Upcoming Canadian Craft Biennial

Celebrate at the Inaugural Canadian Craft Biennial

The Art Gallery of Burlington and Craft Ontario are pleased to announce that the official website for the inaugural Canadian Craft Biennial has been launched: www.canadiancraftbiennial.ca. This national event, taking place between August 19 and October 29, 2017, will showcase provincial, national, and international craft artists through four gallery exhibitions, a two-day symposium, two ten-day residencies, and additional community programming.

Denis Longchamps, Artistic Director and Chief Curator at the Art Gallery of Burlington, addresses the need for a national celebration of craft:

“The Biennial is a dream that started to develop a few years ago to bring together makers, scholars, collectors and craft aficionados together to discuss contemporary Canadian craft within a larger discourse.”

Today, this dream is a reality, with the inaugural Biennial being presented under the theme Can Craft? Craft Can!, which will explore historical contexts and offer critical insights into the future of craft in Canada. Aligning with Canada’s 150th anniversary, Can Craft? Craft Can! will highlight and celebrate Canadian craft professionals, and educate the public on the role that craft plays in Canadian arts and culture.

Learn more about Biennial Programming

EXHIBITIONS

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).

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

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

SYMPOSIUM

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.

Friday September 15th
Burlington Holiday Inn 

3063 S. Service Rd, Burlington
8:30-6:00
Saturday September 16th
OCAD University

100 McCaul St. Toronto, ON
8:30-4:45
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.

Register Today!
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.

technical tuesday/movie day: forgive me my head is not in the game this week.

So i missed technical tuesday, which can happen…but now i’ve almost missed movie day as well. It’s been one of those weeks where motivation is lacking, brain is elsewhere and things are pilling up on my desk/workbench. So here you go a technical video i shot in the studio earlier today showing my process of painting in the underglaze for my drawings. On bone dry greenware i sketch in pencil, then cover with a thin layer of wax emulsion (no latex), then i carve the lines through the wax with a sewing needle. Paint on the black underglaze, wipe back and voila – ready for the bisque!

Process. Adding black underglaze (@amacobrent) to the carved lines. #canadianceramics #pottery #ceramics

A post shared by Carole Epp (@musingaboutmud) on

call for entry: CANADIAN CRAFT BIENNIAL EMERGING EXHIBITION: NOTHING IS NEWER THAN TRADITION

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