Here, then, are the reproductions of the 1960 collection — a collection which provides a point of contact through which the Eskimo [sic] artists communicate the experience, the legends and the humour of their life, which is so far removed from ours [1].

Though plainly stated in the Annual Collection’s catalogue introduction, we contend that the Bird I Desire is closer to our own desires than they may think. Beautifully printed with a well-placed gradient of deep red, this bird’s wings and tail curve pleasingly across the paper, while two feet peek out from beneath its body. Bird I Desire can stir the heart of anyone, and while possibly not for the exact reasons Napachie Pootoogook had in mind, its appeal is immediately evident to one and all.

1. West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative, Eskimo Graphic Art, (Toronto: McLean Printing Services, 1960) unpaginated.

AC