Looking for a meaningful Indigenous art project that introduces students to named Indigenous artists? This 11-page Inuit art lesson teaches students about Pudlo Pudlat and Kenojuak Ashevak before guiding them through a creative Arctic animal art project.

Students view examples of each artist’s work, notice how animals, lines, shapes and imagination appear in Inuit art, and create an original response inspired by what they have learned.

Learn About Two Inuit Artists

This lesson introduces students to two influential Inuit artists:

Pudlo Pudlat

Students learn about Pudlo Pudlat and explore examples of his drawings and prints. His artwork often brought together Arctic animals, technology, observation and imagination in surprising ways.

Students then complete an Arctic animal art project inspired by Pudlo Pudlat, using the included instructions and animal images.

Kenojuak Ashevak

Students also learn about Kenojuak Ashevak and view examples of her artwork. Her celebrated drawings and prints frequently feature birds, Arctic animals and imaginative forms.

The artist spotlight gives students another opportunity to see the range and diversity found within Inuit art.

What Is Included?

🎨 Page 1: Complete lesson plan
🎨 Page 2: Arctic Animal Art project instructions
🎨 Page 3: Pudlo Pudlat artist spotlight
🎨 Page 4: Pudlo Pudlat artwork examples
🎨 Page 5: Kenojuak Ashevak artist spotlight
🎨 Page 6: Kenojuak Ashevak artwork examples
🎨 Pages 7–11: Printable Arctic animal images

Create an Original Arctic Animal Art Project

After learning about the artists, students select an Arctic animal and create an original piece of art inspired by the artistic choices they observed.

The activity encourages students to:

🎨 Learn about the artist before creating
🎨 Observe lines, shapes and composition
🎨 Explore imaginative representations of animals
🎨 Create an original response rather than copying
🎨 Credit the Indigenous artists who inspired their learning
🎨 Understand that Inuit art includes many artists, styles and approaches

Perfect For

🎨 Indigenous art projects
🎨 Indigenous art lessons
🎨 Inuit culture lessons
🎨 Arctic units
🎨 Winter art activities
🎨 Elementary and middle-school art
🎨 Canadian social studies
🎨 Indigenous artist studies
🎨 Art and social studies integration
🎨 National Indigenous History Month
🎨 National Indigenous Peoples Day
🎨 Year-round Indigenous education

This Indigenous art project provides the cultural and artistic learning before the activity, helping students understand whose work they are viewing and why named artists should always be recognized.

Inuit art is diverse and cannot be represented by two artists or one artistic style. This resource provides an introduction and can be expanded with contemporary Inuit artists, Inuit-created sources and additional learning about communities across Inuit Nunangat.