A REPRESENTATIVE SURVEY OF CURRENT WORKS BY CRAFT NOVA SCOTIA MEMBERS
Hélène Blanchet, Marla Benton, Kate Church, Meryl Cook, Julian Covey, Jessie Fraser, Liza Hageraats, Wendy Johnston, Laura Kenney, Toni Losey, K Maclean, Theofani Pitsiavas, Andrea Puszkar, Lynette Richards, Julie Rosvall, Ralph Simpson, Jim Smith, Gina Stick, Athanasia Vayianou
In 2007 we marked the first installment of Craft Year which saw over 700 events celebrating craft all across Canada from coast to coast to coast. Craft Year 2015 saw an increase in activity, with almost 900 events including exhibitions, workshops, lectures, sales, book launches, and more. The event brought to light the many happenings of craft that take place on a local, national and international level, informing the public of just how active the Canadian craft field is. The Canadian Crafts Federation declared this year to be Craft Year 2020. Obviously due to the global pandemic, the level and nature of Craft Year 2020 events/activities have been substantially different than originally planned, but craft organizations across Canada are still finding ways to help celebrate and promote craft, particularly during these unprecedented times.
In conjunction with Craft Year 2020, Craft Nova Scotia invited members to submit work in response to an open call for entries. It is the intention of the Craft Nova Scotia Exhibitions Committee that this exhibition be a representative survey of current works by members. Therefore there is no theme for this exhibition; members were be asked to submit recently-created works for consideration, and the response was outstanding, with 121 submissions from 53 artists.
An invited panel of three jurors, Gilles Latour, Adriana Afford, and Ray Mackie selected the works to comprise the exhibition from amongst those submitted. The 29 works by 20 members of Craft Nova Scotia showcase the wide range of mediums, techniques and materials found within the crafts community. You will have the opportunity to see a snapshot of craft ranging from novice to master artisan. We think it’s a fine way to celebrate Craft Year 2020.
