Bird, c. 1980
by Seepie Ipeelie (1904-2000)
Pangnirtung, Nunavut, Canada
soapstone
6” high x 4” long x 7” deep
Prominent Inuit sculptor and carver Seepee Ipellie was born in Pangnirtung (on Baffin Island), Nunavut, Canada. Seepee is the son of the sculptor Nooveya Ipeelie. He began carving during a stay in hospital when he was only fifteen. He attended school for a time in Edmonton, Alberta shortly after and then returned home to Iqaluit (formerly Frobisher Bay), on Baffin Island where he married, raised a family, and lived the rest of his life.
Ipellie’s works have been exhibited widely in Canada and the U.S.A. and featured in several museum exhibitions. His works are in many major museum collections such as the Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago), the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, QC.
