Naomi Ityi

Naomi Ityi was an Inuk textile artist from Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake), Nunavut. Born in the Garry Lake region, she spent her early life living on the land before settling in Qamani’tuaq. She emerged as one of the pioneer creators of Arctic textile art, initially producing small pictorial compositions using leftover wool scraps from clothing fabrication.

With the establishment of the Baker Lake Sewing Shop in 1971, Ityi expanded her creative practice, becoming recognized for her fabric wall hangings (nivinngajuliaat). Her hand-stitched works incorporated felt, duffle, and embroidery thread on wool substrates. Visually, her compositions featured human figures, animals, and spiritual motifs, using specific embroidery techniques to create tactile surfaces and defined outlines.

Over her career, Ityi participated in major group exhibitions of Northern textile art presented at public museums across North America. Her works were acquired for permanent public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Guelph, and the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. She lived and worked in Qamani’tuaq until her death in 2003.