Sakkataaq Zawadski

Sakkataaq Zawadski is an Inuk artist from Kangiqliniq (Rankin Inlet), NU. Zawadski’s business handle is Rolling Stone Beads and her work can be found on Instagram @rollingstonebeads. She is a skilled emerging artist with a great eye for colour combinations and unique patterns. Zawadski has learned a great deal about her craft from her relatives and attributes some of that knowledge sharing to her aunt, academic researcher and former contributor to the IAQ, Krista Zawadski. She learned fish skin tanning in her community with her mother and how to work with antler, baleen and skins to create her centres (cabs) for her bead embroidery earrings from her aunt, uncle, and father.  

In March 2023 Zawadski collaborated with another Inuk artist across the circumpolar North with fellow jeweller, Levi Mequ to create sets of earrings that were started by one jeweller, and sent to the other for completion. The two artists worked over four months to complete the IAQ artist project. Zawadski’s work ranges from original contemporary jewellery designs to incorporating more traditional colour schemes and patterns from her region as exemplified in her artist project pieces. She finds inspiration from a lot of places, the artist notes that “the land here inspires me a lot.” Referring to Kangiqliniq, but she also finds inspiration from Inuit storytelling. In 2022 she was drawn to the Inuit story about the origins of the sun and moon and created a pair of earrings called “Sun and Moon” based on that legend.  

Zawadski finds the work of other Inuit beaders on Instagram inspiring and admires artist Ikirasaq from Nunatsiavut and Beadwork by JJ artist, Jaqueline Lafrance, who creates beautiful large beaded necklaces and sells primarily on Instagram. Zawadski notes that these two artists work with seal skin is what inspired her to begin working with skins. Working with natural materials is very important to Zawadski, she notes that “It's it's like a therapy for me and so is cutting antler and working with it. I just feel very good after I do it.”

This Profile was made possible through support from RBC Emerging Artists.