Atoat Akitirq (b. 1935) is the artist of seventeen carvings in the WAG collection, including a gentle Sedna and an unusual kneeling woman smoking. Her husband, Pauloosie Akitirq, is another talented carver from Arctic Bay. She is skilled in working the distinctive grey argillite stone, called kooneak, which is hand-quarried locally from a nearby stone deposit. The stone has brownish blotches and streaks and carvings are often made so the brown markings enhance their features. Since this hard stone occurs in thin layers, it is only possible to chop away relatively small pieces of stone. Thus the carvings are small and feature the intricate details that are easier to make in a hard stone without breakage.

Atoat Akitirq’s carvings have been featured in several WAG group exhibitions including Ikpiarjuk: The Sculpture of Arctic Bay (1987) Inuit Sea Goddess (1999), and Creation and Transformation: Defining Moments in Inuit Art, (2013).