We are pleased to announce a national open call for submissions from Canadian clay, glass and copper enamel artists for Confined, a national group exhibition.
In March 2020, Covid-19 brought all of us to a standstill. Many artists didn’t even have access to their studios. As Covid-19 continues to affect us all in our daily life, we invite clay, glass, and copper enamel artists to express in their art what the imposed confinement meant for them.
The selected works will be presented in the exhibition starting in January 2022. A publication will also be produced.
Apply for our Artist-in-Residence Program and Develop Your Craft & Design Career!
Deadline: April 2, 2021 Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Make vital industry connections and enjoy access to the wealth of resources and cultural reach Harbourfront Centre’s Craft & Design Studio has to offer. If you’re a recent graduate of a craft and design program or an emerging artist with equivalent experience, this unique career incubator might be perfect for you.
Benefits offered to Artists-in-Residence include dedicated studio space, exhibition opportunities, lectures and seminars, mentorship and more. As we continue to adjust to the new normal, Harbourfront Centre is committed to developing craft and design careers using our facilities and reach within the community to help you meet your career goals and thrive as a working artist.
Residencies are one year and may be renewable for up to three years, with five available A-i-R disciplines to choose from: Ceramics, Design, Glass, Metal/Jewellery and Textiles.
The application deadline is Friday, April 2, 2021.
Harbourfront Centre is a leading international centre for contemporary arts, culture and ideas, and a registered, charitable not-for-profit cultural organization operating a 10-acre campus on Toronto’s central waterfront. Harbourfront Centre provides year-round programming 52 weeks a year, seven days a week, supporting a wide range of artists and communities. We inspire audiences and visitors with a breadth of bold, ambitious and engaging experiences, and champion contemporary Canadian artists throughout their careers, presenting them alongside international artists, and fostering national and international artistic exchange between disciplines and cultures.
Last year in June, CLAY Voices on Instagram, Canadian Ceramics Symposium was born in the middle of a global pandemic. This initiative was -and still is a response to the uncertainty we all artists were facing and its impact in our practice and our daily lives. The goal was to connect ceramic artists across Canada during the lockdown. The enthusiastic response revealed how much we miss our people.
Back then, 17 artists were interacting through Instagram during a weekend, introducing themselves and sharing views, concerns and supportive messages. Several months later restrictions are still in place and the second edition of CLAY Voices is taking over Instagram once again.
This coming weekend of March 5-7, an amazing lineup of ceramic artists across Canada will be live-streaming on Instagram 55 min. each. Through informal presentations, up-and-coming artists and established potters and sculptors will connect with the ceramics community. Using a mobile phone connected to the internet we will be watching the live talks from Alison Brannen, Catharina Goldnau,
Chris Snedden; Christy Chor, Dianne Lee, Heidi McKenzie and Tanya Besedina (ON); Jay Kimball (SK), Jordan Munro (AL); Lisa Creskey from Québec and Toni Losey from Nova Scotia. Presenters will open their studios and hearts to share with CLAY Voices followers some of the strategies they have set in place lately to keep their practice alive. To know more, follow @clayvoices and stay tuned.
The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery is calling for submissions to the 2021 Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics. In order to be considered, applications for the award must be received electronically by Friday, April 30, 2021.
This prestigious national award allows practicing emerging ceramic artists to undertake a period of independent research, or other activities that advance their artistic and professional practice. The winner of the Award will receive $10,000. The selection is made by a jury comprised of respected contemporary ceramic artists and other arts professionals.
The winner and up to five finalists will have their work featured in a group exhibition at the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery from September 2021 to January 2022. The exhibiting finalists will receive an artist fee commensurate with the current CARFAC Fee Schedule. The Award will be presented at the opening reception, held at the Gallery in Waterloo on Sunday, September 26that 2:00pm. Transportation and accommodation will be provided to the winner, as required. In order to be eligible for the Award, applicants must be available to attend the reception on September 26th and be prepared to make a brief artist talk. All details related to the exhibition and reception are subject to change according to relevant COVID-19 restrictions including dates, attendance, location, and possible online formats. The winner and finalists will be notified in early June.
To apply to the Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics, you must be a Canadian citizen or have Permanent Resident status, as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. You must also meet our definition of an emerging professional artist, which is an artist who:
has maintained a professional practice for five to ten years as of the application deadline date. Professional practice typically begins upon completion of a college or bachelor’s degree in ceramics. If alternate circumstances apply, demonstrate how you identify as an emerging artist in the cover letter portion of the application;
has developed skills through training and/or practice in the field;
operates or has consistent access to a ceramic studio;
has a body of work that incorporates a public presence and peer recognition; and
seeks payment for their work and has an active and engaged practice
Nurielle Stern, winner of the 2019 Winifred Shantz Award for ceramics, was invited by Tony Marsh, Director of the Center for Contemporary Ceramics at California State University, Long Beach, to be a visiting artist at the Center in 2020. Of her experience, Nurielle stated:
The Winifred Shantz Award combined with a Canada Council Arts Abroad Grant afforded me the opportunity to travel for this residency in order to produce large-scale ceramic sculptural pieces. During this residency, I was able to access the school’s amazing facilities to create ambitious work beyond what would be possible in my Toronto studio. It was a unique opportunity to learn from and receive feedback from peers and to make international connections with other visiting artists and become familiar with some of the galleries and museums in L.A. The CSULB Center for Contemporary Ceramics is a high profile residency, and I’m incredibly honoured to have been chosen for this opportunity. My fellow artists in residence in winter 2020 included Simone Leigh, Heidi Lau, and Sharif Farrag, among others. Many thanks to Tony Marsh, the Shantz Family and The Keith and Winifred Shantz Fund for the Arts, the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, and the Canada Council for the Arts.
The Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics is supported by The Keith and Winifred Shantz Fund for the Arts, held at Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation. This prestigious $10,000 award allows practising early career ceramic artists to undertake a period of independent research, or other activities that advance their artistic and professional practice. The winner and up to five finalists are also included in a group exhibition at the Gallery.
Past recipients of the award truly represent the best of the emerging ceramic artists in Canada. Joon Hee Kim of Oakville, Ontario was the winner of the 2020 Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics. Click here to learn more about winners of the award in past years.
About Winifred Shantz:
The late Winifred Shantz was a driving force for the arts in Waterloo Region for more than 40 years. A successful ceramist, entrepreneur and visionary philanthropist, she was committed to finding ways to enable artists to reach their full potential.
