In partnership with the NEA Big Read Lakeshore, students at our printmaking workshop celebrated the biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands and discussed ocean conservation and preservation in the context of Nathaniel Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea.
On the 200th anniversary of the sinking of the whaleship Essex, we thought about what it means to connect with natural resources rather than simply consume them. We looked at historical and contemporary Inuit & indigenous artists who live in close connection to the ocean and have preserved history, legend, and beauty through their carvings and lithographs of birds and animals.
We drew artistic inspiration from the imaginative designs of pioneering Inuit graphic artist Kenojuak Ashevak, as we designed and cut or carved our own images for screen printing and block printing. Ashevak was one of Canada’s most acclaimed graphic artists, and we love the way her work reflects the playful interaction of light and shadow, water and rock, across the landscape of her home on Baffin Island. For more on Kenojuak Ashevak, check out this short film about her life and work, produced by the National Film Board of Canada:
https://youtu.be/mxGEX4jZSYc
Thanks, NEA Big Read Lakeshore, for your continued inspiration and partnership!
