Presented alongside four other prints from the 2009 Annual Print Collection, the 50th anniversary collection from Kinngait Studios, Proud Leader offers a charming interpretation of one of Kananginak Pootoogook’s most beloved subjects: the caribou. Though a recurring theme in his practice, the work takes on renewed meaning within this commemorative release. As Terry Ryan noted in his forward to the 2009 catalogue, the sentiment extends beyond any single image to encompass the spirit of the entire collection:

…In this important seminal year we wish to call out that we are still here. The works here in this 2009 collection are central to what the studios represent today, a true graphic expression that speaks to this time and to the artist's own preference in seeing themselves portrayed beyond the north [1].

1. Terry Ryan, Cape Dorset Prints: Celebrating 50 1959–2009, (Kinngait: Dorset Fine Arts, 2009), p. 5.