Artist: Kalvak, Helen." Inuit Art Alive 2010
http://www.inuitartalive.ca/index_e.php?p=195
Jackson, Marion E. & Judith Nasby. Contemporary Inuit Drawings. Guelph, Ontario: MacDonald Stewart Art Centre, 1987
Jackson, Marion Elizabeth ed. Patiently I Sing: Selections From the Tyler/Brooks Collection of Inuit Art. Ottawa: Carleton University Art Gallery, 1994
Jerusalem Artists' House Museum. Polar Vision: Canadian Eskimo Graphics. Jerusalem: Na'amat, 1978
La Fédération des Coopératives du Nouveau-Québec. Povungnituk 1973 Prints/Estampes. La Fédération des Coopératives du Nouveau-Québec, 1973
Laliberté, Norman & Mogelon, Alex. Silhouettes, Shadows and Cutouts: History and Modern Use. Michigan: Reinhold Book Corp, 1968
Larmour, W.T. Inuit: The Art of the Canadian Eskimo. Ottawa: Indian and Northern Development, 1967
Lester, Patrick D. "Kalvak, Helen: Inuit." The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters. University of Oklahoma Press, 1995
Lipton, Barbara. Arctic Vision: Art of the Canadian Inuit: A Traveling Exhibition. Canadian Arctic Producers, 1984
MacDonald, Colin S. The Dictionary of Canadian Artists. (Volumes 1-8 by Colin S. MacDonald, and volume 9 by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker) Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 2009.
Matuz, Roger. St. James Guide to Native North American Artists. Detroit: St. James Press, 1998
McDougall, Anne. Canadian Encyclopedia Online. Historical Foundation, 2009
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tobie-thelma-steinhouse
McGrath, Robin. "More than Meets the Eye: The Clothing Motif in Inuit Legends and Art." Inuit Art Quarterly 8.4 (Winter 1993): 16-23
McMann, Evelyn de Rostaing. Royal Canadian Academy of Arts/Académie royale des arts du Canada: Exhibitions and Members 1880-1979 Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1981
McMaster, Gerald et al. In the Shadow of the Sun: Perspectives on Contemporary Native Art. Hull, Quebec: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1993
Métayer, Maurice. Contes de mon iglou. Québec: Ministère des richesses naturelles, 1972
Metayer, Maurice & Nanogak, Agnes (ill.). Tales From the Igloo. Edmonton, Alberta: Hurtig, 1972
Minion, Robin. Inuit Art and Artists. Edmonton, Alberta: Boreal Institute for Northern Studies, 1986
Moore, Charles. "The Strong Hand of a Master: Helen Kalvak." Friends (Winter 1990)
National Museum of Man. The Inuit Print. Ottawa: National Museum of Man, 1977-1982
Newlands, Anne. Canadian Paintings, Prints and Drawings Buffalo, New York and Richmond Hill: Firefly Books, 2007
Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery. The Jacqui and Morris Shumiatcher Collection of Inuit Artists. Regina, Saskatchewan: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, 1981
Okpik, Abraham. Abraham Okpik's Inuit Oral History Collection. Riveredge Foundation, 1979
Ray, Dorothy J. & Thomson, Jane S. "A Legacy of Arctic Art (Review)." Arctic 51.2 (Jun. 1998): 173
Sabat, Christina. "Visual Arts in Review." Daily Gleaner (21 Feb. 1981)
Sorensten, Art. "At Almost 70 Kalvak Became an Artist." Edmonton Journal (14 Mar. 1969)
Souchotte, Sandra. "Inuit Art: A Fantastic Arctic Success Story." Northwest Explorer 4.4 (Autumn 1985): 6-20
Sweetman, Randy. "Kalvak." Arctic in Colour 6.2 (1978)
Swinton, George. "Kalvak/Emerak Memorial Portfolio." Inuit Art Quarterly 2.2 (Spring 1987): 12-13
Tardy, Henri. "The Birth of the Cooperative at Holman Island." Inuit Art Quarterly 16.2 (Summer 2001): 26-29
Taylor, P. & Lord, J. Barry. Arctic Values '65. St. John, New Brunswick: New Brunswick Museum, 1965
Uglow, Jennifer S. & Hendry, Maggy. "Helen Kalvak." The Northeastern Dictionary of Women's Biography. Northeastern University Press, 1999
Van Raalte, Sharon. "Inuit Women and Their Art." Communiqué (Apr. 1975): 21-23
Wight, Darlene Coward. "The Inuit Sea Goddess." Inuit Art Quarterly 14.2 (Summer 1999): 34-35
Wright, Darlene Coward. Holman: Forty Years of Graphic Art. Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2002
Wright, Darlene Coward. "Holman: Forty Years of Graphic Art." Inuit Art Quarterly 16.2 (Summer 2001): 42-45

Writings by
Nanogak, Agnes & Kalvak, Helen et al. "Inuit Women Artists." Feminist Studies 10.1 (Spring 1984): 84-96

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