Nesting Birds by Agnes Nanogak (1925-2001), Inuit

Nesting Birds
by Agnes Nanogak (1925-2001), Inuit
Ulukhaktok (Holman Island), Canada
stonecut and stencil 
10" x 13" framed

Ulukhaktok (Holman Island) graphic artist and printmaker, Agnes Nanogak Goose was born on November 12th, 1925 in an encampment on Baillie Island northwest of Paulatuk, Northwest Territories. Born and raised in the Western Arctic, Agnes's parents and her early life on the land, greatly influenced her work. 

Agnes's work was first introduced in the 1967 Holman Print Collection, and she later became one of the most prolific artists out of Ulukhaktok along with artists such as Helen Kalvak (1901–1984). Nanogak Goose was known for creating dynamic works that captured the activity and movement of her community.

Mural (1971–1972) is a large-scale work that Nanogak Goose originally created for the Northern Images store in Yellowknife, NT and is now part of the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s permanent collection. The work contains several small scenes each containing two or three figures involved in an activity such as fishing, hunting or playing games. Each activity within the scene tells a different story and taken together create a sense of her community involvement.

Nanogak Goose also translated oral storytelling and memories into visual scenes. Some of her work was used as a visual accompaniment to written stories such as in John MacDonald’s “Tauvijjuaq: The Great Darkness,” written for the Summer 1993 issue of Inuit Art Quarterly.

Nanogak Goose also produced two books, Tales from the Igloo (1972) and More Tales from the Igloo (1986).

Nanogak Goose’s work was included in every Holman Print Collection between 1966 and the 1990s, with her producing over 200 prints in her lifetime. Her work was exhibited extensively across Canada and abroad and is housed in many major collections and institutions worldwide such as the National Art Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, ON, and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, TX, USA. In 1985, Nanogak Goose received an honorary degree from Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, for her contribution to the arts. Her work appeared in many publications including numerous times in the Inuit Art Quarterly.

Agnes Nanogak died on May 5, 2001.