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Ontario Craft '07

The Ontario Craft Council is pleased to present Ontario Craft ’07, our annual juried exhibition of member work.

Beginning in 1975, the Ontario Crafts Council organized juried exhibitions and works by OCC members across the province. Ontario Craft ‘07 revives this longstanding tradition, and like its predecessors, this exhibition offers the opportunity to celebrate, examine, and assess the state of Ontario craft.

Sixty-nine multidisciplinary works will be presented, including this year’s award winners:

Sally McCubbin for Best in Show
Growing up in Toronto, one has much opportunity to study and participate in the arts. Sally, however, didn’t do this.  She played sports instead. It wasn’t until after a misguided jaunt to University that Sally discovered her interest in objects of quality.  Sheridan College served first as an institution where she studied the craft of glass blowing techniques.  Unexpectedly, it fostered her devotion to the design, fabrication and refinement of objects.Today, she resides happily in Toronto working at The Harbourfront Center Glass Studio.  To maintain an innovative, rational and fulfilling approach to her career, she’s often traveling across country learning and sharing ideas.
More specifically, Sally’s current goal at the Harbourfront Centre is the construction of a solid foundation on which to build her unpredictable career.  By both building a design portfolio, and continuing the development of her conceptual work, Sally hopes to maintain a variety of choices for the future. Having received a development grant from the Ontario Arts Council this year, she is allowed the unique opportunity to concentrate solely on a new project, one that pokes fun of our cultural absurdities.  It is her hope that this work will be ready for independent exhibition in the spring of 2008.

Paula Murray for the Award of Excellence
Paula Murray lives in the Gatineau Park on Meech Lake, Quebec. For extended periods of time, throughout her career, she has lived on the water, sailing between Canada and South America.  Inspiration is drawn from this ongoing relationship with nature, and has been propelled forward with her discovery of the Bahá’í Faith.
Regarded as one of Canada’s finest ceramic artists, Paula Murray has received many honours and awards for her exceptional work. In 2006, she was elected into the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts, and has been commissioned by the National Arts Centre to create the Governor General’s Performing Arts awards. Representatives of the Canadian Government have presented her works to such dignitaries as former U.N. Secretary General  Kofi Annan, US President George Bush, German Chancellor Schröder and Russian Prime Minister Putin. She is regularly represented at SOFA Chicago. In 2005 Murray was selected for the prestigious 54th Premio Faenza-International Ceramic Art Competition in Italy. Murray’s work can be found in museums and collections around the world, and is exhibited in Canada, the US, Germany, and Italy. Her website is www.paulamurray.ca.

Emma Gerard for Honorable Mention
Emma Gerard is a young Canadian glass artist, and as an only child growing up in the suburbs, she had lots of time to herself to let her imagination go wild. Emma initially wanted to pursue a career in technical theatre, and had to make a very hard decision by deciding against it. This lead to another hard decision: what to do now?
After taking some time to herself, Emma decided to attend Sheridan College for Crafts and design majoring in the ceramics studio. However, upon arrival she was bitten by the glass bug and has been addicted to glass ever since. The first two years at Sheridan were incredible, and Emma is now eager to complete her final year. This summer Emma was very lucky to receive a summer residency at Harbourfront Centre. While at Harbourfront, Emma explored new techniques and concepts that will aid in her body of work this year, and in years to come.

Ontario Craft ’07 Jurors are Sandra Ainsley, a Toronto-based gallery owner who turned her passion for glass art into a thriving business; David Kaye, the owner of the David Kaye Gallery in Toronto that exhibits leading makers objects, jewellery and paintings; and Lisa Pai, who has co-owned and operated the Lafreniere & Pai Gallery in Ottawa for 7 years, and has had over fifteen years of experience in the Canadian art market.

The exhibition will take place from November 15th to December 31st, 2007. The opening reception is on Thursday November 15th from 5:30 to 9:00pm.

Please contact Katherine McKellar for more information at 416-925-4222 ext 222, kmckellar@craft.on.ca, or Shauna Cake at 416-925-4222 ext 226, scake@craft.on.ca

Ontario Crafts Council
990 Queen St. W.
Toronto, ON
M6G 1X5
(416) 925-4222
www.craft.on.ca