Invested 40
Craft Council of British Columbia
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October 18-November 9, 2013 The Pendulum Gallery Vancouver BC
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Contents copyright 2013 by the Craft Council of British Columbia. Images copyright the individual artists. Text copyright The Craft Council of British Columbia and Sandra Alfoldy. Images or text may not be used in any way without written permission. All rights reserved.
ISBN# 978-0-9682312-2-7
Catalogue design by Bettina Matzkuhn
Front Cover image: Angelika Werth Back Cover image: Rachel Gourley Previous Page Image: Peter Pierobon
Printed in Canada by Friesen’s
C016245
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Introduction Over forty years ago, a small group of dedicated craft artists sat around in someone’s living room over a cup of tea or glass of wine and pondered how to form an organization that would help them and other makers succeed in their chosen life. They each had such passion for their own craft: surely this passion could be harnessed and expanded if they worked together to promote the value of craft to a wider world. This small group of committed individuals grew to 300 in 1972, and in 1973 the Craftsmen’s Association of British Columbia was born. In 1984, it became the Crafts Association of BC. By 2009, the organization was doing the work of a council rather than an association, and the name was finally changed to the Craft Council of BC. Forty years on, the organization continues to work as a strong member-based arts service organization, advocating on behalf of craft artists throughout BC and promoting craft culture to a local, national and international audience. A wonderful reason to celebrate, but how? A single event could hardly include or represent craft artists province-wide. As a result, many activities were planned: regional exhibitions, an on-line exhibition for post-secondary students, craft vignettes, a lecture series, a weekend conference, and a major curated provincial exhibition, Invested. The organizing committee immediately thought of Dr. Sandra Alfoldy, internationally known craft historian and curator, and daughter of two founding members, to curate this important exhibition. She enthusiastically took on the difficult task of choosing artworks from across the province, representing our innovation, technical mastery and artistry at work. While this exhibition is only a sample of the dedicated contemporary craft artists working in BC today, I know that the personal investment of each individual artist in their chosen craft is astounding – congratulations to them all and to the Craft Council of BC for 40 years of investment. Raine McKay Executive Director Craft Council of British Columbia
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Grit
Sandra Alfoldy, Curator “Craft is a starting place, a set of possibilities. It avoids absolutes, certainties, over-robust definitions, solace. It offers places, interstices, where objects and people meet. It is unstable, contingent. It is about experience. It is about desire. It can be beautiful.�1 ---Edmund de Waal
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British Columbian craftspeople are varied and vital and for centuries have created enduring objects. “Invested” is a celebration of the best of contemporary BC craft and the forty years of support provided to craftspeople by the Craft Council of British Columbia. It is also an investigation into the reasons why the province enjoys such a thriving craft scene. Certainly BC possesses some of Canada’s finest raw resources, most inspiring geography, and an outstanding multicultural landscape, but as the exceptional objects on display in this exhibition demonstrate, there is more at play than simply these gifts. It takes real determination and perseverance to build a career and a life as a craftsperson. “Invested” is the perfect title for this show which highlights the end results of the grit and tenacity of British Columbian makers who have flourished in a field that can provide daunting challenges.
“hobby” practice, or in the case of professional craft, as “luxury” goods created by overindulged makers who are often teased for not working that hard or for being “hippies,”4 or alternative Indie types. However for well over a century Scandinavian countries have recognized that craft is an essential activity for building character. Through extensive systems of craft education, called Sloyd, established in Finland in 1865 by Uno Cygnaesus, children are introduced to woodworking, paper and textile crafts that are still compulsory in Finland and Sweden.5 Recent research by Scandinavian academics has related the high academic success rates of these countries to Sloyd,6 something American writers like Paul Tough are starting to recognize. I suspect that BC’s craftspeople could have told us long ago the connection between craft, character and intellect that these researchers are now putting forward.
The publication of Paul Tough’s 2012 book How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character opened up media frenzy over the recipe for a successful career and life. It was “discovered” by Tough and researchers like Angela Duckworth that “People who accomplished great things…often combined a passion for a single mission with an unwavering dedication to achieve that mission, whatever the obstacles, and however long it might take.”2 One cannot help but be struck by how similar this description is to the path of a professional craftsperson. Craft was further connected to this new research by the observation that “middle-class values” are less important than skill-based learning which is “hard…it is also daunting, exhausting and sometimes discouraging,” but in this process character is developed, as well as the grit required to accomplish one’s goals.3 In Canada we frequently overlook the important role played by craft in developing capable, caring citizens. Craft practice is often lumped into the category of
The craftspeople featured in “Invested” are exemplars for the power of craft to build character and community and for what Tough and Duckworth have identified as the seven character traits needed for success: zest, grit, self-control, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism and curiosity. It certainly takes a zest for textiles, fashion and materials to transform nylon tents into a spectacular red dress, but that is exactly what Angelika Werth has done in her “Canadian Camper Tent Dress,” composed of four nylon tents, zippers, hoops, and cords that are supported by rocks. Simply deconstructing and reconstructing nylon tents would give pause to even the most dedicated of sewers, and how many of us would see the makings of a dress when we wander through the tenting section at Mountain Equipment Co-op? While you may have glanced quickly at Ron David’s wooden piece “Full Circle,” it is worth pausing and thinking about the sheer grit on display in this work. It might be small in scale, but it took David over six
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years to figure out how to create a perfect sphere of dyed Swiss Pear with almost 2000 evenly spaced Japanese toothpicks. How did he keep them all the same distance apart when the sphere narrows so dramatically on the bottom and the top? Self-control is defined by the United States Department of Education as “effortful control,” and “willpower.”7 This is on display in every object in the exhibition as it takes self-control to simply enter the studio on a daily basis. So often craft is created alone, and it is admirable that makers can resist the distractions of daily life to work in isolation. The idea of self-control is physically manifested in Jane Kenyon’s “Twilight,” a complex landscape comprised of literally thousands of built up threads, sewn repeatedly over the surface to create a nuanced composition. The scale of the piece and the intricate work required for every finished centimetre is a testament to the self-control of the artist. Social intelligence, as defined by the research on education and character development, is related to “mindsets… beliefs, attitudes, dispositions, values, and ways of perceiving oneself.”8 Bridget Catchpole’s “Mooring Buoy,” of sterling silver, upcycled plastic and cord, may at first appear to be a lovely piece of jewellery but it is much more. It is a direct result of her research into throw-away plastics, which she calls “mining under the kitchen sink,”9 and is intended to open up questions around plastic waste and its impact on the shorelines of British Columbia. This form of gentle politics is social intelligence at play. Craft is often the ideal vehicle for introducing discussion and contemplation around difficult social dilemmas. It achieves this by inviting viewer interaction through familiar forms and welcoming aesthetics which are often celebratory, exhibiting the gratitude that is another of the seven key character traits for success. For example, Melanie Thompson’s “Spring,” a lamp of mixed basketry that throws its many branches skyward in anticipation of the most hoped-for season.
Here Thompson combines gratitude for local materials with an aesthetically pleasing object symbolizing the thankfulness most Canadians feel for the new growth and warmth of spring. Gratitude may seem like a strange bedfellow for contemporary craft, but the deep love of materials, process and place exhibited in the objects on display can be framed as a form of appreciation. Another essential form of gratitude is exhibited by collectors who revel in the skill of these makers, and support them professionally. Reaching out to the public is an essential part of the sixth character trait identified by Duckworth and Tough: optimism. Here optimism is defined as the belief that your efforts will improve the future, and in that capacity it could be applied to Ian Johnston’s “Cellular Brick Road.”10 This large installation of ceramic castings of discarded cell phones was created by Johnston “to consider the remnants and debris of human activity littering the planet’s surface.”11 By seeking awareness of increasing global consumption, Johnston’s work has the potential to contribute to debates around this issue, which this piece also frames as an archeological experiment, asking “how the future might interpret our culture through these collections of fragments?”12 Curiosity, the final character trait, is what drives the transformation of assemblages of interesting and unusual objects into elegant jewellery and is a key trait of the work of Barbara Cohen. Her studio is a magical cabinet of curiosities that reflect her desire to question preconceived notions of value by using materials out of context.13 The three rings from the “Bloom” series on display in “Invested” employ everything from rubber and paint to epoxy and metal to create surprisingly minimalist elegant forms which are the result of hours of dedicated, tenacious work in Cohen’s studio. In traditional craft historical terms, the grit and tenacity of craftspeople have long been described in rela-
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tionship to the materials, forms, processes and scale of their work, as well as the location of their making. “Invested” has been divided into five themes: scale, material, process, form and place. The objects in “Scale” range from Lynda Jones’ “Petriflora,” a delicately sized burnished and smoke-fired pottery vessel that was made to fit perfectly in two adult hands, to Kaija Rautianen’s “Distant Passage,” tapestry which blows up a piece of beached rope to a magnificent scale. The relationship between craft objects and the human body, or human scale, is an essential one. It gives rise to our expectations of materials and forms, and often grounds makers who are necessarily limited by their own bodies and tools. Our aesthetic assessments of craft objects are often subconsciously about scale – whether we feel the proportion of the relative size of the parts to the whole are pleasing – a very subjective set of standards. It takes fruitful stubbornness to labour a lifetime over a dictated set of scale, or to improvise the tools to overcome the limits of human scale. The manipulation of materials is the foundation of craft. Craft itself is divided through material expectations – is the object made of wood, clay, fibre, metal or glass? Today these material categorizations have been blown wide open through the perseverance of makers who want to work outside traditional materials. British Columbia is a leader when it comes to innovating new materials for the craft scene, and is well known for an emphasis on recycling/upcycling and a deep concern with the environmental impact of craft practices. The makers featured in the “Material” section of “Invested” express these ideas in a variety of ways, with all of them utilizing their chosen media as a pathway to contemplation, whether it is Peter Pierobon unexpectedly manipulating yellow cedar into sculptural lighting in “Fine Plumb,” or Linda Doherty (pottery) and Lynnette Gullackson (pine nee-
dle stitching) uniting Ponderosa needles and stoneware in “Earth and Pine.” Just as there are certain scale and material expectations for craft, there are presupposed forms for craft objects. Howard Risatti’s 2007 book A theory of craft caused some uproar with its clearly delineated categories for craft forms, or a “Taxonomy of Craft Based on Applied Function,” which argued that the “three-dimensional form-based” taxonomy of craft included cuboid forms, spheroid forms, rectangular forms, circular forms and ovoid forms.14 For many contemporary makers this is simply too limited. Although Yvonne Wakabayashi’s monofilament and resin “Nautilus” and Laurie Rolland’s ceramic “Travelling Green Series 2,” are based on natural forms they defy categorization as traditional utilitarian craft forms, while Lou Lynn’s glass and bronze “Rocking Form” unites disparate forms and materials into a pleasing new shape that overturns previous expectations. Not only are these craftspeople tenacious in their introduction of new formal considerations, the material manipulations required to achieve these objects is impressive. Societies are still dazzled by craft processes. Just as alchemists delighted kings and queens in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, people remain enchanted today by a show of craft expertise. The skilled manipulation of craft process is the ultimate symbol of grit and tenacity, and a direct reflection of the idea of investment in craft. In 2008 Malcolm Gladwell popularized the “10,000 hour rule,” when he argued that success in any field could be achieved after 10,000 hours of practicing specific skills.15 Bill Boyd’s crystalline “Bulb Vase” is a spectacular example of the result of perfected process, in which Boyd makes one of the most difficult ceramic techniques – crystalline glaze – look easy. As a senior member of the
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British Columbia craft community Boyd reminds us that popular culture’s idea of investing in a skill underestimates the reality of the professional craft community, noting that in his own practice he has exceeded 40,000 hours perfecting his processes. “Invested” is an exhibition celebrating place. The identity of British Columbian craft is bound up with the relationship between craftspeople and local materials, forms and traditions, and the creation of surfaces and ornament that could be read as site specific. Bettina Matzkuhn’s hand-embroidered “Tides” uses her sail-making skills in combination with embroidered tide current charts to convey ideas of the “individual and communal knowledge/language necessary for navigation.”16 This is symbolic on many levels, notably because for the Indigenous communities of British Columbia grit and tenacity equalled survival and allowed for the development of one of the world’s most famous forms of place-specific aesthetics, known globally as “West Coast Native.”17 It also allowed for Settler cultures to enter British Columbia, disrupting ancient ideas of place, and giving rise to the multicultural voices of craft that exist today. Understanding British Columbian craft is a complex project but it highlights the power of craft producers to express ideas of community. Or as the Anthropologist Cathy Lynn Costin describes, “Crafting and craft objects intersect with all cultural domains: economic, social, political and ritual. Craft goods are social objects that…signify and legitimize group memberships and social roles, and become reserves of wealth, storing intrinsically valuable materials and the labour invested in their manufacture.”18 Forty years ago specialized craft producers got together and formed what is today the Craft Council of British Columbia to ensure that their work received provincial, national and international support. It was a
smart move, resulting in the formation of a powerful advocate for the crafts, an organization that works toward the increased recognition of contemporary craft as an important part of the cultural, economic and social success of British Columbia. “Invested” recognizes that while individual craftspeople require grit to survive, so does the CCBC, whose tenacity enables events like this exhibition to take place. As North American educators start taking more notice of the character traits and successes that result from craft activity we can only hope that the field will enjoy increased recognition for its contributions beyond the creation of challenging and beautiful objects. But as the determined makers featured in “Invested” show us, the community of BC craftspeople already know the power of their art and the possibilities for craft that have yet to be explored.
Jan Smith “Petite Bitter Circles 1”
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Endnotes: 1. Edmund de Waal, “What is Craft,” V&A Museum, http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/w/what-is-craft/ accessed 16 April 2013 2. Paul Tough, “What if the Secret to Success is Failure?” New York Times: The Magazine (September 14, 2011). http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/magazine/what-ifthe-secret-to-success-is-failure.html?pagewanted=all&_ r=0 accessed 1 April 2013 3. Ibid. 4. Just take a look at Trip Advisor’s ratings for Nelson, British Columbia. Kaorusalamat from Kanagawa, Japan writes in her review, “Hippie Town,” “You can meet hippies here!” http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g181 780-d1065297-r147447720-Baker_Street-Nelson_Kootenay_Rockies_British_Columbia.html In 1998 British Columbia scored a coup when two of its towns were featured in the book The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America (Avalon Travel Publications, 1998). Nelson was ranked fifth, and Salt Spring was seventy-two. Both were spotlighted for their hippie or alternative craft scenes. 5. Leena K. Kaukinen, “Opening Address,” Crafticulation conference, Helsinki, Finland, September 2008. For proceedings of the conference see https://helda.helsinki. fi/bitstream/handle/10224/4810/Kaukinen_verkko.pdf?sequence=2 6. Ibid. 7. Nicole Shechtman, Angela H. De Barger, Carolyn Dornsife et al. “Promoting Grit, Tenacity and Perseverance: Critical Factors for Success in the 21st Century,” United States Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology (February 2013), p. viii. 8. Ibid. 9. Bridget Catchpole, email correspondence, 6 January 2013. 10. Paul Tough, “What if the Secret to Success is Failure?” 11. Ian Johnston, “Refuse Culture,” http://www.ianjohnstonstudio.com/work/refuse-culture/text/ accessed 17 April 2013. 12. Ibid. 13. Barbara Cohen, email correspondence, 3 December
2012. 14. Howard Risatti, A theory of craft: function and aesthetic expression (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2007): 31. 15. See Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers (New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2008). 16. Bettina Matzkuhn, “Sails,” http://www.bettinamatzkuhn.ca/ accessed 16 April 2013. 17. Googling “West Coast Native Craft” results in over 49 million hits for websites from around the world. 18. Cathy Lynne Costin, “Introduction: Craft and Social Identity,” in Archeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association, Volume 8, Issue 1 (January 1998):3.
Barbara Cohen “Ties that Bind”
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scale
From diminutive jewellery to monumental wall hangings, the artists in “Invested� demonstrate that the power of craft can be felt on all scales. Often craftspeople become invested in a specific size range, producing works of a certain scale. This speaks volumes about the relationship between craft objects, human bodies, the tools of craft production, and built spaces. It is evident from the objects on display that contemporary craftspeople are working to invert these expectations, with delightful results.
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Alwyn O’Brien
Propped, 2011 slip cast ceramic, plaster, glazes and papier mache
66 cm (h) x 61 cm (w) x 61 cm (d)
Alwyn O’Brien slip casts and hand-builds flowing, amorphic objects, dripping with glaze and decorative allusions. One can glimpse suggestions of tables, wallpaper, vessel forms, but the sizes are irregular and overturn our expectations of ceramics on a human scale. Still, O’Brien’s sculptural forms evoke object memories that make them hauntingly familiar.
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Kaija Rautiainen
Distant Passage, 2013 Cotton, linen, metallic thread, copper wire, pigments 183 cm (h) x 71 cm (w) Inspired by the ropes that wash ashore along the British Columbia coastline, and the way their fibres unravel with weather and time, Kaija Rautianen wove “Distant Passage,� a cropped and magnified view of an abstracted rope shape. The dramatic scale of this tapestry enhances the weightiness of this elegant rope.
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Jan Smith
Petite Red Circles 1 and Petite Bitter Circles 1, 2008 Sterling silver, copper, vitreous enamels, pearls, graphite and Sifted underfired enamel, pierced, fabricate graphite drawing.
110mm (h) x 55mm (w) x 4mm (d) And 78mm (h) x 45mm(w) x 4mm (d)
Jan Smith creates Art Jewellery, pieces that move seamlessly between the wearable and sculptural realms. Through intricate patterns and surfaces she evokes the sources that inspire her – the natural and built worlds – tampering with the scale of the original objects and creating dialogue between viewers, wearers and the work.
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Lynda Jones
Petriflora, 2012 burnished and smoke-fired pottery
20 cm (h) x 15 cm (w) The rich burnished surface and intimate scale of “Petriflora” creates a desire to hold the piece. One can imagine it fitting perfectly between one’s hands, a smooth gem that would inspire a soothing response. The size of the leaves used in firing, and their vertical positioning, create an intriguing surface.
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Naoko Takenouchi
Fragment of a Dream #31, 2013 Blown glass with silver foil, sandblasted 60 cm (h) x 22cm (w) x 25cm (d) Naoko Takenouchi’s work poses an intriguing question – how can an artist translate her spiritual thoughts and scientific interests into an object? What scale would these emotions and ideas occupy? “Fragment of a Dream #31” provides clues through its evocative surfaces on a solid base, and the delicacy of the climbing glass stems.
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Bill Reid
Bull, 1980s wire
15 cm (w) x 20 cm (l) x 28cm (h) Bill Reid was a founding member of the Craft Council of British Columbia and he supported the crafts in all their expressions. His unusual wire “Bull� demonstrates the fluidity of his linework and offers viewers a surprisingly small-scale work by Reid, whose jewellery is famous in this size range, but whose sculptural works we expect on a much grander scale.
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material
Traditionally, a craft artist would invest entirely in a specific material and this led to the expected categories of craft: ceramics, wood, glass, fibre and metal. British Columbia distinguished itself as a key source for many of these materials, from mighty cedars to fine woollens. Rather than becoming embedded in the stereotypes around materials, the artists in this exhibition prove that contemporary crafts play with our expectations, whether it is by challenging material boundaries, or pushing beyond material limits.
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Amy Chang
Organ #3 (Grey organ with missile head), 2012 casting slip, silver lustre, metal screw
13 cm (h) x 28 cm (w) x 13 cm (d) “Organ #3” is the result of Amy Chang’s instinctive response to her materials. She allows the ceramic body to dictate shape, precisely firing and glazing the additional parts, highlighting clay’s capacity to look like metal and the relationship between human and industrialized metal forms, in this case, a stomach-shaped space missile.
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Ian Johnston Cellular Brick Road, 2007-2010 porcelain, plywood, synthetic hair
152 cm (w) x 975 cm (l) x 61 cm (h) “Cellular Brick Road” is a reminder of the debris piling up in our globalized world. Ian Johnston says he has “long been obsessed with our relationship to, and use of, material,” a theme he explores in this dramatic installation, which captures the fleeting fashionability of cell phone culture in porcelain, offering future generations archeological evidence of our excesses.
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Barbara Cohen
Matters, 2010 Above: Logged On, 2013 see page 11: Ties that Bind 2010 Left: Grey
Iron (curtain ring), quartz, black balloon, sterling, wood, paint, epoxy, rubber 7cm (h) x 2.5 cm (w) x 1.8 cm (d); 7cm (h) x 3.5 cm (w); 5 cm (h) x 5.5 cm (w)
These three rings are from Barbara Cohen’s “Material Bloom” series, and make conceptual statements on ideas of growth, blooming, re-emergence, and unusual flower forms. Cohen’s exploration of materials questions our preconceived notions of value, and the power of using resources out of context, while tricking us through clever material manipulations.
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Peter Pierobon
Fine Plumb, 2013 yellow cedar
178 cm (h) x 38 cm (d) Created out of one piece of aromatic British Columbian yellow cedar, Peter Pierobon’s “Fine Plumb” dramatically manipulates the inflexible material of wood. Here sculptural volume is created through the use of thin strips of cedar while the streamlined aesthetic of this lamp is a testament to Pierobon’s love of plumb bobs.
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Linda Doherty
with
Lynnette Gullackson
Earth and Pine, 2011 stoneware with polished terra sigillata pit fired in sawdust, collar of brown Ponderosa needles, stitched with plain and back stitched wax linen
17cm (h) x 13 cm (w) x 17 cm (d)
“Earth and Pine� is a testament to the material wealth of British Columbia and to the majestic Ponderosa pine trees that have been ravaged by the Pine Beetle. Sisters Linda Doherty (pottery) and Lynnette Gullackson (pine needle stitching) created the Earth and Pine Project as a material and symbolic collaboration between pine needle basketry and ceramics.
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Art Leistman
Posing, 2013 Fig leaf, maple, walnut 34.4 cm (h) x 9.5 cm (w) x 13.3 cm (d) Art Leistman’s puzzle illusion teapot is a witty take on the hollow vessel form. By orienting the vessel sideways it becomes an anthropomorphic form, which Leistman calls a “prototeapot.” Here, surfaces are played with, as are the material expectations of wood, which is rarely used in association with teapots.
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Melanie Thompson
Spring, 2013 willow, dyed reed
183
cm (h) x
24cm (w) x 25
cm (d)
Melanie Thompson collects her natural materials while biking or walking along roadsides and in gardens. She enjoys using found materials and transforming them from fragile and sometimes decaying states into beautiful and utilitarian objects. “Spring� is a dramatic lamp that celebrates renewal, light and the sculptural possibilities of organic resources.
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Lesley Richmond
Denial, 1990 mixed media, fibre
56cm (h) x 71 cm (w) x 5cm (d) Lesley Richmond is renowned for her surface designs wrought from complex mixed media compositions like the one found in “Denial.� Natural, organic colours are contrasted with feathered and mesh forms that emphasize the physical properties of the materials making up this stylized, narrative-filled visual landscape.
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process Process provides the most natural link to the theme of invested, as expert craftsmanship reflects skilled practice. Process suggests slow, repetitive, meditative or simply necessary tasks, but not all craftspeople work this way. A variety of processes are on display in “Invested� from the meticulous and the scientific to the spontaneous. For centuries the strong tie between craft and process affected perceptions of craft as a non-theoretical practice but as this exhibition demonstrates, concepts are the driving force behind these objects.
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Bill Boyd
Bulb Vase, 2012 “Porcelainous” stoneware and 24 carat gold accents 35.5cm (h) x 46cm (d) x 46cm (w) Bill Boyd makes one of the most complex and challenging ceramic processes look easy. For over a decade he has been working with what he calls the “elusive phenomenon” of crystalline ceramics, crystal glazes in a rainbow of colours, each one uniquely formed from cobalt, nickel, iron, copper, and manganese oxides.
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Jeff Burnette
Norablaster, 2013 Handblown glass with found objects (3 guns – one wall mounted and two on pedestal) 18 cm (h) x 61 cm (w) x 15 cm (d) 18 cm (h) x 29 cm (w) x 10 cm (d) 18 cm (h) x 29 cm (w) x 10 cm (d) This badass “Norablaster” is the result of years of experimentation with glass and other materials, which has developed Jeff Burnette’s process to the point where he can manipulate hot glass into intricate objects. These playfully pay homage to the ray guns common in Science Fiction while brilliantly displaying Burnette’s skills.
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Michelle Sirois-Silver
Imagined Dialogues #3 Love, Decay, Repair, 2011 wool, linen, hand-dyed and hand-hooked
130 cm (h) x 90 cm (w) x 2 cm (d) Michelle Sirois-Silver transforms one of the most traditional craft processes, rug hooking, into a contemporary artistic expression through her dynamic colours, geometric elements, and directional shifting of fabric strips. While Sirois-Silver fell in love with the serene flow of the process of hooking rugs, “Imagined Dialogues #3� is filled with momentum and spontaneity.
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Martin P. Thorne
Tube Sponges, 2010 Maple burl, copper leaf, rose thorns, acrylic paint 60 cm (h) x 43 cm (w) x 43 cm (d)
Martin Thorne’s process begins in the forest where he collects wood that grabs his attention, then using tools he has crafted himself, he transforms rose thorns and cedar into sculptural jewels. “Tube Sponges” speaks to Thorne’s concern over the processes of environmental degradation that are affecting our precious natural resources.
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Elaine Alfoldy
Lupines (detail), 1982 batik on habotai silk
326 cm (l) x 93 cm (w)
Batik is a painstaking process that relies on surface design skills and a keen understanding of positive and negative spaces. Drawing upon her extensive local floral studies Elaine Alfoldy created “Lupines,” a remarkably large silk yardage that was juried into the 1982 Crafts Association of British Columbia exhibition “Yard Goods.”
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form
The language of craft is one of anticipated forms. Craft theorists like Howard Risatti have developed taxonomies of craft based on applied function: containers, covers and supports. Certainly there are makers who have invested themselves entirely in one form; however, the container, the cover and the support no longer provide the only basis for today’s craftspeople. As evidenced by “Invested,” British Columbia’s craftspeople have moved beyond these expectations.
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Lou Lynn
Rocking Form, 2011 glass and bronze, steel mount
84cm (h)
x
41 cm (w) x 17 cm (d)
Lou Lynn’s “Rocking Form” reinterprets the historical tools used by tradespeople like shoemakers and carpenters into a sculptural ode to practical function. Using the contrasting materials of bronze and glass, this ambiguous form challenges viewers to consider the distinctive forms of the hand tools it takes as its source of inspiration.
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Lisa Samphire
Window Murrine series #13, 2013 blown glass, powdered murrini, Aussie RollUp Technique with a belted and sandblasted finish
38cm (h) x 24cm (w) x 11cm (d) The physical process of glass blowing is mesmerizing and Lisa Samphire controls and manipulates it to create expert forms. Her skill is on display in “Window Murrine series #13,” with its intricate surface patterns and vibrant colours that reflect Samphire’s passion for exploring natural and historical ornamentation, from butterflies to carpets.
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Yvonne Wakabayashi
Nautilus, 2012 silk, ‘pineapple’ or ‘pina fibre’, acrylic, monofilament
60cm (h) x 38cm (w) x 42cm (d) Yvonne Wakabayashi’s work reflects her deep respect for natural forms, whether it is the water that inspires her work, or the process of manipulating natural materials into complex forms. This appreciation of process in relation to form further extends into the elegant, light and ephemeral colours that underscore her sculptural work.
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Angelika Werth
Canadian Camper Tent Dress, 2010 Four nylon one-man tents, silk, hardware, zippers, hoops, cord, rocks
Size 6; 12 metre circumference
Angelika Werth’s “Canadian Camper Tent Dress” highlights dramatic form through transformation. Four red nylon tents are reconfigured into a spectacular garment that is at once rustic and refined, nationalistic and global, historical and modern, high couture and natural. Werth’s hours of labour intensive hand-sewing could be called the most meditative of processes.
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Deborah Dumka
Playing like Andy, 2013 wool, silk, felt beads
2.5 cm (h) x 147 cm (w) x 335 cm (l) Deborah Dumka’s “Playing like Andy” is a felted wool homage to the artist Andy Goldsworthy who created organic forms through the artistic manipulation of natural processes. The subdued colours, emphasis on texture, and sensation of felted rocks in Dumka’s work reinforce her respect for the natural landscape which inspires her forms.
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Laurie Rolland
Walking Green Series 2, 2012 Ceramic 38cm (h) x 122cm (w) x 7cm (d) With its highly textured surfaces and abstract references to the natural world, “Travelling Green Series 2” is symbolic of the transformative processes that are at play in Laurie Rolland’s work, from the conversion of ideas into physical forms to the power of symbolically healing rifts between our natural and cultural worlds.
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Morna Tudor
Neuma, 1989 blown glass, colour overlays, outer surface acid etched
18 cm (h) x 51cm (w) x 43 cm (d) “Neuma” was inspired by sea life. Tudor’s intention was to represent “the diversity, tenacity and dizzying abundance” of life on the outer surface, and “the fragility and fleshy sensuality of being alive” on the inner surface. “Neuma,” Latin for “spirit” offers a reminder of how physical processes create larger messages in objects.
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place
British Columbia motivates craftspeople to invest their lives and careers in the province for a number of reasons - from geographic inspiration and a wealth of natural resources to the presence of remarkably supportive and creative communities. Does the abundance of practicing craftspeople generate a specific geographical aesthetic? Certainly there are overlapping themes that emerge in “Invested,� such as a fascination with water, coastlines and organic materials, but as the exhibition demonstrates, individual craftspeople use these muses to create very different objects.
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Dominique Bréchault
Homing Device with Meteorite, 2007 pendant with lidded stand, 14k gold, sterling silver, Gibeon meteorite, magnet, iolite, patina
3.5 cm (h) x 5cm (d)
“Homing Device with Meteorite” interprets place through celestial and terrestrial worlds. Bréchault calls this work a “transformer piece” the pendent of Gibeon meteorite set in 14 karat gold doubles as a compass while the lid, ornamented with hemispheric symbols, can also calculate “place” in the most abstract sense.
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Bridget Catchpole
Mooring Buoy, 2011 Sterling
silver, upcycled plastic and
cord
56cm (h)
x
14cm (w)
x
1.5cm (d)
Care for place inspires Bridget Catchpole, who created “Mooring Buoy,” composed of reshaped and recycled beauty product packaging, as a statement on the plastic waste cluttering British Columbia’s coastline. The ocean energizes Catchpole, who has tapped into the zeitgeist of contemporary debates around the relationship between British Columbia and bitumen.
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Jane Kenyon
Twilight, 2009 rayon and cotton sewing thread
79 cm (h) x 183 cm (w) framed “Twilight� is a clever intersection of natural and urban landscapes, a slippage between places, where the black horizon can be read as extending into the unsettled distance or stopping at a cityscape. Jane Kenyon uses colour and detailed textures built up from painting with threads to create this layered, intricate composition.
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Bettina Matzkuhn
Tides, 2011 hand-embroidered sail canvas and nautical fittings
360cm (h) x 270cm (w) x 120cm (d) “Tides” operates as a symbol for discovering our individual and collective places in the world. As Bettina Matzkuhn states, her work explores “ideas around voyages that traverse internal and external geographies,” and in this piece she combines sail-making with embroidered tide current charts to create a sense of movement and metaphor.
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Julie McIntyre
Nautical Series hand-printed lithography, various papers, threads,
2 pieces: “Nautical Quilt,” 2010, 82.5 cm (h) x 82.5cm (w) x 3cm (d) framed; “Nautical Apron,” 2008, (pictured) 117cm (h) x 46 cm (w) x 4cm (d) Julie McIntyre`s grandmother Lucy Macleod McIntyre inspired the Nautical Series which is composed of her grandmother`s travel photos, hand-printed with an aged aesthetic. The apron and quilt serve as reminders of the 1960s design aesthetic that surrounded these travels, made aboard cargo ships between Vancouver and a number of Asian ports.
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Rachel Gourley
Doodle Series: Lemmings and Tiptoes, 2012, 2013 photography and polymer
Framed prints: 51 cm (h) x 56 cm (w) “Lemmings” polymers: 20cm (h) x 15 cm (w); “Tiptoes” polymers: 38cm (h) or 25 cm (w) Place is the driving narrative behind Rachel Gourley’s “Doodle Series: Lemmings and Tiptoes.” These polymer forms operate as brilliant injections of colour and unusual botanical shapes nestled into natural landscapes. Gourley experiments with their placement, and after many walks and much trial and error she finds their British Columbian “homes.”
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Charmian Nimmo
Blackberry Teapot, 2012 clay,
Borosilicate glass, aluminium fittings
25 cm (h) x 28 cm (w) x 23 cm (d) In “Blackberry Teapot” Charmian Nimmo creates a whimsical tribute to the brambles and sweet fruit of this British Columbian staple. The incorporation of glass and metal elements into this clay teapot, like the thorny handle, is a testament to Nimmo’s expertise in overcoming the technical and aesthetic challenges they present.
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Kinichi Shigeno
B.C. Mountain Pine Beetle Soup Bowl and Saucer, 2012 porcelain
9cm (h) x 18 cm (w) x 17 cm (d) Kinichi Shigeno emphasizes that pattern, shape and colour are the three most important elements in his work, which expertly connects his Japanese heritage to his Canadian influences. The surprise element in this delicate piece is the B.C. Mountain Pine Beetle, which is reduced from a feared scourge to a decorative element.
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Robin Hopper
Treeline: Snow Mountain Landscape Bottle Series, c.1977 part hand-built, part wheel-thrown porcelain clay
46cm (h) x 36cm (w) x 10cm (d) Robin Hopper’s “Landscape Bottle” reflects his close relationship to the land. Hopper has always kept sketchbooks of drawings recording his local Metchosin landscapes as well as those from his travels, and which also explore his interest in light, as evidenced on this bottle by the sun shining through the wintery sky.
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Walter Dexter
Untitled Vase, c. 1970 ceramic
28cm (h) x 25 cm (w) x 13 cm (d) Walter Dexter’s rich, earthy “Untitled Vase” captures a moment in British Columbian craft history when his organic shapes and experimental glazes were part of the dominant ceramic aesthetic. Here, “place” can be interpreted literally in that the land gives rise to the object and is forever captured in three dimensions.
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Artists Bios/Statements SCALE
collections in Canada and the U.S
KAIJA RAUTIAINEN On the shoreline, I come across ropes escaped from
ALWYN O’BRIEN Alwyn O’Brien was born on a rural property on Salt Spring Island, B.C. to a family of makers and gardeners. Her ceramic practice has taken her across Canada, studying at Capilano College, Vancouver, Sheridan College, Ontario under Bruce Cochrane and Susan Low-Beer, the Nova Scotia School of Art and Design with Julia Galloway , and Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design where she studied under Paul Mathieu. She completed her MFA at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington State, 2010. She has been an artist in residence in high schools as well currently maintaining a position as a sessional instructor for Emily Carr Institute in Vancouver, Canada. She has received numerous awards for her work, most recently the North-West Ceramics Foundation Award of Excellence. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally, and is held in Museum
log booms – remnants of the once thriving industry on the west coast – washed ashore, bleached and unraveled by oceans ebb and flow. They are relics which strongly reference the history of the coast and I am intrigued by their passage from important part of active life to abandonment and decay. As much as I am seeing them portraying everyday life, as a fibre artist, I am drawn to the material itself and notice how individual fibres are rubbing off the once tight twist, letting go and slowly returning back to soil.
JAN SMITH Jan Smith graduated with a BFA from NSCAD and has been working in the field of art jewelry since the mid 1990’s. Her pieces are informed by the complexity of botanical forms and natural objects, architectural forms and the patterns and surfaces of them. Jan’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and her work is represented in Cana-
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da and the US by Noel Guymarc’h, Montreal, Velvet
course in design and glassblowing at Tama Art
da Vinci, San Francisco, and Facere, Seattle. She
University in Tokyo. She has attended the Pilchuck
has received awards for her work including Jurors’
Glass School as a scholarship student in ’93 and
Award and award of merit, from the Northern CA
’98. Takenouchi has exhibited her work world wide,
Enamel Guild, and Jurors’ award from the Enamelist
and her work was included in New Glass Review
Society.
16, Contemporary Glass: Color, Light & Form from Guild Publishing, and many other national and
LYNDA JONES
international publications. She has received many
In 2012, after 20 years as a part-time potter some-
awards in Canada including the Canada Council
thing changed. I suddenly felt some degree of
“mid-career” grant. In 2002, Takenouchi was in-
mastery of my craft. The work seemed to flow more
vited to be one of the jury members for the Saidy
easily; not such a struggle. I roughly calculated
Bronfman Award in Ottawa. Currently, she has been
how many hours I had put into this process. Based
commissioned to make Governor General’s Per-
on about 10 hours per week I realized I’d invested
forming Art’s Awards since 2003.
10,000 hours! I first discovered burnishing while caressing my damp unfired pots, during ceramics instruction at Emily Carr College Summer Program.
MATERIAL
Not wanting to change the sensuous feel of the clay with glazes and high temperature firing I chose the
AMY CHANG
smoke-firing process.
This study is meant to be a surreal and playful approach to envision the future of prosthetics and
NAOKO TAKENOUCHI
human enhancements. Our organs, often referred
Naoko Takenouchi completed a four-year degree
to as metaphorical gears in a machine, have now materialized into real integrations of seeming hap-
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hazardly arranged mechanical hardware and organic
BARBARA COHEN
tissue. “Industrial Organs” test out theories of how
Creating jewelry offers an intimacy and commit-
the human tissue will be technically evolved in our
ment to refinement that speaks to my sensibilities.
future society that is so highly technological.
Whether with intent or not, one’s art is autobiographical expression. The transition from early
IAN JOHNSTON
sculptural textiles to body ornament was a logical
Ian Johnston approaches his work as an object
development which represents a distillation of ar-
for facilitating and engaging audiences to explore,
tistic focus. The materials that I find and am drawn
examine and reinvent their relationship with the envi-
to are most often the inspiration for my creations.
ronment. His desire is to create archival documents,
Using materials out of context is a consistent aspect
objects and spatial experiences that engage, for
of my work giving them an ambiguity that draws the
opposite purposes, the same senses and desires
viewer’s attention, questions preconceived notions
that advance consumption. Johnston is an architect
of value and suggests new meaning.
turned sculptor based in Nelson, BC. He has exhibited his sculptural work internationally since the mid
PETER PIEROBON
nineties. Johnston studied architecture at Algonquin
This pendant light was inspired initially by a cedar
College, and Carleton University in Ottawa and with
strip canoe that I made some 10 years ago. The
the University of Toronto at Paris, France. Prior to
multiple slats bent over an internal structure de-
opening his Nelson studio in 1996 he spent five
scribed a beautiful, fluid, aerodynamic shape that
years working at the Bauhaus Academy in post
is informed by the stiffness of the material used
Berlin Wall East Germany.
to build it. After some experimenting I was able to invent a method of construction that does not need the internal structure and by allowing the slats
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to separate from one another a negative space is
puzzling illusion series of turnings that resemble
created to allow light to shine through. The piece is
jigsaw puzzles, his work often involves surface en-
a hanging sculpture until the light is turned on, then
hancements using pyrography and coloring. He
it becomes a beacon.
is also interested in breaking the symmetry of traditional turned forms while exploring more sculptural
LINDA DOHERTY
work. Art‘s work has been in numerous invited
Linda Doherty and Lynnette Gullackson (nee Brown)
shows over the past 10 years and he has been pro-
were born and raised in Dawson Creek, B.C. The
filed in international publications such as Craft Arts
two sisters eventually migrated to opposite ends of
International and Woodturning.
the province – Lynnette to Fort Nelson and Linda to the lower mainland. In spite of the distance separat-
MELANIE THOMPSON
ing them they have managed a collaboration of their
Melanie has been working in her craft of basketry
artistic talents. Their combined craft developed as
since taking her first course in 1993. Her work in
a result of their mutual desire to salvage the needles
sculptural basketry lights began in 2004. A wide
from the magnificent Ponderosa Pine trees – now
variety of materials, styles, and techniques have
devastated by the mountain pine beetle infestation.
been employed in this work. Spring is representative
They have collaborated on over 150 pieces, each
of her progress towards 10,000 hours invested in
beginning with a ceramic vessel by Linda and em-
her craft in two particular ways, both of these are
bellished with pine needles by Lynnette.
basketry techniques. Melanie used two new, to her work, weaving techniques in this piece. The first of
ART LIESTMAN
these is putting two weavers of a different size and
Art Liestman is now a full-time wood artist, having
colour together to form one piece as is shown in the
recently retired from his day job as a professor at
body of the weaving. The second technique is the
Simon Fraser University. Known particularly for his
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‘hairy’ weave shown at the top of the light. Melanie explores the answer to the question “what if...” by
JEFF BURNETTE
trying new designs, materials and techniques. Her
Jeff has designed, built, melted, gathered, colored,
craft will always be a work in progress.
blown, torched, stretched, pulled, shaped, marvered, puntied, opened, flared, and spun out, flame-
PROCESS
worked, bent, annealed, pumped, wired, cut, leaded, soldered, ground, assembled, sorted, polished, sandblasted, acid etched, drilled, silvered, taught,
BILL BOYD
learned, washed, mounted, packed, sold, shipped
Bill Boyd began making pottery in 1970, in Swe-
and then some, for the last thirty-two years.
den, where he worked with several talented potters and taught ceramics. Over time, the Scandinavian
MICHELLE SIROIS-SILVER
influence melded with an Asian aesthetic, bringing
I was born on the Gaspé and spent my formative
Boyd to his signature work of classic simplicity. “I
years on Vancouver Island. My works are process
am interested more in creating beautiful ceramics
based and the surfaces are imbued with hand hook-
admired by all cultures than in creating something
ing, screen print and stitch. When I work with tex-
just to be unique. In other words, the challenge and
tiles, their tactile qualities have a grounding effect for
reward of finding the universal key aesthetically.”
me and take me to a place of infinite possibility. An
Boyd is now one of the leading names in crystalline
important part of my practice embraces the past; I
ceramics, and his work has been exhibited in Eu-
am able to do what I do because of the legacy cre-
rope and North America. He is currently represent-
ated by thousands who came before me. I exhibit,
ed by galleries across Canada. He lives on Galiano
teach and write about my practice. I work from my
Island in British Columbia.
studio in Vancouver, Canada.
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MARTIN P. THORNE
sition of contrasting materials and that express the
I am a passionate “maker”, using materials provided
tension that exists between strength and fragility.
by nature that have been textured by sun, wind and
Ms. Lynn’s sculpture has been widely exhibited na-
rain or discarded from building sites or industrial
tionally and internationally and is displayed in public
processes. These “raw” materials spark my creativ-
collections that include the: Canadian Museum of
ity and excitement builds as I explore their texture
Civilization, Gatineau, QC; Canadian Clay & Glass
and form. I bring my pieces into existence by shap-
Museum, Waterloo, ON; Claridge Collection, Mon-
ing or combining materials. These pieces whether
treal, QC; Foreign Affairs Canada – Berlin Embassy
functional or abstract must have their elements in
Collection, Germany; Glasmuseum. Ebeltoft, Den-
proper arrangement, their form must be good, they
mark; Kamloops Public Art Gallery, Kamloops, BC;
must be engaging and thought provoking and hope-
Xerox of Canada Collection, Toronto, ON; Yunnan
fully they are fun.
Hanrongxuan Art Museum, Kunming, China; and the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY.
FORM
LISA SAMPHIRE Lisa Samphire, Canadian born began her glass blowing career in 1985. Her work includes private
LOU LYNN
and public, sculptural and functional pieces. Over
Inspiration for Lou Lynn’s work has been drawn
the years she has taught and lectured and has
from architecture, as well as archaeological and in-
received various awards, scholarships, teaching
dustrial artifacts. She combines the fragility, strength
appointments and commissions. Blowing glass is
and optical properties of glass, with bronze, to
a very physical and exciting process, which Lisa
create contemporary forms that involve a juxtapo-
enjoys each time she tackles a new piece. She
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loves trying to resolve the aesthetic and technical
ANGELIKA WERTH
challenges that the medium of glass presents. She
Angelika Werth is a contemporary sculptor/design-
maintains a freshness and liveliness to her work by
er in fibre. Influenced by her time in Paris at Yves
constantly exploring its properties and following her
Saint Laurent, her theatrical garments are both
intuition and curiosity. She utilizes different tech-
stand-alone sculpture and wearable art. Meticulous
niques in her work and has continued to learn from
craftsmanship, aesthetic beauty and innovative
others as she pursues her career.
design are the hallmarks of her work. Werth’s work has been exhibited widely in Canada and abroad
YVONNE WAKABAYASHI
and is included in collections from the B.C., Ontario
My work is dominated by themes combining the sea
and numerous private collections. She has received
and my heritage. This sculptural piece is developed
awards from the B.C. Arts Council, Canada Council
from my continued investigation of the Japanese
and won second price in an international exhibition
technique of shibori which involves the tying and
at Chateau Chassy en Morvan, France. She teach-
binding of fabric in a way that reserves areas from
es Pattern Drafting and Design, Fibre Construction,
dye. Recently I have combined shibori elements to
Advanced Detailing, Advanced Pattern Design,
explore three-dimensional forms while still retaining
Draping and Upholstery and Objects for Interiors for
a connection to my ancestral culture. I hope this
the Kootenay School of the Arts in Nelson as well as
piece evokes fragility and serenity and encourages
workshops around B.C. and Alberta.
reflective contemplation on the delicate balance of our waters and its marine life. My goal is to con-
DEBORAH DUMKA
tribute to increased awareness of the care we must
I am a textile artist working from my studio-by-
give as custodians of our planet.
the-sea on the edge of a small island in the Salish Sea of British Columbia, Canada. With a passion
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for colour and drawing inspiration from the natural
awards in many of these. She has presented at
landscape of my rural home, I dye raw fibre and
Ceramic Symposia in British Columbia, Ontario
spun yarns to create a palette of material for my
and Australia and has taught and given workshops
line of functional felt work. As a kid, I moved with
across Canada. Rolland’s work can be seen in
my family across Canada from the west coast to
seventeen books on Ceramics, and is in private,
the east coast and back, spending a few years in
corporate and public collections around the world.
the landscape of central Canada but for the most
She was elected to The Royal Canadian Academy
part remaining within spitting distance of an ocean.
of Arts in 2004. Her Walking Green Series #2 is
As an adult I have experienced the third Canadi-
an attempt at bridging the abstract and the real by
an coastline, the Arctic, completing the triangle of
playing with perception and memory.
coastal landscapes and experiences which inspire the shapes and colours of my work. I am actively in-
PLACE
volved in the Canadian craft community - provincially through the Craft Council of British Columbia and nationally through the Canadian Crafts Federation.
DOMINIQUE BRECHAULT Dominique BrĂŠchault lives and works in Vancouver.
LAURIE ROLLAND
Born and raised in France, she moved to Canada
Laurie Rolland of Sechelt, BC has made her living as
after completing her university studies. She holds
a potter since graduating with honours, from Sheri-
a Masters Degree in Art History and a Certificate of
dan College of Ontario, in 1978. Her work has been
Advanced Studies in Medieval Civilization from the
recognized through numerous grants and awards
University of Poitiers, France. In 1987 she grad-
including Project and Travel grants from the Canada
uated with honours in Photography at Emily Carr
Council. She has exhibited nationally and interna-
College of Art & Design, and in 1992, she received
tionally in juried and invitational exhibitions, winning
a Diploma in Jewellery Art & Design from Vancouver
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Community College. Since 1992, Dominique has
construction, reminiscent of the complex interweav-
been teaching continuing education jewellery class-
ing in nature and creates a depth of color, texture,
es with the Vancouver School Board, and since
detail and surface sheen that is unlike any other
2000, with Vancouver Community College. She has
medium. Just as in nature, we are invited to observe
maintained a studio as a goldsmith since 1992.
the work closely, intimately, as well as viewing from a distance.
BRIDGET CATCHPOLE The process of upcycling inevitably begs the ques-
BETTINA MATZKUHN
tion – how ubiquitous is plastic waste? I pose this
I am interested in textile as a language of visual
question in my current body of work Buoys. On
narrative. Textiles have a long history of inscribing
the surface, the buoys symbolize safety on the
social and personal stories. My work is a part of
water, and convey assurance and direction. But
this continuum. I focus on hand embroidery, fabric
an unsettling polemic of opposites exists in Buoys:
collage and surface design, exploring ideas around
safety and direction as represented by the nautical
marine navigation and fictional maps that present
markers and clinging to them the uncertain future
personal and social geographies, through carto-
of plastic debris in our oceans.
graphic symbols and conventions. Making sails is a departure in that these works are much larger than
JANE KENYON
previous work, are three-dimensional and involve
I was born in Saskatchewan but have lived the past
the expertise of other craftspeople. My sails are an
20 years in BC, where we are continually inspired
extension of my interest in environmental issues,
by and responding to the astonishing natural envi-
symbolic systems and storytelling.
ronment. The resulting hangings evolve from photographs, drawings, collage and paintings. Working
JULIE MCINTYRE
with thread in this manner creates a dense, intricate
Julie McIntyre studied at the Banff Centre, Alberta
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in 1986 and received her BFA from Queen’s Univer-
CHARMIAN NIMMO
sity with a major in printmaking. She has had solo
I like to make things. It’s that simple. Using new
shows in 18 public galleries in Canada and partic-
materials and throwing them into the mix constantly
ipated in well over 40 juried exhibitions, including
asks the question: how can I put this together with
21 international credits. Julie is the President of
that and make something that is hopefully more
CARFAC BC, BC Rep and Treasurer for CARFAC
than the sum of its parts? This is why after 30 years,
National and CARCC. The Nautical Apron and Quilt
I have still so much to learn, and hopefully, will never
are part of “Travel Stories”, a series where Julie
stop asking the next question. I am self taught and
hand-printed in lithography some of her grand-
have worked in several studios as a production pot-
mother’s travel slides and sewn them into thematic
ter. I’ve been teaching in local community centres
uniforms and quilts to preserve her grandmother’s
for the past 17 years. I began working with glass
art, adventures and style.
several years ago.
RACHEL GOURLEY In the last year or so I have been exploring a way to combine Polymer Clay, a medium I have been using for some years, with landscape and the natural forms I see around me which have long been my inspiration. These digital prints are the end product of the process of placing polymer shapes in a landscape setting, photographing the result and making a digital print from the photograph.
KINICHI SHIGENO Originally from Nagano, Japan Kinichi has been practicing his unique style of ceramics in Richmond BC since 1984. His works have been in numerous collections in North America and abroad. The piece that is part of this exhibition exemplifies a surface that has been turned into a three dimensional canvas. His traditional use of blue underglazes and his motifs of the mountain pine beetles explore the unique natural beauty of BC and it’s struggle to survive.
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Historical Artists: Bios Morna Tudor Morna Tudor’s richly coloured and decorated hot glass work has been celebrated since the 1980s. In her roles as artist, teacher and writer Tudor has made a tremendous impact on the national glass scene in Canada. With over 100 solo and group exhibitions, guest artist roles at Espace Verre, Sheridan College and the Alberta College of Art and Design, and full scholarships to study glass at the Pilchuck Glass School (in 1991, 1993 and 2003), Tudor continues to inspire and be inspired. She is an advocate for the crafts, working with the Craft Council of British Columbia, the Canadian Craft Museum, and Circle Craft.
Lesley Richmond Lesley Richmond, an early member of the Crafts Association of British Columbia, is well known for her experimental textiles that emphasize the excellence of her surface designs. ``Invested`` features an early fibre work by Richmond, however, the connection between mixed-meda and fibre lies in her organic surfaces and collage effects. Richmond has been an influential part of British Columbia`s textile scene since 1973 when she began teaching surface design at Capilano College. Her textiles have won accolades from the Surface Design Association (2003), the Cheongju International Craft Biennale (2007), and the International Triennial of Tapestry in Lodz, Poland (2007).
Robin Hopper Robin Hopper is one of Canada’s most influential ceramic artists. He won the first Saidye Bronfman Award for Craft in 1977 the same year he moved to Victoria, B.C. where he set up his Chosin Pottery. This studio is situated in breathtaking gardens, which are a testament to his renown as a garden designer. Hopper is
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well known as a teacher and author, having published several best-selling books on pottery and glazes, starting with The Ceramic Spectrum in 1984. In the early 1980s he served the Crafts Association of British Columbia as the Provincial Representative to the Canadian Crafts Council.
Walter Dexter A powerhouse in the Canadian ceramic community, Walter Dexter won the Saidye Bronfman Award for Craft in 1992. From 1967 to 1974 he was the head of ceramics at the Kootenay School of the Arts in Nelson, moving on to teach at a number of schools, including the University of Victoria. As Jonathon Bancroft-Snell describes, “Walter is one of Canada’s best examples of a potter elevating his craft into art through creative forms not readily associated with functional pottery.” Dexter served as the President of the Craftsmen’s Association of British Columbia in 1978, working later as a Director of the Canadian Crafts Council.
Bill Reid Known as “the most famous and influential Northwest Coast artist of our time” (Barry Harem), Bill Reid won international acclaim for his art works which spanned a range of materials. From large-scale sculptures, like “The Spirit of Haida Gwaii,” to intimate gold and silver jewellery, Reid was adept at forging traditional Indigenous forms with modern design sensibilities. For Reid no artistic hierarchy existed and he was always an avid supporter of British Columbia crafts, winning the Saidye Bronfman Award for Craft in 1986. In 1985 he honoured the Crafts Association of British Columbia with a gift of a bronze bear head door knob.
Elaine Alfoldy As an emerging textile artist Elaine Alfoldy attended the first meeting of the Craftsmen’s Association of Brit
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ish Columbia. Along with her husband Andy, Elaine has earned her livelihood exclusively from her textiles and paintings for over forty years. Since 1982 they have operated the Alfoldy Gallery in Creston, B.C. Her works celebrate the flora and fauna that surround her in the Kootenays, and her mixed media approach and emphasis on surface design is an extension of her early training in printmaking at the Vancouver School of Art (now the Emily Carr University of the Arts and Design).
Photo Credits: Ron David – Ron David; Lynda Jones - Digital Perfections, Kelowna; Alwyn O’Brien – Alwyn O/Brien; Kaija Rautianen - Ted Clarke; Jan Smith - Doug Yaple; Naoko Takenouchi - Kenji Nagai; Amy Chang - Sandy Wang;Barbara CohenBarbara Cohen; Linda Doherty - Dennis Doherty; Ian Johnston - Jeremy Addington; Peter Peirobon - Goran Basaric; Melanie Thompson- Grant Kernan AK Photos; Bill Boyd – Bill Boyd; Jeff Burnette – Camila Ramos Bravo; Deb Dumka – Camila Ramos Bravo; Lou Lynn - Janet Dwyer; Laurie Rolland- Laurie Rolland; Lisa Samphire - Lisa Samphire; Yvonne Wakabayashi - Kenji Nagai; Angelika Werth - Jeremy Addington; Dominique Brechault - Dominique Brechault; Bridget Catchpole - Anthony Mclean; Rachel Gourley - Rachel Gourley; Jane Kenyon - Kenji Nagai; Bettina Matzkuhn - Ted Clarke; Julie McIntyre - Julie McIntyre; Charmian Nimmo - Charmian Nimmo; Kinichi Shigeno - Kinichi Shigeno; Morna Tudor – Camila Ramos Bravo; Lesley Richmond – Camila Ramos Bravo; Robin Hopper – Camila Ramos Bravo; Walter Dexter – Camila Ramos Bravo; Elaine Alfoldy – Elaine Alfoldy; Bill Reid – Jeffrey Black
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About the Craft Council of British Columbia Craft Council of B.C. is a charitable arts service organization which supports all stages of artistic practice in the craft sector; creates opportunities for artists to exhibit, sell and produce art work; provides a voice for artists and craft organizations and aids in the development of active communities around craft. Since 1973 we have been making craft more significant in the cultural life of British Columbians and Canadians. Through our public gallery and social enterprise shops on Granville Island,and at the Vancouver Airport Crafthouse, we exhibit and interpret contemporary objects in ceramic, glass, fiber, metal and wood that honor innovation in art, craft and design and celebrate materials and processes. As a membership-based organization, CCBC welcomes all those who are interested in or curious about craft. Many individuals and institutions belong to CCBC - artists, teachers, scholars, collectors, gallery owners and professionals in related fields in British Columbia. This diversity is well represented in CCBC’s governance through its Board of Directors, which is elected annually by the members.
www.craftcouncilbc.ca
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CCBC Invested - Acknowledgements
An exhibition like “Invested� requires the hard work and support of a large com-
munity of craft supporters. The organizing committee members Ros Aylmer, Jane Kenyon, Bettina Matzkuhn, Raine McKay, Penny Parry and curator Sandra Alfoldy wish to thank the following individuals and institutions for their contributions:
Camila Ramos Bravo, Ria Bleumer, Janai Jackie, Sue Fitzwilson, Gerilee Mc-
Bride, Valerie Neil, Julie Stavness, artsVest - Business for the Arts, BC Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, City of Vancouver, Resolve Design, YVR Airport Authority. And thanks to those who have loaned artwork for the exhibition: City of Vancouver & Museum of Vancouver (CCM collection), Jeffrey Black and Mary Chapman, Portico Gallery, Elaine Alfoldy.
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Invested 40
Craft Council of British Columbia
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