Lucy Tasseor Tutsweetok

Lucy Tasseor Tutsweetok
Ingo Hessel

Biography

Lucy Tasseor Tutsweetok (1934–2012) was a celebrated carver from Nunalla, MB who eventually made Arviat, NU her home and artistic community. Tustweetok grew up with her grandparents, who greatly influenced her art however she did not start carving until she moved to Arviat in the 1960s [1].

Tutsweetok’s sculptures dramatically range in size from the length of a thumb to larger boulders. She worked with basalt and, on occasion, caribou antler—often leaving large portions of the material un-carved and unpolished. Occasionally, Tutsweetok would incised drawings, such as the igloo on the piece Mother and Children (1960), onto her sculptures. Turning her art production into a family affair, her husband, three children and grandchildren frequently assisted with filing and polishing her works [2].

Tutsweetok worked in a semi-abstract style and appears to have preferred carving family or maternal groups. The subtle but definitive faces and limbs within her sculptures follow across the edges of the rock, folding human form into the pre-existing contours of the stone. Tutsweetok’s worked helped to popularize sculpture from Arviat while her emphasis of the natural shape of the stone distinguished her work from her contemporaries [3].

Tutsweetok exhibited nationally and internationally in France, Switzerland and Germany. She has also been written about in the Inuit Art Quarterly and was featured carving near her home in Arviat on the cover of the Winter 2007 issue. Recording the Inuit way of life as she knew it through sculpture was important to Tutsweetok. In particular, Tutsweetok wanted to convey what she referred to as “the old way of life” and the changes she observed happening in her community [4]. Through her work, she hoped to preserve the past for future generations to enjoy, reflect upon and, ultimately, emulate.

Tutsweetok, Lucy Tasseor Lucy Tasseor Tutsweetok était une célèbre sculptrice originaire de Nunalla (Manitoba), qui a fait d’Arviat (Nunavut) son lieu de résidence et sa communauté artistique. Élevée par ses grands-parents, qui ont grandement influé sur sa pratique artistique, Tutsweetok n’a commencé à sculpter qu’à son arrivée à Arviat dans les années 1960. Ses pièces, dont la taille varie d’à peine quelques centimètres à de grosses pierres, font ressortir la forme naturelle tout en laissant de grandes sections non sculptées. Les sculptures semi-abstraites de Tutsweetok représentent des groupes familiaux ou maternels et témoignent des expériences des Inuits pour les générations futures. Tutsweetok a fait la couverture de l’Inuit Art Quarterly, et ses œuvres sont conservées dans plusieurs grandes institutions, notamment le Musée des beaux-arts de l’Ontario à Toronto, le Musée canadien de l’histoire à Gatineau (Québec) et l’Institut culturel inuit à Rankin Inlet (Nunavut).
ᓘᓯ ᑕᓯᐅᕐ ᑐᑦᓱᐃᑦᑐᖅ ᖁᕕᐊᓲᑎᒋᔭᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᑎ ᓄᓇᓪᓚ, ᒫᓂᑐᐸᒥᐅᑕᖅ, ᐊᕐᕕᐊᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᐊᖏᕐᕋᕆᓕᓚᐅᖅᑕᖓ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᑎ ᓄᓇᓕᒥ. ᐱᕈᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᑖᑕᑦᓯᐊᖓᓂ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐋᓈᓇᑦᑎᐊᖓᓂ, ᐱᔾᔪᑎᖃᓗᐊᖅᑕᖏᑦ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᑐᑦᓱᐃᑦᑐᖅ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᕐᕕᐊᓄᑦ ᓅᑎᓪᓗᒍ 1960−ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᑭᓯᐊᓂ. ᑐᑦᓱᐃᑦᑐᖅ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᖏᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᙱᑦᑐᑦ ᑕᑭᓂᖏᑦ ᒥᑭᔪᓂᑦ ᐊᖏᔪᓄᑦ ᐅᔭᖅᑲᓂᒃ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᖃᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᐅᔭᖅᑲᐅᑉ ᓴᓇᓯᒪᙱᑦᑐᓂᑦ. ᑐᑦᓱᐃᑦᑐᖅ ᒪᕐᕉᓕᖓᔪᑦ−ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᐃᑦ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᖃᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᓚᒌᓐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᓯᖓᐃᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᓈᓇᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᖅᑐᒋᑦ ᐃᓕᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓯᕗᕚᕆᔭᐅᔪᒃᓴᓄᑦ. ᑕᑯᔅᓴᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᖄᖓᑕ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᐃᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᑉ ᓄᙳᐊᓂ (Inuit Art Quarterly), ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᖏᑦ ᐱᓯᒪᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᔪᓂ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᖅᓴᕐᕕᓐᓂ, ᐃᓚᒋᓗᒋᑦ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᐃᑦ ᑕᑯᒐᓐᓈᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᐋᓐᑎᐅᕆᔫ, ᑐᕌᓐᑐᒥ, ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᑕᑯᒐᓐᓈᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᐃᑦᑕᕐᓂᑕᐃᑦ, ᒐᑎᓅ, ᑯᐱᒃ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᓕᕆᕝᕕᒃ ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᖅ, ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ.

Artist Work

About Lucy Tasseor Tutsweetok

Medium:

Graphic Arts, Sculpture, Visual Arts

Artistic Community:

Arviat, Nunavut, Inuit Nunangat

Date of Birth:

Artists may have multiple birth years listed as a result of when and where they were born. For example, an artist born in the early twentieth century in a camp outside of a community centre may not know/have known their exact date of birth and identified different years.

Nunalla, MB
1934

Date of Death:

Artists may have multiple dates of death listed as a result of when and where they passed away. Similar to date of birth, an artist may have passed away outside of a community centre or in another community resulting in different dates being recorded.

2012
The Igloo Tag Trademark
The Igloo Tag Trademark is an internationally recognized symbol that denotes handmade, original artwork made by Inuit artists in Canada. Established in 1958, the Trademark is now managed by the Inuit Art Foundation. The appearance of the Igloo Tag on an artist profile means they have had the Trademark applied to their artwork.

Edit History

January 17, 2018 Updated by: Rebecca Gray
October 18, 2017 Created by: Laura Chantal Updated by: Inuit Art Foundation