father of Thomassiapik, Simiuni and Akinsie Sivuarapik and brother of Mina Matt--------------Sivuarapik, Charlie (Sheeguapik), sculptor (b near Povungnituk, Qué about 1911; d 26 Sept 1968 of tuberculosis). Prohibited by ill health from participating in the hunting economy, he was rescued from abject poverty by his carving skill, but he benefited only briefly from the escalation in INUIT ART prices during the 1960s. A perfectionist, he studied his own anatomy and produced powerful, elegantly realistic hunters with their prey. He was the first Inuk member of the Sculptors Society of Canada, and was a founding member and first president (1958-67) of the Povungnituk Co-operative Society.----------including Charlie Sivuarapik, the first Inuit member of the Sculpture Society of Canada. ------In 1958, working closely with artist Charlie Sivuarapik, Father Andre Steinmann encouraged residents to form the Carvers Association of Povungnituk, also known as the Povungnituk Sculptors Society, which later became the Co-Operative Association of Povungnituk. ------------- THOMASSIAPIK SIVUARAPIK (SIVUARAPI; TAMUSIAPIK; KAJULA; TAMUSI;  TAOWSIAPIR; T. APIK; THOMASSIE) Born: June 11, 1941 Male E9-1462 Resides: Puvirnituq Sculpture, Crafts, Prints Thomassiapik Sivuarapik was born on June 11, 1941 in a small camp about  ten miles south of Puvirnituq. He lives there with his wife Lizzie, also an  accomplished carver, and their four children. Two men who had particular  influence on Thomassiapik's artistic development were his father, Charlie  Sivuarapik, and his uncle, Isah Qumalu Sivuarapi. Both of these well-known  carvers encouraged Thomassiapik from an early age to translate into stone, the various animal and figurative images in his mind's eye. Charlie was an  instrumental force in establishing the Povungnituk Sculptors Society;  Thomassiapik continued this family tradition of community leadership by acting as a spokesperson for such important issues as establishing a hospital in the  region, and the James Bay Agreement.   Preferring to carve outdoors in his spacious light-filled tent,  Thomassiapik reveals his intimate knowledge of animal anatomy by his adherence to precise detail. He is frequently frustrated by the poor quality of stone  available, and consequently, devotes many hours on hard-to-work areas in order to attain the desired highly-polished surface. Thomassiapik also incorporates other materials such as antler, bone, and small inlays of ivory into his  carvings. His individual pieces are as rich in texture as is his range of  subject matter, which includes bears, birds, otters, seals, walrus, Inuit  women and occasionally subjects from mythology; the latter are usually  variations on the legends of giants. Thomassiapik's carvings depict the old  ways of his culture, the realities of living in the northern environment, and  things learned directly from his experience as a hunter.   In 1967, Thomassiapik was chosen by the local cooperative to represent the sculptors of Puvirnituq at Expo '67 in Montreal; he demonstrated carving  techniques for four months in the Canadian Pavilion. He has been down south  several times since that time. On one trip in May 1978, Thomassiapik had the  unique opportunity to meet the last surviving member of the Group of Seven,  A.J.Casson.    G. Mainprize & P. Brooks, interview with artist, Puvirnituq, September 1981.  M. Myers, interview with artist, May 1985.   Thomassiapik is the brother of Simiuni and Akinsie Sivuarapik.  EXHIBITIONS: 1967 The Eskimo Art Collection of the Toronto-Dominion Bank  Toronto-Dominion Bank  Toronto, Ontario (tour) (illustrated catalogue) 1967 Eskimo Art in Northern Quebec presented by La Federation des  Cooperatives du Nouveau-Quebec  at "Man and His World"  Montreal, Quebec (illustrated catalogue) 1975 [Inuit Art Exhibition] Man and His World  Montreal, Quebec 1978 [Inuit Art Exhibition] The Bay  Calgary, Alberta 1979 [Inuit Art Exhibition] Juliane Gallery of Fine Art  Willowdale, Ontario April - June 1980 The Abbott Collection of Inuit Art Winnipeg Art Gallery  Winnipeg, Manitoba (catalogue) August 1983 Carvings from the Hudson Bay Region Arctic Artistry  Hartsdale, New York, U.S.A. December 1983 Artists of Arctic Quebec Inuit Gallery of Vancouver  Vancouver, British Columbia (illustrated catalogue) July 1984 Treasures from Canada's Arctic Heritage Place  Uxbridge, Ontario December 1984 Takamit - Canadian Eskimo Art: Selections from Private Collections and the Government  of Canada  Organized by La Federation des Cooperatives  du Nouveau-Quebec and the Jane Voorhees  Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University  New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.A. (illustrated brochure) January - Feb 1986 Inuit: Eskimo Art of Arctic Canada Miharudo Gallery  Mejiro, Japan August 1986 Arctic Quebec Sculpture Inuit Gallery of Vancouver  Vancouver, British Columbia (illustrated catalogue) Nov 1987 - Jan 1988 Inuitkonst fran Kanada - skulptor och grafik  Millesgarden  Lidingo, Sweden (illustrated catalogue) 1988 - 1990 Stories in Stone: Soapstone Sculptures From Northern Quebec and Kenya  La Federation des Cooperatives du  Nouveau-Quebec  Montreal, Quebec (tour) (illustrated catalogue) January - Feb 1989 The Art of the Eskimo Newman Galleries  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. June 1989 Masters of the Arctic: An Exhibition of Contemporary Inuit Masterworks  Presented by the Amway Corporation  at the United Nations General Assembly  New York, New York, U.S.A. (tour) (illustrated catalogue) June - August 1991 Aux frontieres de l'imaginaire inuit Galerie du Trait-Carre  Charlesbourg, Quebec (illustrated brochure) Oct 1992 - Mar 1993 Inuit Ivories from the Collection Winnipeg Art Gallery  Winnipeg, Manitoba (illustrated brochure) 1993 - 1993 Arts from the Arctic Anchorage Museum of History and Art  Anchorage, Alaska (tour) (illustrated catalogue) SOLO EXHIBITIONS: 1973 [Thomassiapik Sivuarapik] Juliane Galleries of Fine Art  Toronto, Ontario 1979 [Thomassiapik Sivuarapik] The Bay  Calgary, Alberta 1980 [Thomassiapik Sivuarapik] The Bay  Calgary, Alberta 1981 [Thomassiapik Sivuarapik] Enook Gallery  Waterloo, Ontario 1982 [Thomassiapik Sivuarapik] Juliane Galleries of Fine Art  Toronto, Ontario 1983 [Thomassiapik Sivuarapik] Wilson Art Centre  Rochester, New York, U.S.A. 1984 [Thomassiapik Sivuarapik] Juliane Galleries of Fine Art  Toronto, Ontario COLLECTIONS: Amway Environmental Foundation Collection, Ada, Michigan, U.S.A.  Avataq Cultural Institute, Montreal, Quebec  Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Quebec  Dennos Museum Center, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, Michigan, U.S.A.  Ministere des affaires culturelles du Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec  Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario  Saputik Museum, Povungnituk, Quebec  Toronto-Dominion Bank Collection, Toronto, Ontario  Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Banff, Alberta  Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba  HONOURS, ACHIEVEMENTS and EVENTS: 1961 Participated in the Povungnituk experimental graphic workshop. 1967 Chosen by the Povungnituk Cooperative to represent them at Expo '67 in Montreal. 1978 Attended the Fairview Mall Shopping Centre's annual arts and crafts show in Don Mills, Ontario, which was sponsored by the Merchant's Association and Julianne Galleries of Fine Art Ltd. SELECTED REFERENCES: CEAC [Canadian Eskimo Arts Council]  TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW WITH THOMASSIAPIK SIVUARAPIK AND NUTARALUK IYAITUK: Interviewed by Marybelle Myers, translation by AliTulugak on May 1, 1985 in Povungnituk, Artic Quebec. Ottawa : Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, 1985. Eisemon, Thomas Owen  STORIES IN STONE = LA PIERRE RACONTE: Soapstone Sculptures from Northern Quebec and Kenya = Sculptures de steatite du Nouveau-Quebec et du Kenya. Ottawa: La Federation des Cooperatives du Nouveau-Quebec and The Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1988. Institute of Alaska Native Arts  ARTS FROM THE ARCTIC: An Exhibition of Circumpolar Art by Indigenous Artists from Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Sapmi (Lapland), Russia. Presented by Institute of Alaska Native Arts and Anchorage Museum of History and Art, copyright Institute of Alaska Native Arts, 1993. Inuit Gallery of Vancouver  ARCTIC QUEBEC SCULPTURE. Vancouver, B.C. : Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, 1986. Inuit Gallery of Vancouver  ARTISTS OF ARCTIC QUEBEC. Vancouver: Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, 1983. Toronto-Dominion Bank  THE ESKIMO ART COLLECTION OF THE TORONTO-DOMINION BANK. Toronto: The Toronto-Dominion Bank, 1967. (c) Inuit Art Section, INAC 1995 

Exhibitions

• Arctic Travel, Winnipeg Art Gallery
• Arctic Wildlife: The Art of the Inuit, Musee des Beaux-Arts de Montreal
• By the Light of the Qulliq: Eskimo Life in the Canadian Arctic, Smithsonian Institution, A travelling exhibition of Inuit art from the Feheley Collection
• Canadian Sculptors of the Arctic, National Gallery of Canada
• Eskimo Art in Northern Quebec, presented by La Federation des Cooperatives du Nouveau-Quebec at "Man and His World"
• Eskimo Narrative, Winnipeg Art Gallery
• Granville Island Canadian Inuit Sculpture Exhibition (second exhibition), Vancouver Inuit Art Society
• Hudson's Bay Company Collection of Inuit Art, Winnipeg Art Gallery
• Inuit Art From the Glenbow Collection, Glenbow Museum
• Inuit Art: Tradition and Regeneration, Canadian Museum of Civilization
• Inuit Ivories from the Collection, Winnipeg Art Gallery
• Les Inuit du Nouveau-Quebec, Musee du Quebec
• Povungnituk, Winnipeg Art Gallery
• The Bessie Bulman Collection, Winnipeg Art Gallery
• The Swinton Collection of Inuit Art, Winnipeg Art Gallery
• Winnipeg Collects: Inuit Art from Private Collections, Winnipeg Art Gallery

Collections

• Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
• Art Gallery of Windsor, Windsor
• Art Gallery of York University, Downsview
• Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec, Montreal
• Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull
• Eskimo Museum, Churchill
• Glenbow Museum, Calgary
• James and Mary Jack Collection, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana
• Musee Amerindien et Inuit de Godbout, Godbout
• Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal, Montreal
• National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
• Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg