Born May 3rd, 1923 (Near Puvirnituq, Nunavut) – Died in 2001

Mary Pudlat (Miaji Pullat) was orphaned at a young age. She moved to Baffin Island in the early 1940’s, where she married Samuelie Pudlat in 1943. Pudlat and her family lived a traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle before permanently settling in the Inuit community of Cape Dorset in 1963.

In the 1960’s, she joined the burgeoning West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative and developed her soapstone sculpting and drawing skills. She also participated in the Cooperative’s first etching workshop in 1979. Many of Pudlat’s works depict whimsical scenes of camp life, community history as well as imaginative stories.

Although Pudlat had to leave her artistic endeavours temporarily because of family obligations, she returned to drawing and printmaking in Cape Dorset in 1979. Her prints and drawings were assembled into portfolios that were published several times in the “Cape Dorset Graphic Annual Print Catalogue.” In 1996, Pudlat created a colouring book for Inuit children titled “Inuit Spring Time”, which was used as an educational tool. Pudlat’s works has been exhibited in major museums across Canada, the United States and Europe.