OCC Exhibition­

Exuberance: The Garden

March 1 - 27, 2012
Opening Reception Thursday, March 1, 6:00 - 9:00pm
Meet the artists!

Ontario Crafts Council Gallery
990 Queen Street West, Toronto

Exuberance: The Garden is an exhibition by four Toronto artists inspired by the beauty and the beasts of their private and intimate gardens. Paper, textiles, leather and glass are transformed to create audacious handcrafted work that celebrates vitality, joy and abundance.

Barbara Klunder brings her perspective on the relationship between gardens and insects with exquisite papercuts that honour the bee. In her words, "Bio Diversion is Bio Divinity", and her celebration of this intersection reveals the larger pattern of connection between all living things.

Elena Soní presents captured memory and emotion in collaged sculptures placed under bell jars. Using fabric, paper and found materials, she recreates the orgiastic, seemingly anarchic vegetation growth of her childhood gardens in Venezuela.

Berta Biondic combines the ideas of decoration and floral pattern with the chandelier. Transferring the garden to the ceiling, she explores the different ways in which we 'grow' our own spaces.

Eileen Kwan takes botanical drawings into the realm of embroidery. Her installation of sculptural representations comes together in a riotous celebration of nature's beauty, bursting with colour and texture.

Images: Elena Soní, It's all right, we will have cake (detail, photo by Eugene Beck); Eileen Kwan, Clematis Florida, (detail, photo by Stuart Kirkpatrick); Barbara Klunder, OverLeaf (detail); Berta Biondic, Teal Crystal Chandelier (detail, photo by Russell Power).

Symposium

Craft and the New Economy

March 10, 2012, at OCAD University, 100 McCaul Street, Toronto

Craft and the New Economy is a one-day symposium that brings together international, national and local speakers to address the relationship between craft and issues of sustainable business practice, technology, DIY and social responsibility. The term 'new economy' does not simply address issues of recession and global connectivity, but the development of new tools, processes of engagement, and the role of craft in the 21st century. Craft and the New Economy is an opportunity to explore the complex terrain of craft as object, profession, and cultural intermediary.

We've got a fantastic line-up of speakers, find out more and register here:

craftandtheneweconomy.org

Attendance capacity will be limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Please register early to secure your spot!

Registration closes Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Presented by the Ontario Crafts Council in partnership with OCAD U's Material Art & Design Program, Sheridan College Crafts and Design Program and Haliburton School of The Arts: Fleming College

Craft and the New Economy is also generously supported by:

The Textile Museum of Canada, sponsor of speaker Sheila Kennedy
The Gardiner Museum
Harbourfront Centre Craft Department
The Design Exchange
Toronto Craft Alert
City of Craft
Parker Pad & Printing Ltd.
The Glass Art Association of Canada
Canada Council for the Arts
Ontario Arts Council

CraftSmarts

From Maker to Making a Living
Three Day Intensive Workshop

Dates: Friday, April 13, 6:30 – 8:30pm
Saturday, April 14, 10:00am – 5:00pm
and Sunday, April 15, 10:00am – 4:00pm
Location: 401 Richmond, Room 408 | Toronto, ON
Fee: $300 + HST

Do you ever feel like your entrepreneurial skills are not up to par with your creative instinct? Do you wish there had been just one business class at art school? Are you facing more questions than answers related to your craft business?

From Maker to Making a Living is a workshop series designed to guide craftspeople through the process of understanding, designing and building their individual businesses. Led by maker and award winning business leader Jacqueline Sava, attendees will be guided through an eight-part series of lectures, exercises and activities focused on the development of their own craft-based business practices.

The knowledge and skills obtained in these workshops will allow makers to successfully balance their personal craft philosophies with the realities of marketing, selling and profiting from their businesses. At the end of the workshop series, each craftsperson will have a custom plan to ensure a successful transition from where they are to where they want to be, and balance their personal craft philosophy with the realities of marketing, selling and profiting from business.

For more information and to register please CLICK HERE.
Or contact Christine Lawrance with questions, clawrance@craft.on.ca

The OCC is on Facebook and Twitter

You can keep updated on OCC events and programming by checking out our Facebook page - we'd love to see you there! Or join the discussion on Twitter at @OntarioCrafts.

www.facebook.com/OntarioCraftsCouncil