The Jessie Oonark Centre is a local gallery in Baker Lake that displays all local talent from the town. The centre was named in honour of Jessie Oonark (1906-1985), Baker Lake’s most famous artist.

She learned to work in fabric and on paper and produced many appliqué tapestries, drawings, and prints. Her distinctive style using bold, flat areas of colour is evocative of traditional Inuit sewing techniques.

Elected as a Member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1975, and named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1984, Jessie Oonark was one of the true pioneers of Inuit art and her works are internationally known.

There are many different art forms to explore in the centre and admire such as black soapstone, jewelry, silk-screened prints and clothing, tote-bags, carvings, handmade tools, and stitched and appliquéd wall hangings.

Photo: inuitartfoundation.org; Richard D. Mohr, arcticjournal.ca