Vital Makpaaq was born in 1922. He was known for his talent in both printmaking and carving. He mostly carved the difficult basalt stone found in the Baker Lake area. Though he was less prolific than some of his contemporaries, Makpaaq was known to be one of the most talented carvers in the region.

Makpaaq primarily worked in a minimalist style in both his carvings and prints, often depicting bodies in motion. He only produced 2 prints of his original design, both of which were included in the inaugural Baker Lake Annual Graphics Collection.

Makpaaq died in 1978.

Exhibitions

• Baker Lake Print Collection *70, (annual collection)
• Baker Lake Print Collection (printmaker) *70, (annual collection)
• Baker Lake Print Collection (printmaker) *71, (annual collection)
• Baker Lake Print Retrospective: A Twenty Year Anniversary, The Upstairs Gallery
• Baker Lake Prints - Ten Year Retrospective, The Upstairs Gallery
• Baker Lake Sculpture, Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
• Canadian Eskimo Arts Festival, Alaska Methodist University Galleries
• Drawings and Sculpture from Baker Lake, Winnipeg Art Gallery
• Eskimo Sculpture, Lippel Gallery
• Eskimo Sculpture (and Drawings), Waddington Galleries
• Inuit Art in the 1970s, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, and the Agnes Etherington Art Centre
• Inuit Games and Contests: The Clifford E. Lee Collection of Prints, University of Alberta
• Sculpture/Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic, Canadian Eskimo Arts Council
• The Coming and Going of the Shaman: Eskimo Shamanism and Art, Winnipeg Art Gallery
• The Spirit of the Land, The Koffler Gallery
• The Zazelenchuk Collection of Eskimo Art, Winnipeg Art Gallery
• Uumajut: Animal Imagery in Inuit Art, Winnipeg Art Gallery

Collections

• Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Fort Worth
• Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Anchorage
• Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
• Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull
• Dennos Museum Center, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City
• Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton
• Eskimo Museum, Churchill
• Glenbow Museum, Calgary
• Inuit Cultural Institute, Rankin Inlet
• McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg
• Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife
• Toronto-Dominion Bank Collection, Toronto
• University of Alberta, Edmonton
• Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver
• Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg

Publications

• GIDEON QAUQYUAC [SIC], Author: Inuit Galerie, Publication: Mannheim, F.D.R.: Inuit Galerie (1988)
• INUIT COOPERATIVES. — IN The Canadian Encyclopedia, James H. Marsh, editor-in-chief., Author: Swinton, George, Publication: Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers, 2:898. (1985)
• POVUNGNITUK 1964., Author: Povungnituk Cooperative, Publication: Quebec: Povungnituk Cooperative Society. La Societe Cooperative de Povungnituk (1964)
• SONGS IN STONE., Author: Arctic Circle, Publication: Los Angeles: The Arctic Circle (1982)
• THE INUIT PHENOMENON IN ART-HISTORICAL CONTEXT., Author: Opperman,Hal, Publication: Toronto, Ont. : Inuit Art Quarterly 1(2):1-4. (1986)
• TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW WITH THOMAS UGJUK — Interviewed by David Zimmerly in March 1985 in Rankin Inlet, N.W.T., Author: CEAC [Canadian Eskimo Arts Council], Publication: Ottawa: Canadian Eskimo Arts Council in collabora-tion with the Inuit Art Section, INAC, and the National Film Board of Canada. (1985)
• [INTERVIEW WITH ETIDLOIE ETIDLOIE] — Conducted by Marion Jackson, translation by Mukshowya Niviaqsi in winter, 1979, Cape Dorset., Author: Etidlooie, Etidlooie, 1911-, Publication: Ottawa: Inuit Art Section, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. (1979)