ALB E RTA C R AFT CO U N C I L P U B LI CATI O N
MAY - AU G U ST 201 9
Cultivate | Instigate
New and Renewing Members (as of April 1, 2019)
NEW MEMBERS Adam Adie, Edmonton, Glass Jill Allan, Calgary, Glass Eva Birhanu, Calgary, Fibre Alberta’s Own Marketplace, Canmore Zachary Cardinal, Supporter Dee Chiu, Calgary, Metal Chloe Collins, Calgary, Paper India Dmytriev, Calgary, Supporter Gary Eitzen, Calgary, Glass Robyn Feluch, Okotoks, Supporter Elise Findlay, Banff, Fibre Amie Fisher, Calgary, Glass Amy Gogarty, Vancouver, Clay Leia Guo, Calgary, Mixed Rochelle Hammond, Airdrie, Fibre Meghan Ivany, Calgary, Glass, wood Margaret Jessop, Calgary, Fibre Deborah Kares, Calgary, Paper Angela Keating, Calgary, Glass Kim Korol, Calgary, Clay Leah Kudel, Devon, Glass Eunhui Lee, Calgary, Jewellery & Metal Terry McConville, Edmonton, Supporter Brenda McNicol, Edmonton, Supporter William Miles, Calgary, Metal Emily Nash, Calgary, Supporter Jennifer Pankratz, Red Deer, Clay Rose Pocha, Calgary, Fibre Brielle Reeves, Calgary, Clay & Metal Kiri Rix, Calgary, Clay Portia Scabar, Calgary, Supporter Erin Schwab, Fort McMurray, Wood Stephanie Seufert, Calgary, Clay Heather Shepherd, St. Albert, Clay Taylor Stock, Calgary, Glass Emmelia Taylor, Calgary, Fibre Jessica Van De Brand, Calgary, Metal Luke Winterhalt, Camrose, Jewellery & Metal Charlee Witschi, High River, Clay Sandy Wong, Calgary, Glass Smith Wright, Siksika, Indigenous Beadwork Dongqi Yao, Calgary, Mixed
RENEWING MEMBERS
Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, Organization Art Market Productions, Organization Beaverlodge Area Cultural Society, Beaverlodge, Organization Frankie, Sherwood Park, Woodcarving & Paper Ilse Anysas-Salkauskas, Cochrane, Fibre Ed Bamiling, Banff, Clay Don Barker, Calgary, Glass Hellen Beamish, Calgary, Glass Laurie Blakeman, Edmonton, Supporter Helene Blanchet, Margaree Valley, Fibre Franca Boag, Edmonton, Supporter Cec Caswell, Sherwood Park, Fibre Mallory Eagles, Calgary, Clay, faux fur Edmonton Weavers’ Guild, Edmonton, Organization Pamma Fitzgerald, Calgary, Clay, Paper & Mixed Hilary Forge, Calgary, Clay Michelle Gluza, Edmonton, Paper & Fibre Marie Gordon, Edmonton, Supporter Kathy Griffiths, Red Deer County, Glass Ben Henderson, Edmonton, Supporter, City of Edmonton Councillor Fay Hodson, Bragg Creek, Fibre & Mixed Red Deer College, Red Deer, Organization Joan Irvin, Calgary, Metal & Jewellery Priscilla Janes, Canmore, Clay Merv Krivoshein, Rocky Mountain House, Wood & Bronze Daniel Labutes, Calgary, Clay & Wood
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Erik Lee, Maskwacis, Metal & Jewellery Dorine Leitch, Beaumont, Clay Heather Matwe, Vancouver, Metal & Jewellery Candice McEachern, Edmonton, Glass, Wood & Metal Paul Merrifield, Edmonton, Wood Cheryl Nekolaichuk, Edmonton, Supporter Shannon Nelson, Edmonton, Fibre Sara Norquay, Edmonton, Fibre & Paper Alice Oelofse, Edmonton, Fibre Stan Otto, Edmonton, Wood Liv Pedersen, Calgary, Fibre Shona Rae, Calgary, Metal & Jewellery Bill Reynolds, Edmonton, Metal & Glass Shirley Rimer, Red Deer, Clay Pat Rozitis, Calgary, Glass & Fibre Public Interest Alberta, Edmonton, Organization Joan Sandham, Calgary, Clay Dawn Saunders-Dahl, Canmore, Clay Sue Sharp, Millarville, Metal Monika Smith, Calgary, Clay Lynda Snider, Calgary, Supporter Malcolm Stielow, Fort Saskatchewan, Metal, Fibre & Wood Linda Strandlie, Edmonton, Supporter Medalta, Medicine Hat, Organization Amanda Taylor, Calgary, Glass Karin Thorsteinsson, Calgary, Fibre Catherine Tunis, Edmonton, Supporter Debbie Tyson, Edmonton, Fibre Laurie Wiles, Edmonton, Fibre
RENEWING PROFESSIONAL MEMBERS Larissa Blokhuis, Calgary, Glass & Clay Anna Burger-Martindale, Calgary, Metal & Fibre Brenda Danbrook, Opal, Clay Dawn Detarando & Brian McArthur, Red Deer County, Clay Jim Etzkorn, Medicine Hat, Clay Crys Harse, Calgary, Metal Patricia Hartnagel, Edmonton, Clay Doug Haslam, Calgary, Wood Dianne Hove, Calgary, Clay Kenton Jeske, Edmonton, Wood Bradley Keys, Calgary, Clay Sungnam Kim, Calgary, Metal, Jewellery & Mixed Suzette Knudsen, Calgary, Clay Ken Lumbis, Grande Prairie, Clay Linda McBain Cuyler, Edmonton, Fibre Candice Meyer, Red Deer, Metal Sara Nishi, Calgary, Leather Tammy Parks-Legge, Parkland County, Clay Jean-Claude & Talar Prefontaine , Calgary, Wood Daryl Richardson, Saskatoon, Metal & Wood Dalia Saafan, Edmonton, Glass & Mixed Melanie Smit, Calgary, Metal Rita St. Amant, Willow Bunch, Fibre Meghan Wagg , Edmonton, Metal & Jewellery Susanah Windrum, Calgary, Metal & Mixed Kari Woo, Canmore, Metal & Jewellery Teresa Wyss, Calgary, Clay
ALBERTA CRAFT MAGAZINE The Alberta Craft Magazine is published three times a year. Submission deadline for September December 2019 issue: July 15, 2019 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 Main Office Edmonton: Monday - Friday 9am to 5pm 780-488-6611 OR 1-800-DO-CRAFT E-mail acc@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 - Jenna Stanton, ext. 228 EDMONTON Operations & Exhibitions - Joanne Hamel, ext. 234 Communications & Exhibitions - Jessica Telford , ext. 221 Marketing - Victoria Sanchez, ext. 231 Financial Officer - Wendy Arrowsmith, ext. 234 Gallery Shop Assistant - Felicity Bohnet, Amy Leigh CALGARY Gallery Shop Liaison - Corinne Cowell Outreach, Events & Volunteers - Jill Nuckles Gallery Shop Assistant - Melanie Archer BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Tara Owen (Calgary) Vice Chair Dawn Deterando (Red Deer) Directors Mary-Beth Laviolette (Canmore), Dawn Saunders-Dahl (Canmore), Kari Woo (Canmore), Jennifer Salahub (Calgary), Meghan Wagg (Edmonton), Natali Rodrigues (Calgary), Kristofer Kelly-Frère (Calgary), Kayla Gale (Calgary, ACAD Student Liaison) MAGAZINE Editor: Jessica Telford Contributors: Jenna Stanton, Dr.Jennifer E. Salahub, Joanne Hamel Design: Victoria Sanchez
The Alberta Craft Council is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing Alberta Craft and the Alberta Craft Industry.
www.albertacraft.ab.ca
NEW PROFESSIONAL MEMBERS David Barnes, Okotoks, Clay Bonita Datta, Rocky View, Fibre Dee Fontans, Nanaimo,Metal, Jewellery, Fibre & Mixed Leanne Keyes, Red Deer, Glass Cory Porterfield, Calgary, Glass Kelly Ruth, Edmonton, Fibre Annette ten Cate, Medicine Hat, Clay
ALBERTA CRAFT MAGAZINE MAY - AUGUST 2019
FUNDING AGENCIES & SUPPORTERS
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
This Issue
We are welcoming spring at the Alberta Craft Council and looking forward to the exhibition lineup that highlights Craft education in our province. With a 65th anniversary exhibition of the Edmonton Weavers’ Guild, Art in Ubiquity, to the return of our emerging artist exhibition Coming Up Next, the feature exhibition Cultivate | Instigate highlighting post-secondary Craft faculty in Alberta, and a solo exhibition by recently retired ACAD Professor and internationally acclaimed jeweller Charles Lewton-Brain, Holding Rocks (Cage Series). There is no end in sight to the Craft learning opportunities to be found around the province, you can also look to your local craft guilds, workshops, apprenticeships, and residency programs, etc. Just as there is no end to potential future exhibitions to proudly promote and learn from the work being created here. The feature exhibition Cultivate | Instigate shows the work of the permanent Craft faculty from AU Arts (formerly Alberta College of Art + Design), Red Deer College, and the Native Arts and Culture Program at Portage College in Lac La Biche. As educators and practicing artists, they are passing on skills, traditions, knowledge, and networks; and importantly modeling the work ethic and creative determination that emerging makers need to succeed. As practicing professional artists, they are esteemed by their students and peers, with international careers and exhibitions; it is a treat to have their work at Alberta Craft Feature Gallery in Edmonton this spring/summer, and in Calgary for the 2020 line-up. Making its return, Coming Up Next is an important celebration of our emerging craft scene and an exciting chance to see great new work from artists from across Canada. We started the exhibition in 2007 to create a space for emerging artists as well as to foster a relationship with makers who were creating distinct and innovative work and to encourage them along in their career. We are looking forward to meeting and introducing you to the next group and their work. This issue is the start of a new feature series of “long read” articles, that will offer a more in-depth reflection on Alberta’s craft culture. It provides a paid platform for Craft writers in our province to share their knowledge and research with our readers. In this issue you can read more on the roots of our Craft education system as Dr. Jennifer E. Salahub digs into the history of the Alberta College of Art + Design in her article The “Unfriending” of Sloyd. As Craftspeople we are life-long learners, often even in our summer “downtime” we attend workshops, conferences, while popping into studios and galleries along the way. I am looking forward to my own craftcation, to rest and reinvigorate my creative brain. I will be in Australia for the Australian Ceramics Triennale and presenting my research and practise in Ceramics and Creative Placemaking, sharing the great work happening in Alberta, and bringing back ideas from our colleagues in the Southern Hemisphere. I hope you are all able to enjoy some time to recharge this summer. Alongside your guide to upcoming Alberta Craft Council events and exhibitions, we have noticed more curators and institutions embracing Craft, and have created a new feature Around Alberta to highlight other notable upcoming Craft exhibitions, events, etc. to help you plan your own craftcations. A
On the cover: Honour Badge Series Untitled #4 by Lyndsay Rice. 2017. Powder Coat, Plastic, Flock, Brass, Silver, Steel, Copper, Found Object, Polyester, Sequins, and Crystal. From Cultivate | Instigate, Alberta Craft Feature Exhibition. Photo provided by artist. Learn more about Cultivate | Instigate on Page 6 & 7
COMING UP NEXT PAGE 8 & 9
ART IN UBIQUITY PAGE 10
THE “UNFRIENDING” OF SLOYD, PAGE 12-14
MEET THE MAKER PAGE 16
Jenna Stanton Executive Director MAY - AUGUST 2019 ALBERTA CRAFT MAGAZINE
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10 am - 4 pm Saturday & Sunday
Clothesline
FESTIVAL & ART SALE June 1 & 2, 2019
Featuring thousands of pieces of fine art and craft for sale, artist demos, face painting, children's art activities, live music, food truck & outdoor installations. More Information leightoncentre.org
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ALBERTA ALBERTACRAFT CRAFTMAGAZINE MAGAZINESEPTEMBER MAY - AUGUST - OCTOBER 2019 2018
Free Admission Rain or Shine
The Works Art & Design Festival Join us on Capital Plaza
Body tracks. Tony Olivares Dance Company. 2015
June 20 - July 2, 2019
Alberta Legislature Grounds theworks.ab.ca
MAY DATE-DATE - AUGUST20XX 2019 ALBERTA CRAFT MAGAZINE
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Cultivate | Instigate Alberta Craft Feature Gallery – Edmonton May 11 – August 31, 2019 Artist Reception: Saturday, June 15 from 2 - 4pm
Cultivate | Instigate is about the influential creatives at the forefront of post-secondary craft education in Alberta. The artists in this exhibition balance the dual roles of educator and professional practicing artist. Acting as torchbearers, they are bridging Alberta’s rich craft legacy with contemporary craft culture. They do so through the exceptional work they create, along with their passionate (and often resilient) commitment to imparting their knowledge, skills and dedication to emerging craft artists. Hailing from Alberta University of the Arts, Red Deer College, and Portage College, the faculty members in this exhibition are representing the excellent post-secondary craft educational opportunities around the province. Participants include faculty from the ceramics, fibre, glass, and jewellery + metals programs at Alberta University of the Arts formerly known as Alberta College of Art + Design. Since 1926 AUArts has been a major contributor to Canada’s visual culture, with graduates gaining significant national and international reputations as artists, designers and creative leaders. In addition to credentialed undergraduate Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Design degrees, the University offers a graduate Master of Fine Arts in Craft Media, making it the only institution in the province to offer and confer universitylevel undergraduate and graduate degree programs in art, craft, and design. Taught at the Lac La Biche campus, Portage College’s Native Arts Program offers traditional and contemporary Aboriginal art forms through hands-on instruction. The skilled instructors have a vast knowledge of Aboriginal art from a cultural and historic point of view. Advanced courses in hide tanning, painting, drawing, carving, sewing, footwear, beading, and decorative arts are examined and studied throughout the program. The visual arts program at Red Deer College offers a concentrated visual arts foundation in a two-year time span. The College offers state of the art studio spaces including a fully equipped ceramics studio. A broad range of visual experiences help students form a visual arts vocabulary and master skills in composition and technical areas. After the second year of study, students can transfer to the Alberta University of the Arts, NSCAD University, Emily Carr University of Art and Design or another Canadian university or art college. A
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ALBERTA CRAFT MAGAZINE MAY - AUGUST 2019
This page: Hilbert Scored Square by Reed Fagan HST Double Vase by Trudy Golley. Photo: Paul Leathers Opposite page: Mountain 20180901 by Mackenzie Kelly-Frère Child-size fully beaded mocassins by Ruby Sweetman
I feel the more I can be successful in creating art as an artist not just an instructor, the better it is for the students to see what can be achieved if they have the right mind set. Creating works of art in my free time is relaxing and helps me keep on top of age-old skills of our ancestors. – Ruby Sweetman It may seem a cliché, but in many ways teaching found me. As a graduate student I discovered that teaching was a creative practice in which you and your students may discover new things together. I distinctly recall a seminar course that I took with Dr. Sandra Alfoldy titled “Ornamenting Space” in which it quickly became apparent that one could teach in a way that did not prescribe content to students, but rather allowed them to generate new ideas in a supportive learning environment. This, to me was a revelation. To this day I gauge my own success in the studio classroom by that formative experience. – MacKenzie Kelly-Frère Throughout all my teaching positions, I have remained committed to working in the open studio in order to share my experience with my students in a more relaxed atmosphere. Some of the most meaningful exchanges —those that can’t be recreated in a classroom situation— are shared with students after-hours or on weekends. Often this helps students to reflect on what they are hearing and seeing and assists them to make up their minds about how to proceed with their own work. – Trudy Golley
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS: Alberta University of the Arts Zimra Beiner, Ceramics Reed Fagan, Jewellery + Metals Marty Kaufman, Glass Mackenzie Kelly-Frère, Fibre Martina Lantin, Ceramics Bill Morton, Fibre Lyndsay Rice, Jewellery + Metals Tyler Rock, Glass Natali Rodrigues, Glass Laura Vickerson, Fibre Portage College Trudie Allen and Ruby Sweetman, Native Arts and Culture Program Red Deer College Trudy Golley, Ceramics
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COMING UP NEXT
Alberta Craft Discovery Gallery - Edmonton: June 15 – August 3, 2019 Artist Reception: Saturday, June 15 from 2 - 4pm Reception to be held in conjunction with the opening reception for Cultivate l Instigate in the Feature Gallery and the Alberta Craft Council’s Annual General Meeting Alberta Craft Gallery - Calgary: August 31 – November 2, 2019 Artist Reception: Saturday, September 7, from 2 - 4pm
The revival of Coming Up Next is an exciting one for the Alberta Craft Council. The exhibition was designed in 2007 to help the Alberta Craft Council reach out to emerging artists in the fine craft community and to act as a catalyst for rewarding professional careers. Serving as an annual showcase of emerging artists within the first five years of their craft career, it ran for seven years and featured the work of 138 emerging artists. A quarter of the artists are now represented by the Alberta Craft Gallery Shop, and most participating artists remain active members today. The 2019 edition of Coming Up Next features 14 artists, from those in the last year of their undergraduate studies to students attaining their master’s degrees and several who are self-taught or have returned to their practice after several years away. Individually they are all working on the initial steps of their careers, and together we create a strong community to help ensure their continued success. Emerging craft artists need to strike a fine balance between taking creative risks and honing their technical and business skills. Coming Up Next provides a vital link for artists during this pivotal phase of their career by connecting them to the greater craft community of peers, mentors, and audiences who appreciate the skills, quality and originality of the handmade. Since its inception, Coming Up Next has been a great way to connect with emerging artists, it sparks a lasting and beneficial relationship for both the maker and the Alberta Craft Council. As history indicates, this is a promising roster of artists to watch for in the coming years.A
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ALBERTA CRAFT MAGAZINE MAY - AUGUST 2019
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS: Lael Chmelyk (Calgary) Naomi Desrochers-Caron (Lac La Biche & Welland, ON) Dayna Ellen (Calgary) Tanya Everard (Calgary) Jessie Fraser (Calgary) Alexandra Glenn-Collins (Calgary) Grace Han (Winnipeg, MB) Leah Kudel (Devon) Sara Nishi (Calgary) Jennifer Pankratz (Red Deer) Carlos Rojas (Montreal, QC) Adele Schatschneider (Calgary) Yuan Yin & Matthew O’Reilly (Calgary)
Opposite page: Pin Up Calendar by Alexandra Glenn-Collins This page (clockwise): Illo Signature Bag by Sara Nishi Ceramic plate by Tanya Everard Unlanded by Leah Kudel
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Tea Towel by Margaret Berg. 2010, 2/8 cotton, 2 block overshot on 8 shafts.
Art in Ubiquity Alberta Craft Discovery Gallery - Edmonton April 27 – June 8, 2019 Artist Talk & Reception: Saturday, April 27 from 2 - 4pm Interactive Demonstration: 1 - 4pm
It’s a tea towel, it has a function. We see and use it every day. And yet for 65 years Edmonton weavers, women (mostly), have decidedly chosen to put time and effort into designing and mastering handmade goods that most would consider ubiquitous. As Ellen Mary Easton McLeod states in her book In Good Hands: The Women of the Canadian Handicrafts Guild, “Craft was relegated to decorative and was denigrated to the unnecessary and frivolous by the beginning of the 1900’s”. Further to this, she goes on to say, “Women made crafts in the home for the family to use. Intended for a useful purpose, their origins were domestic and female. The conditions of their manufacture determined where they fit in the hierarchy of arts. Both women and crafts became invisible”. Initially weaving “useful goods” may have been for economic, cultural, or artistic reasons. However, even with the onset of fast fashion this unheralded craft remains as resilient as ever. By playing with the idea of the utilitarian nature of 65 years of handwoven articles, the installation is “spun” into a tongue in cheek response to its elitist sister, “art”. The goal is to change the viewer’s perception of handmade textiles’ ubiquitous practicality to masterful fine design. A
PARTICIPATING EDMONTON WEAVERS’ GUILD MEMBERS: Colleen Balding Jen Black Margaret Berg Kathy Buse Carole Dodd Kyla Fischer Marge Gray Maryanne Hawryluk Pirkko Karvonen
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Diane Kozens Colynn Krull Barbara Leung Kim McCollum Catherine Melnychuk Kathy Moore Sandra Schulz Lyn Zuberbuhler
ALBERTA CRAFT MAGAZINE MAY - AUGUST 2019
Edmonton Weavers’ Guild was founded in 1953 to encourage local weavers and spinners to meet, exchange ideas and learn. Today the EWG has evolved into a community of like-minded textile artists and fibre lovers. The 100+ members benefits through friendship, study groups, equipment rentals, studio space, a resource library, and a member’s annual show and sale. They also offer classes and workshops that are developed for the novice to advanced makers.
Holding Rocks
Alberta Craft Discovery Gallery - Edmonton August 10 – September 21, 2019 Artist Talk and Reception: Saturday, August 10, from 2 - 4pm
(Cage Series)
Charles Lewton-Brain
I have collected river pebbles and rocks found in Alberta, specifically in the Bow Valley. The stones are encased in metal drawings, they are then surrounded with structures of welded steel, by using a fusion welder to spotweld stainless steel wire around the stone. It is about drawing, as if with pen and ink, firm decisions in time and space, where the welds are done, how the wire is curved against the stone, how the stone is encased, tensioning and cradling the pebble. Rocks represent the earth, the place. Everyone has picked up a pebble on the beach, the river’s edge or a mountaintop, even as a child you brought them home in your pockets. They are linked to a memory, like the function of a tattoo, a telling quilt, a trigger for a moment, an experience, an understanding. These pebbles are those universal stones, chosen, carried and honoured. The stone is treated as a gem, setting it in metal to point out its
preciousness, and the preciousness of that moment of choice, of experience, of memory. The piece is immersed in a mixture of sulphuric acid and copper salts (a nice 1870s recipe) and DC electric current run through it to grow (literally grow) copper on the stainless-steel skeleton, grown electroformed copper followed by 24K gold. The copper grows like coral under the sea, a hint of random, nature on the metal. The contrast of grid and natural growth patterns is what gives these pieces life. I ‘farm’ them (frequently changing the electrode relationship between piece and anode to choose directions and thickness of metal growth). The rocks are grown in place, set as the metal spreads and thickens on them. These works utilize the grid and a tension, a ‘frisson’ between nature and structure. The grid also represents culture, the rules we choose and
construct. The poignancy of humans laying structure upon the universe, of our need to create and seek pattern intrigues me. These objects are not wearable, they are things of beauty to fondle, touch, to contemplate, to wonder at.A Charles Lewton-Brain (Calgary, AB) learned and worked in Germany, Canada and the United States. His work is concerned with nature, structure and drawing. His jewellery and research into compositional systems for metal working has been published internationally. He invented and disseminated foldforming, a system of working sheet metal new to the field. He received Canada’s highest honour for Craft, The Saidye Bronfman Governor General’s Award. Charles also co-founded the Ganoksin Project with Dr. Hanuman Aspler in 1996, now the world’s largest educational website for jewellers. He has over 1000 pages of his writing there.
Quail by Charles Lewton-Brain. 2015, Albertan river pebble, welded stainless steel, electroformed copper, electroformed 24k gold.
The work speaks to human attempts to control and possess nature, while focusing on the pebble, the natural, precious, elevating it, and magnifying its importance. MAY - AUGUST 2019 ALBERTA CRAFT MAGAZINE
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The “Unfriending” of Sloyd Illustration from The Teacher’s Handbook of Slöjd - as Practised and Taught at Naäs. 1892.
By Dr. Jennifer E. Salahub
An alternative approach to the history of Craft in Alberta
Sloyd gives a healthier tone to all branches of education, and if it only redeems what we know as sleight of hand (for sleight is the English equivalent for sloyd) from the reproach of ages, no small victory will have been won. Calgary Weekly Herald 4 January 1900
The Alberta Craft Council is excited to present the first in a new series of “long read” articles that will offer deeper insights on specific topics – whether historical or contemporary. For this issue we have included “The ‘Unfriending’ of Sloyd”, presented by Dr. Jennifer E.Salahub at the First Canadian Craft Biennial Symposium Can Craft? Craft Can! in Burlington, Ontario in 2017 and reflects her deep interest in the early history of craft and craft education in Alberta. It also serves as a re-introduction to some of the missing history of craft in Alberta. The Author: Dr. Jennifer E. Salahub is Professor of Art and Craft Histories at the Alberta College of Art and Design [ACAD] now the Alberta University of the Arts [AUArts]. Her interest in decoration and ornament is long standing and is reflected in her academic and personal life. Her BFA and MA in Canadian Art History were awarded by Concordia University, Montreal and she received a Ph.D. in the History of Design from the Royal College of Art, London. She is active in a number of professional societies, is on the Board of the Alberta Craft Council, and lectures and publishes internationally. Jennifer was the winner of the Tom McFall Honour Award (2018).
Soon after being hired to a permanent position at ACAD I embarked on what I thought would be a straightforward, if revisionist, research project - a History of Craft at the Alberta College of Art and Design [ACAD]. I naively thought I would start at the beginning -1916- when Calgary’s Provincial Institute of Technology and Art [the Tech] opened its doors. Referencing contemporary newspapers and annual reports, I read of the years of debates, petty jealousies, and the aspirations that lay behind the creation of what was an innovative post-secondary institute. I learned the names of the movers and shakers and discovered that the tipping point was the Great War (1914-1918) when the need to re-educate returning veterans finally brought the anticipated funding. However, what I found most promising were the notices in the provincial newspapers of 1916 that announced the first faculty member to be appointed was “an Instructor in Fine and Applied Art” - Leo Earl Pearson (1883-1952). Turning to institutional histories - including ACAD’s current web site - I found a different tale being told - that the teaching of art dated only to 1926 - the year a Norwegian painter, Lars Haukaness (1863-1929), arrived in Calgary. What these histories had in common, besides the blatant disregard for craft, was a general air of complacency - revealing three biases. Some were overt, writing that Pearson was not of interest, as he “did not appear to be involved in the Fine Art component.”i Others dismissed the early years when the Tech came under military control (1917-1920) arguing that there was no place for art/craft education for it would be considered a mere indulgence – in fact, craft education flourished. Still others chose to reject craft for it was taught as “mainly Saturday morning art”.ii This view reflects the long-held opinion that evening and Saturday classes are, by definition, of lesser value. Such classes are scorned as either an abridged class or a form of “supplementary education” offered during “the time left over from more significant activities”.iii Had this generation of historians been less dismissive of craft, they would have found Pearson’s name paired not only with “drafting,” but with “design and art”. During the three decades he taught at the Tech, Pearson continually added to his skill set - spending summers at a broad range of art institutes that specialized in craft - including the California School of Arts and Crafts and the New York School of Applied Design.iv Had they delved deeper, they would also have discovered that from its inception, the Tech’s mandate was to educate a work force that would meet the needs of the growing community and this meant offering classes at times when students, many of whom were already employed, could upgrade or learn new skills (Saturdays and evenings). The 1921 prospectus offers a selection of “Regular Art Classes” that includes “Design and Handicraft” and within a decade a two-year Advanced Diploma in Applied Art and Craft (1930-31) was available. What my initial research suggested was that not only was craft being taught at the Tech in 1916, but craft education was the foundation upon which the institute was built. And, if this was the case, then there must have been a well-developed culture of acceptance already in place. So, rather than starting in 1916, I found myself moving back even further in time - just how deep did the roots of craft extend? And, what did craft mean to the young Calgary community? Ironically, it would be Pearson who proved to be the key - for it was Pearson who led me to Sloyd. Leo Earl Pearson (1883-1952) was born in Lawrence, Kansas and
completed his secondary education in California. In 1906, the Pasadena Daily News acknowledged his graduation from Throop (now Cal Tech) with an Art Normal Diploma and a special interest in “art teaching methods.” Further, the journalist indicated that Pearson had been “elected” an instructor at a State Polytechnic [in San Luis Obispo] and would be teaching freehand drawing [fine art] forging [craft media] and Sloyd.v Sloyd? I would learn that the word sloyd - from the Swedish Slöjd translates as “handcraft” and was a late 19th C educational reform movement promoting the integration of craft into the general curriculum.vi The sloyd movement was driven by Otto Salomon (1849 -1907) of Nääs, Sweden and was never intended as an introduction to vocational training. Rather, sloyd was seen as an aid to mental and physical development through the acquisition of hand skills. Proponents of sloyd believed that the making of craft built character, encouraged moral behavior, greater intelligence, and industriousness. Somewhat paradoxically, sloyd addressed two seemingly disparate needs: on the one hand, the loss of agency - for traditional craft skills were disappearing as a result of industrialization and on the other, there was the need for an education that would meet the demands of the changing economy in a modern industrialized society. Given that its methodology encouraged learning through doing (or making) it is not surprising that craft historians, including Glenn Adamson, suggest that sloyd was a type of design reform, “For the broader project of design reform, was it would install in the student not only orderly habits, but an understanding of beauty and a life-long respect for craftsmanship.”viii By 1900 the sloyd method was flourishing throughout the western world, in Northern Europe, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, South America, and the United States. At this time, James W. Robertson (1857-1930) was Canada’s most vocal advocate for educational reform, believing that a “traditional” education (three Rs) served neither the needs of students nor those of the work place. He argued that the existing system revealed a “preference for clerical, professional and scholastic occupations, [even] in those who have no natural fitness for them and [it encouraged] the corresponding distaste for manual and bodily labour.”ix Robertson saw that with the changing economy there was a need for new types of workers - clerks, technicians, engineers - and he sought an educational system that would serve them - one that would teach active problem solving rather than rote memorisation. Ironically, little has changed, in 2017 the Globe & Mail reported “Employers have complained that too many students do not have enough foundation skills and [as a result] the reformed curriculum will incorporate the problem-solving, critical thinking and creativity skills needed for a changing economy.”x Robertson had been introduced to the Sloyd Educational Reform Movement while visiting England. Such was his enthusiasm, he was able to bring Sir William C Macdonald (1831-1917), the Montreal philanthropist, on board. What was unusual about the Macdonald/Robertson venture was the magnitude of the plan for the whole of the Dominion was to be engaged. Macdonald agreed to fully fund the sloyd project for three years - furnishing ten sloyd centers across Canada, including one in Calgary N.W.T. xi In his text The Theory of Educational Sloyd (1892) Salomon, insisted that the sloyd instructor was an accomplished craftsman - but he should be first and foremost an educator. Sloyd-trained MAY - AUGUST 2019 ALBERTA CRAFT MAGAZINE
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educators (all practicing craftsmen) were to be brought to Canada, teachers trained, sloyd rooms equipped, and classes begun. It has been estimated that by 1907 more than 20,000 Canadian students had been educated in the Sloyd Method. Even before the arrival of the first three “sloyd masters” in 1900 to Canada, the Calgary Herald was laying the ground work by examining the educational goals of sloyd and the applicability of the sloyd initiative to the local population. The journalist’s view was a pragmatic one, suggesting that the objects created “must not be objects of luxury; they should be of service in the house; … the development of the sense of form should be kept in mind in the choice of object.”xii A visit from Robertson saw him assuring the Calgary Board of Education that “Calgary’s growth was being watched with much interest in the east, and that it was being considered as the educational headquarters of the west.”xiii Calgary would become a model sloyd centre with craft promoted as a form of democratic art, and sloyd methods were seen to cultivate the understanding of craft as a part of everyday living in an industrialized society.xiv A sloyd education envisioned craft as a practical means to teach problem solving - and its success required a firm understanding of design as well as accomplished skills - it was experience based with mentoring and tacit learning at its heart. In Alberta’s largely rural (and culturally diverse) population sloyd fostered a communal sense of self-worth – grounded in a respect for the craftsman, the hand-made object, and the cultural history of making. By the summer of 1901, the Weekly Herald was able to confirm, “We have one of these schools in Calgary. The Macdonald manual training school was opened here March 4 - by H. M. Snell from the Nääs Sloyd [School] Sweden, where at one time he had been under the tuition of the famous Swedish philosopher, Otto Salomon, who started the Sloyd movement, which in 30 years has spread to almost all the civilised nations on earth.” In Calgary, the new mantra would become learning by doing, and within the year, the Calgary Herald saluted both the initiative and the students, for “The Calgary boys have shown a wonderful aptitude for handwork which is altogether satisfactory in a new and extensive country such as this …”xvii It is evident that sloyd appealed to both the proponents of the intellectual function of schools and to supporters of the economic, or practical role of schools in preparing students for the job market. It is no wonder that it would be welcomed as the first step in an orderly transition to a modern Canada. The overwhelming success of sloyd and the general approbation of craft in Calgary ensured that sloyd would play a pivotal role in the foundation of the Tech in 1916. Thomas B. Kidner, the first of the sloyd educators to arrive in Canada in 1900, was now Calgary’s Director of Technical Education and a member of the Calgary Board of Education. It was Kidner’s task to i Val Greenfield. A Measure of Success Graduates of the Alberta College of Art 1963-1984. Calgary: ACAD, 1985 ii Roy E. Smith, The First Sixty Years: The Alberta Institute of Technology 1916-1976. 1990, 21 iii Stephen Knott. “Working Class, Middle Class, Upper Class, Evening Class: Supplementary Education and Craft Instruction, 1889-1939.” The Journal of Modern Craft. 7/1(2014): 7-32 iv And, for the record, Pearson was a founding member of the Alberta Society of Artists, exhibited regularly, and the National Gallery of Canada holds his work. v Pasadena Daily News …28 May 1906 vi Otto Aaron Salomon (1849–1907) started a school for teachers of slöjd in the 1870s in Nääs, Sweden. Students from throughout the world (including Kidner) attended. The school remained active until about 1960. vii Maria Montessori (1870-1952), Freidrich Fröbel (1782-1852), Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) and Waldorf Education. viii Adamson, Glenn. Introduction to Elements of Handicraft and Design. London: Macmillan, 1893. The Craft Reader.London: Bloomsburg, 2009. ix J. W. Robertson, Manual Training in Public Schools. Ottawa: Macdonald Sloyd School Fund, 1899,25
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oversee the new curriculum. A Canadian, James C. Miller (1880-1940), was made Acting Principal and charged with the general organisation and hiring. Miller was a graduate of the Macdonald initiative, had attended Throop before going on to Columbia for his PhD, and, at the time, was Principal of the Camrose Normal School. These two would have hired the “first instructor in art and applied art” – Leo Pearson – and brought in another sloyd proponent, Lindley H. Bennett (1875-?). Bennett had arrived with Kidner in 1900 and would retire from the Tech in 1939 after teaching brilliantly “whether the subject be English, Woodworking, Pedagogy, Architecture, Drafting, Carving, Modelling, Art Appreciation, or many others.” (Tech Record 193839) In other words, One administrator and three of the seven initial hires at the Tech were sloyd “masters.” Their belief in sloyd served as the conduit for the approbation of craft within the Calgary in 1900 and underpinned the craft educational model at the Tech. I would suggest that it was this momentum that drove craft forward for the next century. How is it that we know so little about this reform (education or design) movement – given that it positioned craft in such a positive light? And it is here that I come to what I have dubbed - the unfriending of sloyd. And, as we know, with unfriending come the unexpected consequences. While the sloyd initiative was well received in Canada, the “foreignness” of its name continued to be suspect – the moniker simply too exotic given the politics of the time. By the end of the Great War sloyd was no longer in common use. Rather, we read of manual training, vocational arts, industrial arts, mechanical arts, shop, technical training, handicrafts, etc. To all intents and purposes, Salomon had already foreseen this possibility, and 1892 warned that there were good reasons for “owning” the unfamiliar: Sloyd, then, is a foreign name for a foreign method; but as the method is the most thoughtfully worked-out system of its kind, it is best to retain the foreign name, even if the method is modified a little to suit English practice. Indeed, with the unfriending of the term a slippage occurred. Without the scrutiny that the Swedish term demanded, the intellectual rigor associated with craft education was dismissed and the general take-away was that the making of craft was linked to children and therapy. Even today, craft is haunted by these spectres. With the unfriending of sloyd we lost touch with an important part of our history – essentially dismissing an educational/design reform movement that not only met the needs of a rapidly changing economy but inspired a respect for the craftsman, the hand-made object, and the cultural history of making. In countries where sloyd continues to be taught, craft continues to be valued – collected – documented –exhibited. I would suggest that it is time we re-friended sloyd. A x Caroline Alphonso (Education Reporter) “Ontario to target maths, report cards in curriculum revamp”. Globe and Mail. 6 October 2017 p. 1 xi Jas W. Robertson, Manual Training: The Macdonald Manual Training Schools and Albert H Leake. The Ottawa Manual Training School. Toronto: The Ontario Institute for the Studies in Education. Reprinted from Canadian Magazine, April 1901 xii “Sloyd System” Calgary Weekly Herald 4 Jan 1900 Page 2 xiii “Manual training: To be introduced into the Public Schools of Calgary” Calgary Weekly Herald. 22 Nov 1900, 8 xiv Jane Elizabeth Eyestone. The influence of Swedish sloyd and its interpreters on American art education. (Thesis/on line) xv Calgary Weekly Herald, 11 July 1901, 8 xvi Otto Aron Salomon. The Theory of Educational Sloyd: The only Authorized Edition of the lectures of Otto Salomon. London: G Philip & Son 1892, 9
COVETED CRAFT
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If we are defined by the things we choose to surround ourselves with, then we must covet thoughtfully. 3 1
Embrace hand-made, locally-made, well-made, meaningful, and beautiful Fine Craft. Shop for these items at the Alberta Craft Gallery Shop in Edmonton & Calgary. 1 Shot
glasses, Jeff Holmwood, $40 Julia Reimer, $140 3 Party Glass, Ted Jolda, $26 4 Birch Bowl, Mason Eyben, $40 5 Glasses, Paul van den Bijgaart & Jie Yang, $40 6 Linen Tea Towel, Natalie Gerber, $26 2 Decanter,
Dreaming of patio season? Our friends at Wild Life Distillery shared a delicious cocktail recipe with us. Try it at home and serve in your favourite handcrafted glass.
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Alpenglow 2oz Wild Life Vodka
5 6
.75oz Aperol .5oz Grapefruit Syrup .5oz Lemon Juice 1oz Grapefruit Juice Combine all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake 20 seconds and double strain into a previously chilled glass, top with ice. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon and enjoy your summer! Visit www.wildlifedistillery.ca for more recipes. MAY - AUGUST 2019 ALBERTA CRAFT MAGAZINE
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MEET THE MAKER
Photo: Robin and his wood-fired kiln.
We recently had a chat with ceramic artist Robin DuPont (Winlaw, BC) about his experience as an educator. This summer he is instructing “Making Work for Atmospheric Kilns” at Series Summer Arts School, Red Deer College. Robin Dupont’s education in the field of ceramics has been wide-ranging and includes educational training from four institutions, in three different countries. Robin obtained his BFA from Alberta University of the Arts, Kootenay School of the Arts in Nelson, BC, the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, and completed his MFA graduate degree at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. Learn more about Robin DuPont and Meet the Maker. Alberta Craft Council: Is teaching a major part of your creative practice or something you do occasionally? Robin DuPont: Teaching has been a significant part of my life since completing my master’s degree in 2011. I teach a full semester at Kootenay Studio Arts (KSA) in the fall and often more, teaching workshops abroad and here on my property. I also have an assistant in my studio that is working beside me learning. By articulating ideas out loud to others it forces you to solidify them in some way in your head. I read that Einstein said, “you don’t truly know something until you can teach it”. ACC: How do you balance your creative practice with teaching? RD: My creative practice is all about learning. Teaching is all about passing that information on. I have been fortunate to have learned from some amazing teachers and, in turn, that makes me passionate about giving back. I am currently teaching at KSA at Selkirk
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College in Nelson, BC. Three faculty split the course load. Job sharing allows for time in the studio to continue my own creative practice. This is win-win for both students and faculty as it gives me time to push my own work further.
Katrina Chaytor, Greg Payce - they were all generous and inspiring in different ways.
ACC: In what ways do you advise students just starting out, to work smarter?
RD: During my first year at ACAD (before I decided to major in ceramics) the visiting artist was Tom Rohr. Tom communicated so many things about clay and ceramics that have ever since been at the core of why I work in clay and make the objects I do.
RD: When you are young it is easy to push yourself, sometimes beyond your limits both physically and mentally. I think it is important to work hard but figure out your limitations and set boundaries. In saying that, it is important to do this in a sustainable way, learning how to care for your body right off the bat is imperative and will pay dividends later in your career. ACC: Looking back, do you have a teacher who was especially inspiring? RD: I’ve had many teachers who I think of regularly in the studio and when I am teaching. To name a few: Bob Reimer, John Chalke, Jim Etzkorn, Tom Rohr,
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ACC: What is an important event that helped shape your career?
ACC: What is your favourite handcrafted piece in your home by another artist? RD: I have many favourite pieces, not really one at all. It’s a little like asking which of my children is my favourite! I’ve been collecting pots for a long time and I have an extensive collection. I love how pots carry so much information and are complex little objects - some are my favourites because of how they function, others remind me of people and places. A
N AT I V E A R T S A N D C U LT U R E Portage College
NATIVE ARTS AND CULTURE PROGRAM One-Year Certificate or Two-Year Diploma Portage College’s Native Arts and Culture Program is an accredited, one-of-a-kind program in Canada that has taught traditional Indigenous art for over 40 years. The two-year diploma is transferable to a third-year Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Alberta College of Art and Design. Our Native Arts and Culture Program is the first traditional Indigenous arts program to be recognized at a non-Indigenous post-secondary fine arts institution! Portage College is the only institution in North America that gives credits for traditional hide tanning. The program offers an Artist in Residence position featuring nationally recognized Indigenous artists such as Joseph Sanchez and Amy Malbeuf. Learn the history of art and the impacts for Indigenous People alongside the Museum of Aboriginal Peoples’ Art and Artifacts. Our Museum contains a substantial collection of Indigenous art and artifacts collected over 40 years and contains the only permanent exhibit of the Indian Group of Seven in Canada. portagecollege.ca 1-866-623-5551
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WHAT’S ON AT THE ALBERTA CRAFT COUNCIL ALBERTA CRAFT GALLERY EDMONTON 10186 106 Street NW Edmonton, AB
Feature Gallery Cultivate | Instigate (Page 6 & 7) Creatives at the forefront of craft education in Alberta May 11 – August 31, 2019 Artist Reception: Saturday, June 15 from 2 – 4pm
Discovery Gallery Art in Ubiquity (Page 10) Celebrating the Edmonton Weavers’ Guild 65th Anniversary. On until June 8, 2019 Coming Up Next (Page 8 & 9) A cross-section of up-and-coming craft artists in Canada creating distinctive and innovative work. June 15 - August 3, 2019 Artist Talk & Reception: Saturday, June 15 from 2 – 4pm Holding Rocks (Cage Series) (Page 11) World renowned master goldsmith Charles Lewton-Brain’s (Calgary, AB) work is concerned with process, beauty, function and the tensions between nature and structure. August 10 - September 21, 2019 Artist Talk & Reception: Saturday, August 10 from 2 – 4pm
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Alberta Craft Council Board of Directors. Photo by Jeff Yee
ALBERTA CRAFT COUNCIL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Saturday, June 15, 2019 at 1pm Alberta Craft Gallery - Edmonton We invite all members to attend the AGM. Learn more about the Alberta Craft Council while mingling with the board, staff and other members. Following the AGM, join us for the artist receptions for Cultivate | Instigate and Coming Up Next. To attend the AGM, RSVP to Joanne at joanne@ albertacraft.ab.ca or by phone 780-488-6611 ext. 234 or 1-800-DOCRAFT by 5pm, Thursday, June 13, 2019. If you are unable to attend, you can still participate by sending in your proxy or nomination of a director form. Find the form at www.albertacraft.ab.ca/acc-events
ALBERTA CRAFT GALLERY - CALGARY 1721 29 Avenue SW, Suite 280 Calgary, AB
Milk & Oil, Giselle Peters The Surface of Things: Chasing Light, Brenda Malkinson Because it never occurs to us that we cannot, Robin Lambert On until May 25, 2019 Portraits 35 fine craft artists from across Canada share their stories of family, culture, place, being, and belonging through their work. From quirky selfportraits to special memories of loved ones and iconic personalities, this exhibition is as diverse as each person or place that is depicted. June 1 – August 24, 2019 Artist Talk & Reception: Saturday, June 1 from 2 – 4pm Coming Up Next A cross-section of up-and-coming craft artists in Canada creating distinctive and innovative work. August 31 – October 12, 2019 Artist Talk & Reception: Saturday, September 7 from 2 – 4pm
Judy Sysak Spotlight Opening Event. Photo by Jeff Yee
Second Thursdays | Spotlight Join us at cSPACE on the 2nd Thursday of each month from 5 – 8pm for a series of special events. Meet featured artists and visit other open studios. May 9:
Dianne Hove, Ceramics Viva la Cultura! - cSPACE Showcase Event June 13: Stacey Maddock, Jewellery July 11: Mackenzie Kelly-Frère, Fibre
Bright Nights: Technology & Craft An insightful discussion about technology and craft with artists Mike Saroka, Heidi Mayer and Bryan Cera. Organized by the Alberta Craft Council and Alberta University of the Arts. May 16, 2019 Artist Talk: 7 - 9pm, Treehouse @ cSPACE Reception: 9 - 10pm, Alberta Craft Gallery Alberta Craft Gallery Shop - Edmonton
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AROUND ALBERTA Noteworthy craft exhibitions, events, and more Sik sika tsi ta pi sini Sa kaiss skoo na tapiwa Kii pait ta pii sin noon The Blackfoot People’s Way of Life is Still Strong On at Glenbow, Calgary until January 5, 2020 ACC Professional member Albertine Crow Shoe was Glenbow’s Artist in Residence in 2018. Through her exploration of Glenbow’s collections she was inspired to create new works of art, on view together with the artifacts and artworks that inspired her. “My art is an interpretation of art forms that go back to our stories, to ceremony and to our ways of knowing. Niitsitapiiysin, our traditional Blackfoot way of life, exists today and thrives within modern society. Our stories, connection to the land and worldview is our foundation for the world we live in. This exhibition opens a door to viewing arts forms, made by Niitsitapiiks, The Real People. The designs, colour and spatial placements reflect the environment from which they were created. The material speaks for itself. Each piece illustrates these elements simply and beautifully. From these art forms I have created my own pieces that will carry on the tradition of design, colour and craftsmanship.
Mo’kaamipoisootsimaan, 2018. Albertine Crow Shoe. Silver and 10K gold
My designs flow from images that are symbolic in Blackfoot culture that invoke memory, history and spiritual power. I use many traditional materials from our ecosystem and while I put these on non-traditional bases (silver) I remember who I am and where I come from. Miisamosoko, the Ancient Road, was the trail of my grandparents and great grandparents who were all prominent ceremonialists among the Blackfoot. It is my obligation and privilege to carry this on for my people and to bring an awareness of these values to the nonIndigenous world.” - Albertine Crow Shoe
New Glass TV Series On Blown Away, a new competition series on the new specialty network Makeful, exceptional glass-blowers are invited into the largest hot shop in North America to push themselves to creative extremes. In each episode the glass-blowers must impress a panel of art experts or risk being eliminated. At stake, a big cash prize and a residency at the world-renowned Corning Museum of Glass in upstate New York. Hosted by Nick Uhas, with resident evaluator and glass master Katherine Gray. One of the competitors is AUArts graduate and Alberta artist Leah Marie. She plans to return to Edmonton to set up her own glass shop after completing an upcoming residency at Murano, Italy. Blown Away will air on Makeful (TV.BeMakeful.com and available through all major cable providers). Leah Kudel in Blown Away
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105.02.0118. Collection of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Banff.
Peter Whyte and Catharine Robb Whyte: An Eclectic Eye for Collecting On at Whyte Museum, Banff from June 16 to September 22, 2019
The pictured charming scene is a maquette from Whyte Museum’s collection. It measures a humble 22 x 21 x 33 cm and depicts a fully furnished Japanese china shop. The maquette will be in the summer exhibition Peter Whyte and Catharine Robb Whyte: An Eclectic Eye for Collecting, June 16 – September 22, 2019 at Whyte Museum, Banff. The primary source of the Whyte Museum’s Japanese collection is by way of Catharine Robb Whyte’s maternal grandfather, Dr. Edward Sylvester Morse, a marine biologist, who was a scholar with a vast range of interests, including Japanese culture. He first travelled to Japan in 1877, during an important transitional period in Japanese history, and finally in 1882 when he amassed a collection of ceramics, and other artistic and cultural objects. Between 1890 and 1892, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston purchased thousands of ceramic objects from Dr. Morse while the Peabody Museum in Salem, acquired everyday material cultural objects. The Whyte Museum retains the remainder of Dr. Morse’s collection.
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AROUND ALBERTA Noteworthy craft exhibitions, events, and more Olds Fibre Week July 5 to 11, 2019
For one week every summer the Olds College campus is flooded with fibre artists, drawing enthusiastic students from across North America. Olds Fibre Week is an annual week-long celebration. Beginners to advanced fibre enthusiasts are all welcome at Fibre Week. The event includes workshops, Master Spinner and Master Weaver programs, a public Merchant Mall, fleece show and sales, as well as social events. Participants can choose from an assortment of half-day to two-day workshops focused on knitting techniques, dyeing, felting, crocheting, lace work, and more. There are also week-long courses with exceptionally talented Master Spinners and Master Weavers. Olds Fibre Week is a great way for Albertans to get an introduction to the craft and to connect with other fibre folks. A Calgary to Olds airport shuttle service is available to registrants for a nominal fee. For more information and to view this year’s wide array of classes offered, or to register, visit: oldscollege.ca/fibreweek or call 1-800-661-6537
Series 2019 Summer Arts School at Red Deer College Courses in ceramics, metal, jewellery, glass, fibre, and more…
Immerse yourself in a summer experience like no other at Series Summer Arts School. For 36 years, Red Deer College has offered courses to artists from across North America to further develop their careers. Since its inception in the early 1980s, Series has grown to include a wide variety of visual arts and literary arts programs and it now offers over 75 courses over the month of July to over 500 students. In addition to the week-long experience you can try classes on for size with one-day workshops. A Taste of Series on Saturday, July 20th will be packed with everything from jewellery making, 3D needle-felting, drawing basics, to bead making, and metal stamp making.
Teena Dickerson
There’s so much to discover at Series. Instructor presentations, social activities, open model sessions and open studios in the evenings create many opportunities to connect with other likeminded artists in the community. Red Deer College’s on-campus accommodations are comfortable and affordable. To learn more about Red Deer College Summer Art Series and scholarship opportunities visit: www.rdc.ab.ca/series
Series Summer Arts School prides itself on its professional instructors and 2019 is no exception. Alberta Craft Council members who are instructing courses this summer include:
Week One (July 8 – 12)
Taste of Series (July 20)
Week Two (July 15 – 19)
Week Three (July 22 – 26)
Linda Chow – Discover the Fun of Jewellery Making Paul van den Bijgaart – Clear Creativity (glass) Robin DuPont – Making Work for Atmospheric Kilns Linda Chow – Out of the Box Bezel Stone Setting Crys Harse – Creative Metalsmithing Paul van den Bijgaart – Marvelous Marbles (glass)
Linda Chow – Make Your Own Metal Stamps Paul van den Bijgaart – Flame Fascination – Intro to Beadmaking Teena Dickerson – Creative Journey in Jewellery Casting Milt Fischbein – Introduction to Filigree Jewellery Crys Harse – A Week of Metal Baskets
Week Four (July 29 – Aug 2)
Trudy Golley – Paperplaster Mould Making
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NEWS Sandra’s most recent research was on “craftwashing,” for a new book to be published by Bloomsbury. She coined the term to describe the uses and abuses of craft in everyday life by major corporations, such as Starbucks and Disney.
Dr. Sandra Alfoldy
Sandra was a dynamic and entertaining speaker, and much in demand as a keynote. These talks, as her writings, were extraordinarily vibrant, clear, and relevant.
Remembering Dr. Sandra Alfoldy The Alberta Craft Council is sad to acknowledge the passing of Dr. Sandra Alfoldy. “When I met Sandra Alfoldy in 2002, she was a newly minted PhD graduate from Concordia, who had just joined the faculty of NSCAD, she was adapting her thesis into a book manuscript, titled Crafting Identity: The Development of Professional Craft in Canada for McGill Queen’s Press. Her groundbreaking research analysed how Canadian studio crafts between 1964-1974 became a fine art practice in parallel to the American studio craft movement but with significant distinctions.
Sandra Alfoldy died on February 24, 2019 after a year-long battle with cancer. She was 49. Sandra mentored many PhD students in craft, several of whom are teaching at major art colleges and universities across Canada. Her legacy lives on. She will be deeply missed by her family, friends, colleagues, students, and craft scholars in Canada and around the world.” -Rachel Gotlieb, Adjunct Curator, Gardiner Museum “It is hard to even fathom the Canadian craft community without Sandra at the forefront, holding the torch. A true leader in the field and a passionate mentor to those who studied under and worked alongside her, Sandra’s open and honest love for craft shone through in everything she did. Through her work and the positive energy she shared, she sowed the seeds of craft curiosity in all of us. It is our job now to continue cultivating those seeds. For craft, for each other, and for Sandra. I am heartbroken for the loss of such a truly beautiful person, but I am also so proud of and so thankful for all she did in the short time she had. I will never forget her kindness, her intelligence, or her wicked laugh.” - Maegen Black, Executive Director, Canadian Crafts Federation
Sandra was a generous scholar and her comprehensive knowledge of craft, be that ceramics, glass, folk, first nations, or textiles was, remarkable. She had a keen ability to identify the pressing issues facing modern and contemporary craftmakers including appropriation, amateurism, and professionalism. Her 2012 book, The Allied Arts: Architecture and Craft in Postwar Canada is a pioneering study on the fraught relationship and collaborations between craftmakers and architects. She was also curating Tortoises and Tulips: A Walter Ostrom Retrospective for the Art Gallery Novia Scotia to open in 2020.
Volunteers: Crys Harse and Lisa McGrath. Photo by Jeff Yee
Both as a historian and curator, Sandra helped to position Canadian crafts and scholarship on the world stage, first with the remarkable 2008 Neo-Craft symposium in Halifax, which attracted craft scholars and makers from around the world who came to discuss the contradictions between modernity and craft and other issues. Unity and Diversity, another major project curated by Sandra, elevating the importance of Canadian crafts on the international stage was exhibited at Cheongju International Craft Biennale in South Korea in 2009 and at the Vancouver Museum during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Her last major global craft exhibition, Naked Craft, co-curated and coorganized with Denis Longchamps and Emma Quinn in Canada and Juliette MacDonald and Arno Verhoeven in Edinburgh explored the connections of craft making between Canada and Scotland.
Volunteer Appreciation On April 10, 2019 we threw a thank you party for our volunteers at the Alberta Craft Gallery – Calgary. In the last year alone, volunteers contributed over 2100 hours of their time to the Council! With our volunteers help, events and exhibitions are held around the province, from our Annual General Meeting, to the Alberta Craft Awards, casino, artist demonstrations and our annual fundraisers 'Twas the Night and Let it Snow.A
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Ceramist Kalika Bowlby. Photo by Noa Furfano.
Call for Entry: 2020 Exhibition Proposals The Alberta Craft Discovery Gallery strives to present innovative and dynamic exhibitions that challenge perceptions and inspire the public to discover the best in contemporary fine craft.
Deadline: June 1, 2019 For more information visit: www.albertacraft.ab.ca/opportunities Return Address: Alberta Craft Council 10186-106 Street Edmonton, AB T5J 1H4
