Pitaloosie Saila: A Personal Journey

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Pitaloosie Saila, "Arctic Madonna," 1980

Pitaloosie Saila, b. 1942. Printed by Simigak Simeonie, 1939-2004. Stonecut and stencil on paper, 60.7 x 71.5 cm. Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Gift of Indian & Northern Affairs, Canada, G-89-1186

Friday, October 27, 7-10pmFree Public Opening7:30pm • Welcome8pm • Artist Q+A with Pitaloosie Saila8:30pm • Book signingJoin us for the opening of Pitaloosie Saila: A Personal Journey. Over the decades this remarkable Cape Dorset artist has created an incredible body of work. Come celebrate Saila’s first retrospective exhibition in a public gallery. Curated by Darlene Coward Wight, WAG Curator of Inuit Art, and Susan Gustavson, Guest Curator.

For over 60 years, Pitaloosie Saila has contributed to the Cape Dorset print collections. She is the sole remaining active artist from the earliest years of printmaking in the community with a remarkable body of work: roughly 1,450 drawings and over 165 prints. The artist is represented in every major museum collection in Canada, and her work is exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally. Saila—along with her late husband Pauta, a distinguished sculptor—was inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 2004. This was her first solo exhibition in a public gallery. Pitaloosie Saila: A Personal Journeyfeatures 32 prints, centred around themes of women and family, shamans, birds, and life experiences.Curated by Darlene Coward Wight and Guest Curator Susan Gustavison

A Personal Journey features 32 prints by Pitaloosie Saila, centred around the themes of women and family, shamans, birds, and life experiences. After 60 extraordinary years Saila continues to produce art in her hometown, having contributed drawings to the prestigious Cape Dorset Print Collection numerous times. She is the sole remaining active artist since the earliest years of printmaking in the community. Saila fearlessly explores the subjects and creative style that make her work unique. Her steadfast belief in the importance of family in the broadest sense and her admiration of female strength are the framework of her artistic expression. The artist has mastered the nuances of various media—be it pencil, felt-tip pen, watercolour, or acrylic paint. Saila’s drawings and prints are represented in every major public art collection in Canada and her work is exhibited extensively nationally and internationally.You’re invited on opening weekend for an afternoon celebrating the artist on

Visit the WAG on Saturday, October 28 for a rare opportunity to hear Saila’s amazing story first-hand at an artist talk in the exhibition space (3-4pm). Entry is included with Gallery admission, free for WAG members.