Carving began in these communities in the late 1950s, about ten years after the communities of Arctic Quebec and Baffin Island. Generally, the local stone in the western communities is much denser and harder to work than the serpentine of southern Baffin Island.  This has led to a marked difference in regional styles, with many of the artists of the Kivalliq and the Kitikmeot working in an abstract, minimalist style.

 In Baker Lake, Jessie Oonark started producing graphics in 1959, leading to a flourishing graphics program in the 1960s and 1970s. A number of women also produced distinctive wallhangings, using appliqué and embroidery techniques.  In contrast to the spare style of the carvings, the graphics and wallhangings explode with color and dramatic designs.

Like their male counterparts, the women of the western communities tended to favor human subjects -- individual men and women, and mother-and-child compositions -- but there were notable exceptions. Maudie Okittuq of Taloyoak and Peggy Ekagina of Coppermine created fascinating transformation pieces. A shaman by Camille Iquliq of Baker Lake shows how minor physical differences can transform an ordinary man into a powerful spirit.  And the Janet Kigusiuq drawing pictured above is a vibrant landscape.