Mother and Child Drumming
Region: Coral Harbour (Salliq)
Provenance:
The Jerry Litman Collection, Kenora;
By descent to present Private Collection, Winnipeg
As a resident of Kenora and later Winnipeg, Dr. Jerry Litman (1928 - 2020) brought a genuine excitement to collecting works of Indigenous art that reflected the communities in which he worked. Dr. Litman practiced as a dentist in remote areas of Ontario and Manitoba where there was limited access to dental services, and worked with Indigenous communities in these areas.
It was through this work that Litman encountered many remarkable artists, including Josh Kakegamic and Norval Morrisseau. With an eye for quality and a love for these flourishing art movements, Dr. Litman collected over 250 paintings by First Nations and Inuit artists.
Much of the Litman collection has been dispersed among museums and university collections close to the family's heart, notably the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and "The Muse" - Douglas Family Art Centre in Kenora.
Leo Napayuk
Leo Napayuk is a sculptor and ceramic artist originally from Salliq (Coral Harbour), Nunavut, now based in Kangiqliniq (Rankin Inlet). He was raised by parents who were both artists and came to his practice early, beginning with stone carving. He initially worked in softer stones using hand tools such as chisels and hacksaws before utilizing power tools in later years. He has also carved in whalebone, depicting people and animals. Napayuk has fond memories of trapping on the land with his father and incorporates traditional imagery and activities into his work.
Napayuk began working with clay after moving to Rankin Inlet, learning through the Matchbox Gallery under instructor Jim Shirley. He adapted his drawing and carving skills to clay using an incising technique that creates a bas-relief effect, similar to his approach in stone. He was the first artist to use this technique at the Matchbox Gallery studio. Napayuk works intuitively without drawings or models, carving one figure at a time into the larger clay form, with the shape of each previous figure guiding the next.
Napayuk has produced collaborative works with his peers at the Matchbox Gallery. In 2017, the touring exhibition Earthlings included collaborative pieces by Napayuk, Roger Aksadjuak, Shuvinai Ashoona, Pierre Aupilardjuk, Shary Boyle, Jessie Kenalogak, and John Kurok. The exhibition was shown at the Esker Foundation in Calgary, the Doris McCarthy Gallery in Toronto, and the Nanaimo Art Gallery. His work is held in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada and the Gardiner Museum.
