Dorset Fine Arts

Dorset Fine Arts is the wholesale marketing division of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative, established in Toronto in 1978. The Co-operative itself is based in Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Nunavut, and is unique among Arctic co-operatives for its focus on the arts and artists of the community. Dorset Fine Arts was created to develop and serve the market for Inuit fine art produced by the artist members of the Co-operative, acting as the commercial bridge between the remote studio in Kinngait and galleries around the world. The organization is best known for the Cape Dorset Annual Print Collection, which has been released every year since 1959. In addition to prints, the Co-operative represents many acclaimed sculptors and graphic artists. Sales and exhibitions of prints, drawings and sculptures are made through the Dorset Fine Arts showroom in Toronto to galleries around the world. Dorset Fine Arts does not sell directly to the public; instead, it works with a network of galleries, and interested buyers are directed to contact a listed gallery for pricing and availability. Beyond the annual print collection, Dorset Fine Arts supports drawing and carving programs in Kinngait. Drawings were historically used as source imagery for the print program, and in 1992 over 100,000 drawings purchased over 35 years were delivered to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection outside Toronto for documentation and care. In recent years, under studio manager Bill Ritchie, a revitalized drawing program has encouraged artists to explore their own vision. Carving has deep roots in the region, with Inuit artists working in stone, bone and ivory for thousands of years before the commercial art market developed in the late 1940s. Dorset Fine Arts also works with licensed partners such as Pomegranate, Canadian Art Prints and Winn Devon Art Group Inc., and Oscardo, extending the reach of Inuit art into posters, prints, gifts, apparel and home goods. The organization remains active, promoting new collections, exhibitions and calendars, and maintaining a strong presence through its Toronto showroom and Instagram account.

Dorset Fine Arts was established in Toronto in 1978 as the wholesale marketing division of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative. The Co-operative is based in Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Nunavut, and is unique among the Arctic Co-operatives for its focus on the arts and artists of the community. Dorset Fine Arts was created to develop and serve the market for Inuit fine art produced by the artist members of the Co-operative. The roots of the commercial Inuit art market in Cape Dorset go back to the late 1940s, when James Houston encouraged Inuit art as a commercial enterprise. The Annual Graphics Collection from Cape Dorset has been released since 1959, and the Co-operative also represents many acclaimed sculptors and graphic artists. In the 1950s, James Houston introduced the traditional Japanese woodblock practice of Ukiyo-e, where an artist's drawing is given to a master printer to create a print edition. This method required a good stock of drawings, and the newly established West Baffin Eskimo Co-op distributed papers and pencils to anyone in the community interested in trying their hand at it. Over the decades, Dorset Fine Arts has served as the commercial bridge between the remote studio in Kinngait and galleries around the world. Sales and exhibitions of prints, drawings and sculptures are made through the Dorset Fine Arts showroom in Toronto to galleries around the world. In 1992, over 100,000 drawings purchased over 35 years were delivered to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection outside Toronto to be properly documented and cared for. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the public took a moderate interest in drawings, with limited galleries promoting them. Only since the last decade has public interest in contemporary Inuit drawings grown. Coinciding with this interest, the studio, under the direction of studio manager Bill Ritchie, began a revitalized drawing program encouraging artists to explore their own vision and express their reality and unique perspective of their place in Canada. Through the introduction of different media and larger paper, the artists have flourished. Carving has an even longer history in the region. The native peoples of the far north have been making artworks out of bone, stone or ivory for thousands of years. Most of the earliest carvings were utilitarian objects and tools that were decorated and often embellished with figurative imagery. Later the Inuit began trading small carvings of animals and other representational pieces with European whalers and other travelers. It wasn't until the late 1940s, following the impetus of James Houston, that Inuit art began to be encouraged as a commercial enterprise. Today, Dorset Fine Arts continues to market the work of Kinngait artists through its Toronto showroom and licensed partners such as Pomegranate, Canadian Art Prints and Winn Devon Art Group Inc., and Oscardo. The organization does not sell directly to the public; instead, it works with a network of galleries worldwide.

• 1992

  Over 100,000 drawings purchased over 35 years delivered to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.

• 1978

  Dorset Fine Arts established in Toronto as the wholesale marketing division of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative.

• 1959

  The Annual Graphics Collection from Cape Dorset begins annual release.

Wholesale art marketing division and gallery liaison for Inuit fine art from Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Nunavut.

• Cape Dorset Annual Print Collection

  Annual collection of limited edition prints released since 1959.

• Inuit Art Calendar

  Annual calendar featuring Inuit art; 2027 edition available.

• Drawings

  Original drawings by Kinngait artists, primarily graphite, pen and coloured pencil.

• Sculptures

  Stone, bone and ivory carvings by Inuit artists.

1. 1DORSET FINE ARTSdorsetfinearts.com
2. 2Drawing in Cape Dorset — DORSET FINE ARTSdorsetfinearts.com
3. 3LICENSED PARTNERS — DORSET FINE ARTSdorsetfinearts.com
4. 4Carving in Cape Dorset — DORSET FINE ARTSdorsetfinearts.com
5. 5Dorset Fine Artswikidata.org