by Carole Epp | Apr 2, 2019 | Uncategorized
This spring, David McKenzie and Maureen Marcotte are celebrating their 40th year as studio potters in the Gatineau Hills north of Ottawa. For four decades, they have been partners in life and work and share a home, studios, kilns and materials and family life. They have much in common, especially an approach to clay that centres on creating intensely decorated surfaces on a variety of forms. While this focus is similar, the resulting bodies of work that they each create are entirely unique.
Maureen’s work is characterized by pattern either based on nature or geometric shapes. The designs are often formal and organized, respecting the constraints of the forms she makes. There is a quietness to the overall patterns based on a repetition of the design elements. Even when there is a seemingly random pattern of leaves and foliage, there is always a subtle geometric structure underneath that anchors the pattern.
David is a story teller and his work has a narrative quality based on a vocabulary of images and themes that populate his more casually made coil pots, slabwork and slip cast pieces. Passionate about formulating glazes and constant experimentation, David uses a rich palette of colours and textures. A whimsical sense of design and a lyrical drawing line infuse each unique piece with warmth and intimacy.
Although they share a work environment and most other aspects of their lives, David and Maureen manage to create work that is individual with surprisingly little cross influence. Even though they share glazes, clay bodies and sometimes even decorate the same slipcast forms, there is no mistaking one artist for the other. Perhaps it is the differences between the two styles of work that is remarkable.
artgalleryofburlington.com
by Carole Epp | Jun 12, 2017 | workshops
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You are Invited: The grand opening for all exhibitions is on Friday, September 15th, 6:00 pm, at the Art Gallery of Burlington (1333 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington). |
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Can Craft? Craft Can!
This national exhibition will be showcasing seventy makers from across Canada with a focus on the themes of identity, sustainability and materiality
Nothing is Newer than Tradition
A feature exhibition of emerging Ontario artists that reflect the way in which craft materials, tools and processes of creativity are reiterated through the hands of a new generation of makers
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International Ceramic Exhibition: Anton Reijnders
Anton is internationally renowned for his site-specific ceramic installations
Setting Ontario’s Table:
Once Upon a Time
The Art Gallery of Burlington’s permanent collection’s exhibit will explore functional ware from Ontario ceramists, and juxtapose each artist’s early work with their recent work to explore the progression in their practice |
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The two-day symposium is where scholars and enthusiasts alike will come together to discuss a wide variety of topics related to the exhibition. Over two days split between Burlington on September 15th and Toronto on September 16th, participants will have the chance to learn, discover, and gain insight into the past and future of Canadian craft. |
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Craft Ontario members save $50 on symposium registration
Register in advance to secure your place
If you would like to take advantage of the shuttle bus service on Friday evening from the Burlington Holiday Inn to the Art Gallery of Burlington for the reception, and/or for Saturday from the Burlington Holiday Inn to OCAD University, it will be an additional $20 that can be selected on the online registration form.
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| Why Attend the Biennial? The Canadian Craft Biennial is a chance to unite those who make, appreciate, and study Canadian craft. For the first time, Burlington will host a national celebration of craft on the international stage, shining a spotlight on the immense creative spirit of our country. |
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by Carole Epp | May 19, 2017 | call for entry
DEADLINE FOR ENTRY: FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2017, 11:59 EST
EXHIBITION DATES: AUGUST 19 – OCTOBER 29, 2017
LOCATION: ART GALLERY OF BURLINGTON ~ 1333 LAKESHORE ROAD, BURLINGTON
The Art Gallery of Burlington, in collaboration with Craft Ontario, is pleased to announce the inaugural Canadian Craft Biennial, August 19 to October 29, 2017. As part of Biennial pro-gramming, Nothing is Newer than Tradition will present the work of emerging Ontario makers that reflect a dedicated engagement with specialized skills and materials. The exhibition will explore how craft materials, tools and processes are creatively reiterated through the hands of a new generation of makers.
As a celebratory year, 2017 is the 150th anniversary of both Canada and Ontario, and
Nothing is Newer than Tradition will present work that opens up an experience of craft history, where the making of objects critically intersects with both our past and present cultural, social and political ways of being in the world. Craft traditions of making are deeply rooted in identities and cultures that extend beyond current national boundaries and con-ventions, and remain critical in presenting work that enriches and reflects our lives today.
Craft Ontario welcomes emerging craftspeople throughout Ontario to submit their work to Nothing is Newer than Tradition. Please see the exhibition information below for more details, and contact us at [email protected] with any questions.
For more information on the Canadian Craft Biennial, please see: canadiancraftbiennial.ca
by Carole Epp | Nov 26, 2016 | Uncategorized
Craste’s 13 new works examine the notion of aesthetics in the
decorative arts, specifically the shift from ornaments to what is now
seen as the clean aesthetics of design.
About the Artist
Ceramist by trade, Laurent Craste is an internationally renowned visual
artist whose practice focuses on the exploration of the multiple layers
of meaning of decorative objects: ideologically, aesthetically, and
through their sociological and historical dimensions. The porcelain
vase, in particular, has for years been the subject of predilection of
the artist’s work. Laurent Craste appropriates this archetypal figure of
decorative arts, using it as matter, support and playground for his
artistic interventions, in order to create striking formal and
conceptual proposals.
Laurent Craste holds a Master in Visual and Media Arts from UQAM, and
he was awarded numerous prizes and awards during his career. His works
are on display in numerous private and public collections (Montreal
Museum of Fine Arts, the Public Collection of the Department of Foreign
Affairs and International Trade of Canada, The Cirque du Soleil
Collection, etc.).
Image: Laurent Craste, Immolation, 2016
artgalleryofburlington.com
by Carole Epp | Oct 21, 2016 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, technical tuesday
September 15 and 16, 2017
Burlington and Toronto
The
Art Gallery of Burlington in collaboration with Craft Ontario is
organizing the first Canadian Craft Biennial Conference to be held
September 15 and 16, 2017 in Burlington and Toronto, Ontario.
There
are eleven sessions covering a variety of themes and approaches. To
submit a proposal to a session, please send an abstract (250 words) with
your contact information, a short biography (100 words) to the convener
of the session you would like to join by 30 November 2016. The full description for each session can be found at canadiancraftbiennial.ca
Regular
sessions will include four (4) presentations of twenty (20) minutes
each followed by a question period. Number of Pecha Kucha presentations
in session five is at the discretion of the conveners. All sessions are 1
hour 45 minutes in length.
1. Indigenous Craft Today: Tradition, Innovation, Action
Convener: Elizabeth Kalbfleisch, Independent Scholar
Email: [email protected]
2. Craft and Wilderness: Combatting Territorial Amnesia
Convener: Amanda Shore
Email: [email protected]
3. Somewhere Between Folklore, Modernity and Utopia: Expo’67 and the development of Fine Crafts and Métiers d’art in Canada
Convener: Bruno Andrus
Email: [email protected]
Note: Bilingual Session; Propositions in French and English are welcome.
4. Decolonizing Craft: contemporary craft, race, and decolonial practice in Canada
Conveners: Anthea Black, OCAD University & Nicole Burisch, Independent critic/curator
Email: [email protected] & [email protected]
5. The Openness of Craft: Complexity in Current Practices
Convener: Ruth Chambers, University of Regina
Email: [email protected]
6. Identity, Craft / Métiers d’art and Marketing
Convener: Susan Surette, PhD, NSCAD University and Concordia University
Email: [email protected]
Note: Bilingual Session; Propositions in French and English are welcome.
7. Round-Table Session Title: Making Sense: Exploring Creative Methodologies
Convener: Julie Hollenbach PhD Candidate, Department of Art (Art History), Queen’s University.
Email: [email protected]
8. Craft and Public Art
Conveners:
Kathy Kranias, PhD Student, Humanities Department, York University, and
Lera Kotsyuba, Research Assistant Intern, Ontario Heritage Trust
Email: [email protected] & [email protected]
9. Making Education: The Changing Nature of Teaching Craft
Convener: Dorie Millerson, Assistant Professor, Chair, Material Art & Design, OCAD University
Email: [email protected]
10. Craft’s Collaborations
Convener: Mireille Perron, Alberta College of Art + Design
Email: [email protected]
11. The digital ties that bind: Practice-lead research in craft
Convener: Stephen Bottomley, Senior lecturer, Edinburgh College of Art/ University of Edinburgh
Email: [email protected]
The full description for each session can be found at canadiancraftbiennial.ca
