Born: April 25, 1908 Female
Place of Birth: Amadjuak
Died: June 7, 1982
Resided: Cape Dorset; also lived in Keatuk, Ikigarsak, and Kanayok camps
Sculpture, Drawings, Prints, Printmaking

Mary Qayuaryuk was married to the carver Kopapik 'A' (1923-1969). She and her husband lived a traditional life in camps before settling in Cape Dorset in 1966. She experimented with both drawing and carving as early as the late 1950s, and eventually produced eleven prints in the Cape Dorset annual collections. Three daughters followed in her artistic footsteps: Qaunaq Mikkigak is a graphic artist and carver; Sheojuke Toonoo is a graphic artist; and Laisa Qayuaryuk is a printer.

"I always find it very hard to think of what I'm going to draw. It is easier when I'm just chopping a stone because what I'm going to make is already there--I just chop the pieces off, but I get tired doing soapstone carving because I am too old now." Qayuaryuk Cape Dorset Print Catalogue 1978

Mary was an accomplished figure in her community, being the first woman elected to the Cape Dorset Community Council. In the catalogue for the exhibit "Strange Scenes: Early Cape Dorset Drawings" it is noted: "Among the people in the Cape Dorset area, she is fondly remembered for her skills as a midwife, for her ability to dress and treat infected wounds, and for her knowledge of medicinal plants, not to mention her cooking skills and warm, generous hospitality", (Strange Scenes, p.90).

Bayat Gallery, Winnipeg, Canada

1965, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982 Cape Dorset Graphics (annual collection) (illustrated catalogue)

1969 May - June: Eskimo Sculpture '69, Robertson Galleries, Ottawa, Ontario (illustrated catalogue)

1969 September - November: The Eskimo, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, U.S.A. (illustrated catalogue)

1970: Graphic Art by Eskimos of Canada: Second Collection, Cultural Affairs Division, Department of External Affairs, Canada Ottawa, Ontario (tour) (illustrated catalogue)

1970 September - October: The Woodget Collection of Eskimo Art and Artifacts Nova Scotia Museum of Fine Art, Halifax, Nova Scotia(catalogue)

1970 September - October: Canadian Eskimo Arts Festival, Alaska Methodist University Galleries, Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.A. (illustrated catalogue)

1975: Cape Dorset - Selected Sculpture from the Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba (illustrated catalogue)

1983 February - March: Return of the Birds, Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, Vancouver, British Columbia (illustrated catalogue)

1986 May - July: Cape Dorset Through the Years: 25 Years of Graphics and Sculpture, Arctic Artistry, Scarsdale, New York, U.S.A.

1986 November: Inuit Graphics Through the Year: Rare Prints from the Arctic, Arctic Artistry, Scarsdale, New York, U.S.A.

1987 May - June: Inuit Graphics from the Past, Arctic Artistry, Scarsdale, New York, U.S.A.

1987 November: Inuit Traditions in Graphics: 1961-1987, Arctic Artistry, Hartsdale, New York, U.S.A.

1989 January - February: The Early Years: Sculpture from the 50's and 60's, The Innuit Gallery of Eskimo Art, Toronto, Ontario (illustrated brochure)

1989 May: Birds: Sculpture from Cape Dorset & Rock Ptarmigan Limited Edition, Print by Kananginak, The Guild Shop, Toronto, Ontario

1990 June - July: Small Sculptures from across the Canadian Arctic, Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto, Ontario

1990 June - September: Inuit Graphics and Drawings from 1959-1990, Arctic Artistry, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, U.S.A.

1993 March - June: Strange Scenes: Early Cape Dorset Drawings, McMichael Canadian Collection, Kleinberg, Ontario

1994 July: Arctic Spirit - 35 Years of Canadian Inuit Art, Frye Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Ontario
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec, Montreal, Quebec
Dennos Museum Center, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, Michigan, U.S.A.
Department of External Affairs, Ottawa, Ontario
Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University, Bristol, Rhode Island, U.S.A.
Inuit Cultural Institute, Rankin Inlet, Northwest Territories
Klamer Family Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario
Laurentian University Museum and Arts Centre, Sudbury, Ontario
London Regional Art Gallery, London, Ontario
McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario
Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Bies, Ernie: IN MEMORIAM: MARY KUDJUAKJUK (1908-1982). Edmonton, Alta. : Inuit Art Enthusiasts Newsletter November 9-10, 1982.

Blodgett, Jean and Susan Gustavison: STRANGE SCENES: EARLY CAPE DORSET DRAWINGS. Kleinburg, Ont.: McMichael Canadian Collection, 1993.

Eber, Dorothy Harley: VISITS WITH PIA. THE BEAVER, WINTER: 20-27, 1983.

Winnipeg Art Gallery: CAPE DORSET: Selected Sculpture from the Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Winnipeg: The Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1975.