Cape Dorset, known in Inuktitut as Kingait, is internationally known for Inuit art.  The community is located on a small island, just off the Fox Peninsula of Baffin Island.  The cape was named in English by the explorer Captain Luke Fox in 1631 after Edward Sackville, the Earl of Dorset.  Fox was one of many who unsuccessfully sought the Northwest Passage through what we now call Hudson Straight.

The Hudson's Bay Company first established a trading post here in 1913.  The area has been a gathering place for Inuit for hundreds of years.

The 1950s brought  two people many associate with the development of Inuit art: James and Alma Houston. Their influence is still felt today through the on-going success of West Baffin Eskimo Co-op. Artists such as

Kenoyuak, Kananginak, Kavavau Mannomee, Tim Pitsiulak, Pauta Saila and many more continue a growing and developing artistic tradition in the community.

Cape Dorset is about 1.5 to 2 hours from Iqaluit in a Cessna 172. With a 4000 foot, well-maintained gravel strip, it is a nice flight along the edge of Hudson Strait.