May/August 2018 - Alberta Craft Magazine

New and Renewing Members

NEW MEMBERS

Alisha Marie Adams, Calgary, Clay, fibre

Maanasi Bhandari, Calgary, Jewellery & Metals

Xavier Axel Quetzalcoatl Bernal Bladh, Calgary,

Jewellery & Metals

Graham Boyd , Calgary, Glass

Gary Burkholder, Beaumont, Glass

Michael Calaresu , Edmonton, Clay

Ralph Christoffersen, Calgary, Supporter

Taygan Crapo, Calgary, Glass

Aiden Damer, Edmonton, Metal

Jane Finley, Calgary, Fibre

Jessie Fraser, Calgary, Fibre

Kayla Gale, Calgary, Supporter

Navy Gale, Airdrie, Jewellery & Metals

Brianna Gluszak , Calgary, Glass

Nicholas Gunhouse, Calgary, Paper

Susan Fae Haglund , Calgary, Fibre

Tammy Hollingsworth, Lethbridge, Clay

Michelle Houston, Lousana, Fibre

Sabine Kalkienth, Calgary, Supporter

Rosemary Karges, Edmonton, Beadwork

Kristofer Kelly-Frere, Calgary, Supporter

Kieran Kroeker, Calgary, Fibre

Karen Maxine Kryzan, Calgary, Metal

Chantal Lafond , Calgary, Fibre

Hayden Macrae, Calgary, Glass

Sheila Mahut, Calgary, Glass

Tory Manywounds, Calgary, Stone

Valerie McMillan, Calgary, Metal

Sara Perry-Din, Calgary, Metal

Marley Poxpescu , Calgary, Jewellery & Metals

Josefina Rodriquez , Calgary, Clay, fibre

Pat Rozitis, Calgary, Glass, wood

Eric Sundstrom, Calgary, Wood

Karin Thorsteinsson, Calgary, Fibre

Paula Timm, Calgary, Fibre, paper

Catherine Tunis, Edmonton, Supporter

Margaret Witschl, Edmonton, Supporter

Teresa Wyss & Nick Newton, Calgary, Clay

Yilu Xing , Calgary, Clay, fibre, paper

Jeff Yee, Calgary, Supporter

NEW PROFESSIONAL MEMBERS

Sara Nishi, Calgary, Leather

Melanie Smit, Calgary, Metal

Rita St. Amant, Willow Bunch, Fibre

Annette ten Cate, Medicine Hat, Clay

RENEWING MEMBERS

Frankie, Sherwood Park, Woodcarving, Paper

Jocelyne Abad , Calgary, Glass

Ed Bamiling , Banff, Clay

Don Barker, Calgary, Glass

Hellen Beamish, Calgary, Fibre, glass

Judith Becker, Waterton, Supporter

Leslie Birrell, Nanton, Fibre

Jennifer Bowen, Lethbridge, Curator/Academic/

Writer, Fibre, metal

E. Ross Bradley, Edmonton, Clay

Isla Burns, Thorsby, Metal

Sharon Busby, Edmonton, Clay, painting

Lucy Cariou , Calgary, Fibre

Leanne Chahley, Edmonton, Fibre

Donna Clement, Calgary, Fibre, mixed

Fran Cuyler, Edmonton, Clay, stone

Pamma Fitzgerald , Calgary, Clay, paper, mixed

Caroline Forde, Calgary, Fibre, paper

Natalie Gerber, Calgary, Fibre

Michelle Gluza , Edmonton, Paper, fibre

Heritage Weavers & Spinners Guild of Calgary, Calgary, Organization

Ben Henderson, Edmonton, SupporterCity of Edmonton Councillor

Red Deer College, Red Deer, Organization

Joan Irvin, Calgary, Metal - Jewellery

Priscilla Janes, Canmore, Clay

Joanne Johnson, Calgary, Fibre, clay, paper

Ava Karvonen, Edmonton, Clay

Marie Gordon & Jim Kindrake, Edmonton, Supporter

Ciara Jayne Linteau , Banff, Glass, clay

Wildflower Arts Centre, Calgary, Organization

Cheryl Nekolaichuk , Edmonton, Supporter

Stan Otto, Edmonton, Wood

City Arts Centre, Edmonton, Organization

Joan Sandham, Calgary, Clay

Dawn Saunders-Dahl, Canmore, Ceramics, painting

Bart Simpson, Calgary, Clay

Malcolm Stielow, Fort Saskatchewan, Metal

Pat Strakowski, Calgary, Fibre, mixed

Deb Turner, Foothills, Fibre

Debbie Tyson, Edmonton, Fibre

Carol Voyt, Victoria, Clay

Amber Weasel Head , Lac La Biche, Beadwork

Richard Winestock , Calgary, Supporter

Chris Zinkan, Calgary, Clay

RENEWING PROFESSIONAL MEMBERS

Valerie Baber, St. Albert, Fibre

Holly Boone, Edmonton, Fibre

Tracy Brown, Edmonton, Metal - Jewellery

Karen Cantine, Edmonton, Metal - Jewellery & Metals

Corinne Cowell, Calgary, Fibre, mixed

Dawn Detarando & Brian McArthur

Red Deer County, Clay

Dave Dunkley, Saskatoon, Wood

Jim Etzkorn, Medicine Hat, Clay

Marcia Fossey, Edmonton, Jewellery

Matt Gould , Red Deer, Fibre, painting

Evelyn Grant, Calgary, Ceramics

Jamie Gray, Calgary, Glass

Judith Green, Pincher Creek, Clay

Patricia Hartnagel, Edmonton, Clay

Jeff Holmwood , Crawford Bay, Glass

Michael J.C. Holton, Calgary, Wood

Dianne Hove, Calgary, Clay

Andrea Itzeck , Edmonton, Jewellery & Metals

Mackenzie Kelly-Frere, Calgary, Fibre

Bradley Keys, Calgary, Clay

Sung Nam Kim, Calgary, Paper, wood, stone, glass, plastic

Christina Koscielnuk , Redwater, Ukrainian Eggs

Diane Krys, Edmonton, Fibre

Ken Lumbis, Grande Prairie, Clay

Noriko Masuda , Medicine Hat, Clay

Ron Maunder, St. Albert, Metal - Jewellery

Lisa McGrath, Calgary, Clay

Candice Meyer, Red Deer, Jewellery & Metals

Anne Ormerod , Calgary, Metal

Tammy Parks-Legge, Parkland County, Clay

Giselle Peters, Edmonton, Clay

Jean-Claude & Talar Prefontaine, Calgary, Wood

Kathryn Ransom, Stathmore, Clay

Daryl Richardson, Saskatoon, Metal, wood

Natali Rodrigues, Calgary, Glass

Dana Roman, Canmore, Fibre, mixed

Barbara Rumberger, Calgary, Glass

Dalia Saafan, Edmonton, Glass

Dena Seiferling , Calgary, Fibre

Carol & Richard Selfridge, Edmonton, Clay

Margot Van Lindenberg , Calgary, Fibre, mixed

Meghan Wagg , Edmonton, Jewellery & Metals

Allan Waidman, West Kelowna, Stone

ALBERTA CRAFT MAGAZINE

The Alberta Craft Magazine is published three times a year. Submission deadline for September – December 2018 issue: July 15, 2018.

The Alberta Craft Magazine makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein but assumes no liability in cases of error of changing conditions. Any business relation or other activity undertaken as a result of the information contained in the Alberta Craft Magazine, or arising there from, are the responsibility of the parties involved and not of the Alberta Craft Council.

ALBERTA CRAFT COUNCIL

OFFICES & GALLERIES

Main Office Information Edmonton: Monday - Friday 9am to 5pm 780-488-6611 OR 1-800-DO-CRAFT

E-mail acc@albertacraft.ab.ca

Website www.albertacraft.ab.ca

ALBERTA CRAFT GALLERY - EDMONTON 10186 – 106 Street Edmonton, AB, Canada T5J 1H4 Monday – Saturday 10am - 5pm Open until 6pm on Thursday 780-488-5900

ALBERTA CRAFT GALLERY - CALGARY 1721 – 29 Avenue SW, Suite #280 Calgary, AB, Canada T2T 6T7 Wednesday - Friday 11am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm 587-391-0129

STAFF

Executive Director - Barry Moss, ext. 228

EDMONTON Operations & Exhibitions - Joanne Hamel, ext. 234

Communications & Marketing - Jessica Telford

Communications, Marketing & Member Services - Allison Lilly, ext. 221

Marketing - Victoria Sanchez, ext. 231

Retail Gallery Coordinator - Émilienne Gervais, ext. 232

Financial Officer - Wendy Arrowsmith, ext. 234

Retail Gallery Assistant - Felicity Bohnet

CALGARY

Retail Gallery Liaison - Corinne Cowell

Outreach, Events & Volunteers - Jill Nuckles

Retail Gallery Assistant - Melanie Archer

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair Tara Owen (Calgary)

Vice Chair Dawn Deterando (Red Deer)

Directors Jenna Stanton (Medicine Hat), Mary-Beth Laviolette (Canmore), Dawn Saunders-Dahl (Canmore), Kari Woo (Canmore), Jennifer Salahub (Calgary), Meghan Wagg (Edmonton), Kai Georg Scholefield (Calgary), Brenda Malkinson (Edmonton), Natali Rodrigues (Calgary), Kristofer Kelly-Frère (Calgary)

MAGAZINE

Editor Allison Lilly, ext. 221

Co-editors Victoria Sanchez, ext. 221 & Joanne Hamel, ext. 234

Designer Hotel Graphic Design Company

The Alberta Craft Council is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing Alberta craft and the Alberta craft industry.

SPONSORS

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Where has the time gone? It has been a year since I joined the Alberta Craft Council Family and what a wonderful year it has been. I continue to meet and learn more about our diverse membership. I have started my studio tours and my steep learning curve continues. While I have a background in textiles, I have had the opportunity to explore new mediums and so far on my studio tours, I have visited three metal studios, two glass studios and one ceramics studio. These studios were very different (but similar – how interesting); the needs required for the practices varied, from space requirements and ventilation, tools, etc. I look forward to more visits and continuing my education.

The Alberta Craft Council has a long history for advocacy through education. This is one of the many reasons why I am honoured to be part of this long-lived organization. As a retired educator in the arts (that’s ancient history) this passion for fine craft education is one that I hope to share more and more. This year’s exhibitions provide the forum to educate Albertans on Fine Craft and provide a show case to feature new and innovative work.

Through career development, the ACC assists Fine Craft artists at emerging, mid-career, and professional stages of work. One of my favorite aspects of this job is assisting new and emerging artists to find their voice, finding the answer to the question “What is my direction?” Fine Craft is the precursor to all forms of creative expression. It was born out of necessity and the need for function. Over the many centuries, we Fine Craft artists have blurred the line between pure aesthetic and pure function. This defines us all as educators in Fine Craft and I am honored to be part of this distinguished group of educators.

To recognize Fine Craft artists who have developed themselves and their craft throughout the years, The Alberta Craft Council Awards will be presented this 20th of October at Alberta Craft Gallery – Calgary. If you wish to nominate someone please review the website and submit your nomination before August 1, 2018. This will be my first ACC Awards Gala and I look forward to the presentations and the newly renamed Tom McFall Honour Award. Till next time, cheers.

FIND OUT MORE

Barry Moss, Executive Director

“Cold Stone” by Les Manning. 2011. Coarse-textured stoneware with granite and perlite and smooth-textured porcelain with celadon glaze. 38 cm x 31.8 cm x 22.9 cm from home, the next Alberta Craft Feature Gallery exhibition

Photo by Cecil Finch.

Learn more about home on Page 8 & 9

PORTAGE COLLEGE PAGE 7

JACK SURES PAGE 18

NEVERTHELESS, SHE PERSISTED PAGE 12 MEET THE MAKER PAGE 22

ALBERTA CRAFT COUNCIL EVENTS AROUND ALBERTA

ALBERTA CRAFT GALLERY - EDMONTON

Feature Gallery home

May 5 – August 18, 2018

Artist Talk & Reception: Saturday, June 23, 2018 from 2 - 4pm (Page 8 & 9)

Discovery Gallery

The Art of Hide Tanning: Tradition Inspiring the Present and Future, Amy Malbeuf & Ruby Sweetman (Page 7)

Until May 26, 2018

The Surface of Things: Chasing Light, Brenda Malkinson (Page 11)

June 2 – July 14, 2018

Artist Reception & Talk: Saturday, June 2, 2018 from 2 - 4pm

Nevertheless, she persisted, Laura O’Connor (Page 12)

Milk & Oil, Giselle Peters (Page 13)

July 21 – August 25, 2018

Artist Reception & Talk: Saturday, July 21, 2018 from 2 - 4pm

EDMONTON & CALGARY

Retail Gallery

Visit the Alberta Craft Gallery –Edmonton & Calgary for the best selection of contemporary and traditional fine craft. Enjoy a wide selection of handcrafted pottery, blown and fused glass, jewellery, woodwork, fibre art, furniture, and home accessories.

Spotlight

Visit the Alberta Craft Gallery –Edmonton & Calgary each month to see new and exciting work by Alberta Craft Council members. The spotlight features artists who are exploring new techniques, launching or testing a new product line, or are new to the retail gallery.

ACC @ YEG International Airport

Did you know the Alberta Craft Council is at the Edmonton International Airport? While not travelling anywhere, the ACC features four vitrines per year, showcasing the work of members and delighting visitors.

Featured

until July are glass work by Darren Petersen and ceramics by Carol & Richard Selfridge (pictured).

Photo by Jeff Yee

House Jars by Noriko Masuda.

ALBERTA CRAFT GALLERY - CALGARY

Feature Gallery

Acceptable Bodies, Allison Tunis (Page 14)

Perch, Staples & Seiferling (Page 14)

Chronicles of a Contemporary Dirtbag, Jamie Kroeger (Page 14)

Until June 2, 2018

Process; thinking through (Page 15)

June 9 – August 18, 2018

Artist Reception: Saturday, June 16, 2018 from 2 - 4pm

+15, Arts Commons

Located within Arts Commons in downtown Calgary, the +15 vitrine features work by ACC members or artists in participating exhibitions.

Stop by to see the newest creations by ACC Professional Member Stefanie Staples on display until May 24.

Artist Reception: May 10, 2018

+15 Leah Gravells

May 25 - July 12, 2018

Spotlight Reception

Join us at cSPACE on the 2nd Thursday of each month (except August) from 5 - 8pm. Meet featured artists and visit other open studios.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

–ALBERTA CRAFT GALLERY - CALGARY

Saturday, June 16, 2018 from 1 - 2pm

We invite all members to attend the AGM and learn more about the Alberta Craft Council. Mingle with board and staff and get involved.

To attend the AGM RSVP to Joanne at joanne@albertacraft.ab.ca or phone 780-488-6611 ext. 234 by 5pm

Thursday, June 14, 2018.

If you are unable to attend, you can still participate by sending in your proxy or nomination of a director. Find these forms at www.albertacraft.ab.ca.

Photo by Jeff Yee

no rain, no flowers by Stefanie Staples. Wood, papier-mâché, paper clay, paper, acrylic paint.

SHOP TALK

When I sat down to write this installment of Shop Talk for the Education issue of Alberta Craft, I had a trajectory in mind. The more I researched, jotted, chatted, and mused I found myself penning some sort of call to action! Okay, a call to action light. Still, I feel a passion and excitement for where Craft can go! Where Alberta Craft, and it’s national and international allies, can go! How do we champion this call? Be curious! And never stop learning!

What do you do for your practice’s development? To step up your marketing? To keep current with new technology, techniques, materials, and change in cultural climate?

What’s new? And what of all that new is relevant to you and your practice? How do you know?

A place to start is the same emotional place as you started in the very beginning. When you first signed up for that class, met that master weaver or supportive elder ceramicist, first started collecting onion skins or envying callouses – what did you think to yourself? That feeling of excitement, and let us not be too romantic, utter frustration, when setting out on your craft journey can now be found through professional development and the options are vast.

Others in your community have gone through the exercise of career-long-learning too and may have some strategies you haven’t tried yet. Seek out these community connections. There are more available than ever before. So many artist centres offer portfolio critiques and advisory services. Alberta’s CARFAC representative, Visual Arts Alberta, has professional development series like ‘Draw More Income’ or grant writing, whereas ACAD, Red Deer College, and other academic institutions offer continuing-education and non-credit courses. An amazing residency at the Banff Centre or at the International Ceramics Studio in Budapest, with access to equipment new to you and new people can be huge. It can also be as simple as meeting like minded craft producers over coffee to talk-it-out, see what everyone thinks of that new 3-D printing technique, and chat about what has been working or not. Grab that coffee-going crowd to visit the latest exhibition at your local gallery. Sign up for every Arts Opportunity feed and newsletter. Ask questions! Do research! Never stop learning!

2018 SERIES SUMMER ARTS SCHOOL AT RED DEER COLLEGE

For 35 years Red Deer College has offered courses through the Series Summer Arts School to artists from across North America to further explore and develop their creative practice. There is so much to discover at Series! Attend instructor presentations, social activities, open model sessions, and open studios in the evenings to connect with other likeminded artists. Red Deer College’s on-campus accommodations are comfortable and affordable and scholarships are available for Series students.

Over the years, the Alberta Craft Council has collaborated with Series in number of ways: from recommending members for teaching opportunities to promoting the many courses offered to our members, supporters, and patrons. Whether you’re an amateur or a professional, you’ll be sure to find something interesting and exciting to learn about this summer.

Check out courses by these ACC Members:

JULY 9 - 13

Introduction to Jewellery Making

Linda Chow | #1398

JULY 16 - 20

Creative Stone Setting for Every Shape

Linda Chow | #1811

Wax Model Sculpting for Bronze Casting

Teena Dickerson | #1719

Creative Metalsmithing

Crys Harse | #1531

A TASTE OF SERIES – JULY 21

A Bracelet in a Day

Linda Chow | #1740

Metal Basket in a Day

Crys Harse | #1547

JULY 23 - 27

A Week of Metal Baskets

Crys Harse | #1837

A Casting Medley

Kari Woo | #1843

Bronze Casting – the Lost Wax Process

(July 23 – August 3)

Robin Lambert | #1750

JULY 30 – AUGUST 3

Making It Work:

Clay Boot Camp

JoAnna Lange | #1749

Handbuilding with

Lino Carved Stamps

Connie Pike | #1847

Wood Projects with

Marquetry

Jean Claude & Talar

Prefontaine | #1852

Marvelous Marbles

Paul van den Bijgaart | #1850

Ceramics | Jewellery | Metal Arts |Fibre Arts | Bronze Casting | Glass Marbles | Marquetry | Plus More

If you wish to further the discussion, don’t hesitate to contact our Retail Gallery Coordinator, Émilienne Gervais. (emilienne@albertacraft.ab.ca)

Portage College Celebrates its 50th Anniversary

Information for this feature courtesy of Portage College.

In 1968, Alberta NewStart was established in Lac La Biche as part of the federal government’s initiative to research basic adult education. NewStart offered instruction in areas as diverse as academic upgrading, trapping, wild fur management, and oilfield management. However, after several months the government decided to close the facility and cease the research. A group of Indigenous students faced with the pending closure of their school decided to challenge the government by staging a twenty-six day sit-in. The group was successful, and the government awarded a grant to continue the NewStart program. The school took on a new name “Pe-Ta-Pun” meaning “New Dawn.”

In 1973, the federal government once again stopped funding the program. This time, however, the Alberta Government took over the program, reopening it as the province’s fifth Alberta Vocational Centre (AVC). From 1973 to 1980 programs and services expanded to include community based programs. In 1980, the Minister of Advanced Education and Manpower announced plans to replace AVC’s temporary facilities with a new campus, which opened in 1985. A Board of Governors was established for the College in 1998, and the following year, the Minister of Advanced Education and Career Development approved a change of name to “Portage College.”

Today, Portage College has campus locations in Lac La Biche, Cold Lake, and St. Paul with satellite campuses in Frog Lake, Saddle Lake, Boyle, and Goodfish Lake. The Alberta Craft Council is proud to represent 2017/2018 Portage College Artist-In-Residence Amy Malbeuf and instructor Ruby Sweetman in the latest Alberta Craft Discovery Gallery exhibition, The Art of Hide Tanning: Tradition Inspiring the Present and Future

Malbeuf and Sweetman created new works for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. This Commemorative Art Project tied into the College’s Museum of Aboriginal Peoples’ Art and Artifacts.

One of the many programs that Portage College offers to students is the Native Arts and Culture. This program is designed to provide a solid knowledge base in traditional Aboriginal art forms as well as introductory level theory and skills in a variety of other fine art and craft media. As an instructor, The Art of Hide Tanning artist Ruby Sweetman, alongside other faculty, teach traditional and contemporary Aboriginal art forms such as beading, carving, footwear, sewing, and hide tanning as well as the cultural and historic significance of these art forms. The study of Aboriginal art is complimented by learning various visual art skills in the areas of drawing, painting, sculpture, print making and mixed media. Congratulations to Portage College on its 50th Year. Visit www.portagecollege.ca for current events and to help celebrate this great occasion.

“Hide tanning is akin to tartan weaving in Scotland or indigo dying in Japan, both of which have had various histories, revivals, expressions, and stages of creative fluorescence.”

- Tom McFall

From top to bottom: “Home Tan Mukluks” by Ruby Sweetman. Traditional tanning tools. Pierre Oberg (Museum Curator and Collections Manager, Museum of Aboriginal Peoples’ Art & Artifacts), Ruby Sweetman, Amy Malbeuf. Fleshed deer hide.

home

Medalta’s Artists in Residence

Alumni who have made Medicine Hat home and their cultural impact on the city.

home

Alberta Craft Gallery - Edmonton

Feature Gallery: May 5 - August 18, 2018

Artist Reception and Talk: Saturday,

June 23 from 2 - 4pm

Alberta Craft Gallery – Calgary

January 19 - March 19, 2019

Curated by Jenna Stanton

dedicated creatives and grassroots community effort, the old factories are being refurbished into dynamic cultural hubs. The unique Medalta Potteries site now provides the setting for a living, working museum, contemporary gallery, vibrant education centre, and the Medalta International Artists in Residence Program.

Artists come from all over the world to work in Medalta’s studios, bringing their unique experiences, techniques, and ideas to the Historic Clay District.

This exhibition celebrates the artists who have decided to make Medicine Hat their home after completing their residency as well as the cultural impact this influx of artists with international careers has brought to the community of Medicine Hat.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:

LES MANNING

AARON NELSON

LIZ BURRITT

JENN DEMKE-LANGE

JASON LANGE

JIM ETZKORN

XANTHE ISBISTER

KOI NENG LIEW

ANNETTE TEN CATE

JENNA STANTON

NORIKO MASUDA

SUSAN MCKINNON

by Annette ten Cate. 2018. Earthenware, hand-built. 20cm x 45cm x 13cm (group). Above Left: Da Tou #2 by Koi Neng Liew. by Jim Etzkorn. Stoneware, wood fired with shino glaze. 31 cm x 3 cm.

Think outside the box.

We design and build custom furniture and marquetry objects from our workshop in Calgary, Alberta.

Our artistic vision, combined with exceptional workmanship, enables us to assemble fine pieces that you will be proud to own.

THE SURFACE OF THINGS: CHASING LIGHT

BRENDA MALKINSON

Alberta Craft Discovery Gallery - Edmonton

June 2 – July 14, 2018

Artists Reception & Talk:

Saturday, June 2 from 2 - 4pm

This new body of work by Brenda Malkinson continues to explore the interplay of light and surface. Through her glass work, Brenda captures isolated “snapshots” of passing time. The series aims to illustrate an individual’s sublime placement in time and space, while considering an infinite stream of fixed moments.

Organic forms and undulations shaped

in stained glass and woodcut prints suggest the metaphorical properties of bodies of water, representations of the flow of time, and ever-changing, yet consistent wholes. As Kafka said, “…dare to dive from the quivering everyday experience and sink into the depths in order to rise again…to the now doubly illuminated surface of things.”

Brenda has maintained a dedicated studio practise and teaching schedule for over forty years alongside family and volunteering in the community. Travel and research has included France, Japan, Korea, Alaska, Canadian north, and west coast. Her sketches, observations, as well as kayaking and swimming informs her art practise and inspires strong parallels of light and colour of the prairie landscape she calls home.

She has executed major architectural commissions and her work is in many corporate, public and private collections including The Alberta Foundation for the Arts, The Massey Foundation Museum of Man Ottawa, The University of Alberta, Stanley Milner Public Library, and she is a recipient of the Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund Award. Recent exhibitions include Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, Chicago, USA 3rd Annual International Print making Award, shortlist, Galerie d’art Stewart Hall, Pointe-Claire Quebec, International Print Exhibition: Canada and Japan, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Christie’s New York, and The International Print Centre, New York, NY.

Shown: June Sixteenth; 3:42pm by Brenda Malkinson. Multiple layers of European antique glass, etched glass with graphite and vitrified stains and enamels on plate glass.

Nevertheless, she persisted

NEVERTHELESS, SHE PERSISTED

Laura O’Connor

Alberta Craft Discovery Gallery - Edmonton

July 21 – August 25, 2018

Artist Reception & Talk: Saturday, July 21 from 2 - 4pm

The portrait series Nevertheless, she persisted is an observance of steadfast women whose continued efforts, regardless of outcome, have inspired Edmonton artist Laura O’Connor. From the Senate floor to a Disney cartoon, this series features a mix of real and fictional women from different walks of life who share the willingness to persist in the face of adversity.

When presiding Senate chair Steve Daines, of Montana interrupted his colleague, Elizabeth Warren, as she was reading the words of Coretta Scott King on the Senate floor —and, then, when Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell intervened to prevent her from finishing the speech— many women felt that silencing viscerally. And when McConnell, later, remarked of Warren, “She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted,” many women felt it again. Because, regardless of their politics or place, those women have heard the same thing, or a version of it, many times before. – Megan Garber, The Atlantic (February 8, 2017)

The idea for this series came soon after the silencing of Elizabeth Warren and the following movement that turned Mitch McConnell’s explanation for his actions, “Nevertheless, she persisted,” into a rallying cry that grew beyond the political realm.

Laura’s goal for this exhibition is to share the inspiration and comfort she found while researching these women. While their motivations, goals, and impact may differ, their contributions through perseverance speak to the universal importance of being heard and acknowledged.

Laura O’Connor is a born and bred Edmontonian and mixed media artist. She holds a BFA & BDes in Photography from the Alberta College of Art + Design, where she received the Board of Governor’s award for the Photography major. Soon after graduation Laura incorporated fibre into her art practice and quickly fell in love with the medium of felt for its inherent warmth and humour.

Julia Child by Laura O’Connor. 2018. Felt, cotton, embroidery thread. 20 cm hoop.

MILK & OIL

MILK & OIL

Giselle Peters

Alberta Craft Discovery Gallery - Edmonton July 21 - August 25, 2018

Milk & Oil is a collection of figurative sculpture that addresses the human condition through the lens of childhood. A presentation of contemporary issues using images of children and toys, it highlights the childish behaviour of the adult world and speculates about the long-term effects of our enterprises, particularly among these most vulnerable members of our society and on the future of our species. Focusing primarily on war, nationalism, consumerism, propaganda, and the food industry, it considers key players involved and motivating mechanisms of money and power in a markedly facetious tone.

This exhibition is, for Giselle, a declaration of precisely what repels her about contemporary culture, in which she sees the same theatrics that she observed in childhood, magnified with guns, money, and power. Despite her admitted disinterest in politics and current affairs, her curiosity of human behaviour compels her to observe the spectacle and respond. There is a grotesque overtone to the show underlining the insidiousness that she thinks this choice of behaviour heralds in adults. Unlike with children, there exists the capacity to understand the ramifications of their actions, which are potentially devastating on a global political scale.

Giselle Peters grew up in a small town in Saskatchewan. She completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics at the Alberta College of Art + Design in Calgary and a Bachelor of Psychology at Concordia University in Montreal. Originally following a career in Art Therapy, Peters participated in research for the creative arts in human development and worked in a supportive capacity in the field of brain injury and developmental disabilities.

Sir, Yes sir! by Giselle Peters. 2017. Mid-Fire Stoneware with Underglaze. 50.8 cm x 22.9 cm x 17.8 cm, 55.9 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm, 53 cm x 17.8 cm x 15 cm, 48.5 cm x 17.8 cm x 15 cm.

RUNNING CONCURRENTLY:

Alberta Craft Gallery – Calgary: Until June 2, 2018

ACCEPTABLE BODIES

Allison Tunis

PERCH

Dena Seiferling & Stefanie (Wong) Staples

CHRONICLES OF A CONTEMPORARY DIRTBAG: TRANS-DISCIPLINARITY AND THE THINGS YOU THINK OF WHEN FIXING A FENCE

Jamie Kroeger

Question our society’s standards of personal beauty with the embroidery work of Allison Tunis in Acceptable Bodies, focus on distinct aspects of bird conservation with Perch (Dena Seiferling and Stefanie Staples), and expand your perception of jewellery with Chronicles of a Contemporary Dirtbag by Jamie Kroeger. These popular exhibitions - previously exhibited in Edmonton and featured in the previous editions of Alberta Craft – are at the Alberta Craft Gallery - Calgary for a triple exhibition.

Ruby by Allison Tunis. 2018. Cross-stitch Embroidery on Dyed Aida Cloth.

PROCESS; THINKING THROUGH

Alberta Craft Gallery – Calgary: June 9 – August 18, 2018

Artist Reception: Saturday, June 16 from 2 - 4pm

Customarily, in a gallery setting, audiences are treated to the pristine and accomplished results of an artist’s efforts. What isn’t typically shown is the journey from concept to completion. An artist’s process can be a long and winding road, sometimes it’s smooth, sometimes it’s bumpy and can take him/her in unexpected ways. The Alberta Craft Council’s exhibition, Process; thinking through, provides insight into the complex and multi-layered methods of how artists work and create while nurturing the organic nature of creativity.

-visitor comment

Process is an essential element for craft artists as creating entails multiple material and technical knowledge, the use of specific tools, as well as steps and processes that must be followed for the material to properly work. When these inter-relate with idea generation, development, experimentation, and testing, then are combined with marketing, education, and networking, they contribute to the evolution of a body of work and career. Some processes have logical beginnings and conclusions while others are continuous.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:

Carissa Baktay (Calgary)

Donna Brunner (Westerose)

Anna BurgerMartindale (Calgary)

Milt Fischbein (Calgary)

Pamma FitzGerald (Calgary)

Terry Hildebrand (Edmonton)

Suzette Knudsen (Calgary)

Brenda Raynard (Edmonton)

Jocelyn Reid (Calgary

Dana Roman (Canmore)

Katherine Russell (Elkford, BC)

Jan Smith (Salt Spring Island, BC)

Andrew Tarrant (Calgary)

Catherine Thomson (Victoria, BC)

Luke Weiser (Calgary)

Amanda Wood (Vancouver)

Simon Wroot (Calgary)

SET THE TABLE

Natalie Gerber & Kalika Bowlby Alberta Craft Gallery – Calgary: August 25 – November 3, 2018

Introducing Set the Table, a collaborative exhibition between textile artist Natalie Gerber (Calgary) and ceramicist Kalika Bowlby (Golden, BC). Stay tuned for further details about celebrating the act of setting the table and enjoying a meal, featured in the September – December 2018 issue of Alberta Craft.

Keep in mind our new summer hours when visiting the Alberta Craft Gallery - Calgary.

From June 2 - October 13, 2018: Wednesday - Friday 11am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm

Amanda Wood completing loom work. Her work, along with 16 other artists, can be viewed in Process; thinking through

Textile table runner by Natalie Gerber. Ceramic bowls and plates by Kalika Bowlby.

“Such creativity matched with hard work”

IN THE NEWS

ACC member Susan Kristoferson’s work was featured in “Sense of Place” from January 2 - 27, 2018.

ACC member Sara Norquay, along with Sarah C. Louise, had a new body of work in an exhibition called This Aging Chalice on display at the Paint Spot. Additionally, Sara’s work is featured in Citizen of the World, on display in the Art Incubator Gallery at Harcourt House Artist Run Centre from March 29 until May 12, 2018. The work is meant to give viewers the space and time to consider their status as citizens of the world as well as the fact that all human beings have this inherent status, no matter their personal, social or ancestral history.

Please note that in the January – April 2018 issue of Alberta Craft, it was originally stated that Sara Norquay had work featured in The Story So Far, however, she curated the exhibition featuring work by other artists.

A Medalta exhibition, Hands at Work, features a collection of 39 black and white photographs by James K. Farrell that follow the experience of 17 makers in Medicine Hat. The exhibition explores a range of professions - from ceramist to cobbler to farrier- through the people, objects, materials and tools of each handcraft. Featuring ACC members Rob Froese, Les Manning, Noriko Masuda, and Jenna Stanton.

Several of ACC member Gordon Pengilly’s terracotta figure sculptures were exhibited at the Latitude Gallery in Calgary.

On display in Red Deer were ACC member Paul Boultbee’s urban pastorals, which examine the pastoral within an urban setting. Several of the works have been inspired by the Sanctuary at Red Deer’s Kerry Wood Nature Centre while those of a more urban nature have been created with abandoned hotel key cards.

Shona Rae Studios and the Blackboard Gallery presented ACC Professional Member Fei Su’s fine art jewellery and sculpture in an exhibition titled tao 1 Tie

ACC Professional Member Leah Gravells’s fiber art piece I Must Go Down to the Sea Again won a 3rd place ribbon in the Wall Quilts Pictorial Category at American Quilter’s Society Quilt Week in Daytona Beach, FL.

ACC member Dee Fontans exhibited her latest collection of art jewellery in Signs at the Shona Rae Studios and the Blackboard Gallery in Calgary

In Life on Earthenware, Medicine Hat artist and ACC Professional Member Annette ten Cate has sculpted humorous and endearing representations of animals engaging in human activities. This exhibit was made possible by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Traveling Exhibition Program and exhibited in Okotoks. See Annette’s work in Home (Page 8 & 9)

Alberta Craft Council members are active contributors to Alberta’s culture. Check out member events, exhibitions, and kudos here.

Work by Sara Norquay

Sculpture by Gordon Pengilly

Photo courtesy of Leah Gravells

Calgary artist Aaron Sidorenko has collaborated with the Leighton Art Centre to present an exciting and diverse collection of portrait and figurative works in Bodies of Work, featuring ACC Professional members Natalie Gerber and Giselle Peters.

ACC Professional Member Pirkko Karvonen was honored with a Gold Medal from the Finnish Craft Association Taito for “her exceptional achievements both domestically and internationally as an artist, writer and teacher of fiber arts.”

ACC member Alberta College of Art + Design worked with ATB Financial for their latest exhibition. Intertwined featured work inspired by Alberta, created by ACAD Fibre students from the School of Craft + Emerging Media on display until June 15, 2018 at ATB Stephen Avenue, Calgary.

Kudos to ACC Professional Member Janet Grabner who created a clay mural for St. Gregory’s School in Calgary, Alberta. The mural was made to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary. Each of the 450 staff and students decorated a tile with their name on it and were used to create the murals.

ACC Organization Member, the Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts celebrated its 15th birthday this year. Happy Birthday!

Accord, an exhibition of new Canadian art glass, displayed the work of renowned Canadian glass artists Ryan Bavin, Melanie Rowe, Leslie Rowe-Israelson, and ACC members Katherine Russell, Anna Bilek, Jamie Gray, and Natali Rodrigues in Calgary.

Photo courtesy of Janet Grabner

Pirkko in the middle, with her daughters Vireo and Ava.

JACK SURES: SURELY A WINNER

Information for this feature courtesy of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Winner of this year’s Saidye Bronfman Award for excellence in fine crafts, the Canada Council for the Arts is proud to present Jack Sures. A former Alberta Craft Council member, Sures is a true master in ingenuity and creativity. Sures’s “[…] techniques are ones [he] has developed [him]self, although forms are traditional looking.”

Sures is both a renowned ceramic artist and a brilliant educator, establishing the ceramics and printmaking department at the University of Saskatchewan in 1965. Later in 1969, he became the Chair of the Department of Visual Arts. With

his expert guidance, the Regina Campus of the University of Saskatchewan (University of Regina, est. 1974) built a worldwide reputation for superior ceramics.

Not only has he exhibited internationally, but Jack Sures’s major public work in Canada includes a 2,900 square-foot mural for the SturdyStone Centre in Saskatoon and a mural for the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. Sures also worked for the United Nations Handcraft Development Program and developed a ceramics program in Grenada where he built a kiln that converted nutmeg shells to fuel.

Congratulations to Jack Sures for this momentous achievement.

“Over the past six decades, Jack Sures has displayed enormous creativity, innovation and technical mastery in Canadian craft... ... He has greatly influenced Canadian ceramics through his development of and longstanding involvement with the University of Regina’s Ceramics Program, his pedagogical practice and his conceptual engagement with the vessel.”

- Julia Krueger, craft researcher, writer and curator (nominator)

“I always wanted to do my own thing. As an artist, I want to be truly creative in doing things I feel truly express me, not express ideas of our culture or other people’s ideas.”

-Jack Sures

The Saidye Bronfman Award is Canada’s foremost distinction for excellence in fine crafts. Created in 1977 by the Bronfman family to honour their mother on her 80th birthday, the prize is awarded annually to an exceptional fine craft artist. In addition, works by the winners are acquired by the Canadian Museum of History for its permanent collection.

The awards were created in 1999 by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Governor General of Canada. Since then, the awards have celebrated Canada’s vibrant arts community and recognized remarkable careers in the visual and media arts.

Each year the awards (including the Saidye Bronfman Award) honour up to seven artists for their artistic achievements and one person for his or her outstanding contribution to contemporary visual and/ or media arts. The award winners receive a medallion and a cash prize of $25,000 each. The GGArts awards are part of the Canada Council’s suite of 39+ prizes recognizing excellence in the arts.

ALBERTA CRAFT

AWARDS

2018

THE ALBERTA CRAFT COUNCIL PRESENTS THE BIENNIAL ALBERTA CRAFT AWARDS: OCTOBER 2018

TOM MCFALL HONOUR AWARD

- $1000

For a volunteer/supporter/teacher/ craftsperson (individual or group) who has made a significant contribution to Alberta’s fine craft culture.

EXCELLENCE AWARD - $1000

For an established craftsperson who excels in his/her area of craft.

EARLY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

- $1000

For an emerging craftsperson/ student, in recognition of his/ her achievement to date and/or potential.

LINDA STANIER AND FAMILY MEMORIAL AWARD -$2000

This endowed award celebrates the life of Linda Stanier and honours excellence in ceramics. The nominee should work and reside in Alberta and be primarily a studio-based, full-time professional ceramic artist.

NOMINATION DEADLINE AUGUST 1, 2018

*Nominations may be made by individuals, groups, or by the Alberta Craft Council.

For details on how to apply: www.albertacraft.ab.ca/awards

ACAD’s MfA in Craft Media offers the opportunity to experiment and explore materials, processes, technologies, critical discourse and theory through creative inquiry that will expand and challenge perceptions of contemporary craft. studying at ACAD means joining a community of people who are passionate about creativity.

Discover more at acad.ca/MFA

AlbertA College of Art + Design

Total number of hours generously donated

As a not-for-profit organization, volunteer support is vital to every success of the Alberta Craft Council. Thank you to our talented, engaged, and friendly supporters whose activities range from exhibition set up to strategic planning, visitor services to help with fundraising events.

Interested in joining our community?

We are always looking to meet new people. Get in touch, send us an email to: volunteer@albertacraft.ab.ca

Be the voice of contemporary craft.

Zimra Beiner, assistant Professor, CeramiCs

FEATURED ARTISTS:

Mindy Andrews

Dawn Candy

Natalie Gerber

Anne Ormerod

Dena Seiferling

Nicole Tremblay

Boutique

Alberta Ballet and the Alberta Craft Council partnered for a unique showcase of local artisans at Alberta Ballet’s spring production of Cinderella. Works from six Professional ACC members were selected for the boutique in the lobby of the Jubilee Auditorium. The guiding principle behind the curation selected by the Alberta Ballet was to enhance patron experience at the ballet.

Patrons responded enthusiastically to the collaboration, who enjoyed both the beautiful artistry and the collaborative commitment to highlight Alberta artists.

Alberta Ballet and the Alberta Craft Council will be curating items to complement the Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker in December 2018. Anticipating a much larger event to coincide with holiday shopping, the Alberta Ballet-ACC Boutique at The Nutcracker will be open to both ballet patrons and the general public.

Working together, Alberta Ballet and the Alberta Craft Council strive to use ballet performances as a platform to cultivate a greater appreciation and awareness of local artists.

A Special Partnership with Alberta Ballet

Photo courtesy of Alberta Ballet.

Plate by Mindy Andrew

Fox by Dena Seiferling

Natalie Gerber holding printed textiles.

MEET THE MAKER

Introducing the Master of Fine Arts in Craft + Emerging Media Graduating Class of 2018/2019!

For this issue’s Meet the Maker, we asked Graduate students at Alberta College of Art + Design about their experience working with the faculty and other students as they tackle a Master’s degree in Craft Media. Meet Sheila Mahut, Bogdan Cheta, Axel Quetzalcoatl Bernal Bladh, Rob Froese, Alexandra Glenn-Collins, and Jessie Fraser.

Since 1926, ACAD has inspired thousands of students to pursue their dreams. As Alberta’s only dedicated art, craft and design institution, ACAD is proud to play an important role in nurturing creativity and driving innovation in Alberta and around the world.

The School of Craft + Emerging Media (SC+EM) is a unique combination of material and immaterial forms of practice and expression. Home to ACAD’s four craft programs (Ceramics, Fibre, Glass and Jewellery + Metals) and the Media Arts program, the

SC+EM provides both a rigorous and experimental environment that charts new territories in how materials, technology, and ideas connect to objects and experiences.

Alberta Craft Council: What attracted you to this program at ACAD?

SC+EM: “The combination of world class instructors and the technical capabilities of the school studios.” (Axel)

ACC: How has ACAD changed or impacted your art practice?

SC+EM: Besides having time to do writing and research, students have received “rigorous and challenging feedback from faculty.” (Bogdan)

ACC: What should people consider when applying to do their MFA?

SC+EM: When applying for your MFA, “enter with the intention of honouring your strengths while expecting to be changed.” (Rob)

ACC: How will this program contribute to craft in Alberta?

SC+EM: Axel believes the program will contribute to craft by “foster[ing] advanced research on techniques bridging different craft fields.”

“This program has attracted students from the US, Eastern Canada, Mexico, and Europe. By being [one of] the only MFA in Craft Media in Canada, it has the potential to attract excellent crafts people to Alberta. These graduates, realizing the opportunities they have in Alberta through the ACC and excellent craft galleries, may stay, further enriching the craft community in Alberta.” (Sheila)

Students can “think about craft as a vital area of artistic research and study.” (Bogdan)

ACC: What is your favorite part of the studio?

SC+EM: Sheila’s favorite part of the studio is the faculty. From Tyler Rock to Natali Rodrigues to Marty Kauffman and Rob Lewis, this group is made up of “excellent teachers and consummate artists [who are] very generous with their time.”

“A communal space that is good for problem solving.” (Alexandra)

“The Jacquard Loom! It is the only one in Alberta.” (Jessie)

Opposite Page: Inside Out by Sheila Mahut. Clay, glass. 11 cm x 12 cm x 8 cm. Above: Dual Composition by Rob Froese. 2017. Bisque clay, wood, paint, tape.

OPPORTUNITIES

Alberta Craft Gallery 2019: Call for Exhibition Proposals

Deadline: June 1, 2018

SEATED ACC Feature

Exhibition: Call for Entry

Deadline: June 15, 2018

Alberta Craft Awards 2018: Call for Nominations

Deadline: August 1, 2018

LEARN MORE:

www.albertacraft.ab.ca/opportunities

Return Address:

Alberta Craft Council 10186-106 Street

Edmonton, AB T5J 1H4