Gretel's Oven Ready to Fire!

In 2009, MCC member Karen Schlichting received a Manitoba Arts Council craft grant for a project that involved building a functional (and highly decorative!) mobile wood-fired oven. The project is part of her on-going artistic exploration of Gretel, a fairtytale character who hopes to engage people on issues related to alienation, disconnection from our basic needs, food security, poverty etc. through the playful means of food. Karen has been baking delicious, artisanal bread for several years in a stationary wood-fired oven, and now her mobile over is ready to take to the road. The next few months will see her working on further developing the character of Gretel, outfitting her with new props, adding a mosaic exterior to the oven, and getting some baking under her belt.

Sue Sutherland

primary media
clay, fabric, wire

location
Thompson, MB

mcc member since
2000?

a mentor or “hero”
There are two!!! My husband Alex "Suds" Sutherland, has always and in everyway, supported me through this journey from it's very beginning. He has made many things possible, including building a clay studio on the back of the garage! My neighbour and good friend of many years, Pauline Braun, who I can always go to for advice and inspiration!

something my craft practice has taught me
to trust my instincts

how I learned my craft
I have for the most part learned my craft by exploring it myself. I have a few workshops under my belt but mostly my mistakes have taught me! I seem to just press onward!

favourite on-line resource related to my craft
Sounding Stone, BeadFX and Maiwa

Ruth Smith, Periwinkle Designs

primary medium
computer parts, old books and other assorted discards

location
Winnipeg








on the web at
www.periwinkledzyns.etsy.com (store)
http://periwinkledzyns.blogspot.com (blog)
and http://wpgstreetteam.blogspot.com (blog)

mcc member since
a few weeks ago

what I love most about my craft
The reaction I get from people when they realize what my jewellery is made of

how I learned my craft
I learned jewellery techniques from traditional sources but then love to apply them in non-traditional ways. Thinking of anything as a bead sure has it's crazy moments!

favorite on-line resource
Most definitely Etsy.com and the great group of crafty gals that form the Winnipeg Etsy Street Team: Etsy for its marketing strategies and easy to use platform, and the gals for their constant support!

Joy Eidse

primary medium
fibre art - quilting

location
Winnipeg

on the web
address TBA - hopefully by the end of the summer!




MCC member since
approximately March 2010.

what I love most about my craft
I can do it while caring for my two young boys. It keeps me sane.

how I learned my craft
I first learned how to quilt from a 3 hour workshop many years ago and never thought about it again until I was living in a remote Northern community and became pregnant with our first child. Partway through the pregnancy I discovered that he had a deformity considered incompatible with life. I decided to make a quilt to wrap him in when he was born. Since then I have discovered art quilting which suits my inability to access the left side of my brain when trying to be creative since it does not require straight lines very often.

what my craft is teaching me
As I learn more and more about fibre arts I am becoming aware of the many social issues surrounding the history of quilting, the use of dyes, and the business of commercial fabrics. I feel like I'm in the very early stages of learning about this craft and am excited about what is to come.

a craft mentor
Heidi Hunter, another MCC member, has been an inspiration to me with her gorgeous self designed fabrics, artistic designs, and inspiring workshops!

Mentorship Opportunity

MCC-MAWA Mentorship Program

September 2010-September 2011

Deadline to apply: Friday, July 2^nd

The Manitoba Crafts Council is partnering with Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art to offer a year-long mentorship program for two emerging craft-based artists. As part of MAWA’s Foundation Mentorship Program, two artists working in craft-based media will be selected to work with mentor Gaetanne Sylvester. The mentorship program is a venue for senior artists to share their experience with developing artists. The program is designed to help women in the visual arts and craft develop skills and define their decision-making philosophies, and to provide access to the information, resources and support they need to realize their goals.

In addition to a one-on-one relationship with a mentor, the program provides a peer group for the mentees through group meetings. Mentors meet with their mentees individually for 5 hours per month, and the entire group meets for 3 hours monthly for critiques, discussion, gallery visits and other activities. Other mentors in the Foundation Mentorship Program are Pauline Braun, Elvira Finnigan, Jenny Western and Sarah Crawley. Go to http://www.mawa.ca/publications/mawa0510.pdf to view their profiles.

Women artists working in any craft-based media are welcome to apply. Applicants are selected based on:

– the quality and potential of the work submitted,

– the emerging artist’s willingness to dedicate time to the program,

– the mentor’s ability to work with the emerging artist, because of

mutuality of practice or conceptual framework.

Successful applicants will be charged a $300 fee for the program.

There is no fee to apply, although you must be an MCC member.

Students are not eligible.

For Application Guidelines please refer to our website www.manitobacrafts.ca

or contact MCC’s Program Coordinator at 927.2787 or mcc@mts.net.

About the mentor:

Born in Manitoba, Gaëtanne Sylverster has participated in exhibitions across Canada, in New York, Denver, Hong Kong, and Mexico. Her work was included in the Manitoba Crafts Council’s juried exhibitions in 2005 and 2010 and has been featured at the Buhler Gallery, La maison des artistes and at the Musée des maîtres et artisans du Québec in Montreal. She was selected for a residency in print-making at Graff, Montreal (2005) and in digital arts at Centre Sagamie, Alma, Québec (2007).

Her practice as an artist involves research into her chosen media; clay, printmaking, digital imaging and installation. It is supported by historical and visual research within specific themes; the history of lace production, the financial independence of the women who produced it, its role in fashion history, and its social significance today as a symbol of sensuality.

More recently, her practice has incorporated an exploration of the genetic code and its influence on our body, mind and spirit. Gaetanne is a long-time member of and volunteer with the MCC and MAWA.

Gaetanne Sylvester, Threads of Time, clay and block print, 2010

Hovercraft Expressions of Interest Deadline this Friday!

The Manitoba Crafts Council is seeking to identify artists, aged 35 years of age and younger, working in any craft-based media for an upcoming exhibition focusing on the work of young emerging craftspeople in Manitoba.

Artists whose practice combines attention to technical mastery, sustained exploration of material, respect for the history/tradition of their media AND a concern for contemporary philosophical and/or political issues are encouraged to apply – ie. artists whose body of work explores form and content and brings them together in provocative and meaningful ways.

Curators Jenny Western and Kerri-Lynn Reeves will review submissions and select a small group of four to eight artists to work with for this exhibition. Professional artist fees will be paid to all exhibiting artists.

Tentatively scheduled to open in Winnipeg in 2011 and in two rural Manitoba venues in 2011 and 2012, this exhibition will engage audiences with the freshest, most challenging work that our province’s young, emerging crafts-based artists are producing today.

To apply, please submit the following:
• a current CV with contact info (max. 2 pages)
• an artist statement, (max. 1 page)
• 8-10 images (jpegs 72 dpi, as close to, but not larger than, 12” in either direction)
• a list of images including title of work, date, media, and dimensions

Applications, including images on CD, may be mailed (in protective mailer) or hand delivered during business hours (M-F, 9-5) to the Manitoba Crafts Council, c/o ACI (Arts & Cultural Industries Assoc of MB), 501–62 Albert Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 1E9.

Submission deadline: March 5, 2010

Questions?
Call 927-2787 or email mcc@mts.net

Evelin Richter

location

Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba

primary medium

Ceramics, Sculpture

website

http://www.whatclayart.com

mcc member since

2009

what I love most about my craft

I love clay for its sensuous pliability... my favorite tools are my hands; I experience and learn so much through the sense of touch. Figurative sculptures are particularly satisfying... I enjoy meeting new "characters" as they emerge out of the clay.

where/how I learned my craft

I studied ceramics at the School of Art, University of Manitoba... along with lots of trial and error, trial and error, etc.

recent projects

I'm currently working on a body of work comprised of numerous figurative sculptures, with the goal of a solo gallery exhibition within the next year. I'll be posting images of new works on my website as they come to life.

Lily Rosenberg

primary medium
design and fabrication of jewellery in gold, silver and whatever materials inspire me at the moment

location
Winnipeg

mcc member since
2000 ish

where/how I learned my craft
2 year diploma in Jewellery Design and Gemology from the Vancouver Community College, followed by 3 years working with jewellery design studios in London, U.K.

favourite on-line resource related to my craft
http://www.ganoksin.com/

a crafty-quote that I love
Pablo Picasso quote at my jewellery bench " Je ne cherche pas, je trouve." Recently this led me to collect beautiful aquamarine coloured windshield glass from the pavement and incorporate it in an elegant suite of jewellery using traditional stone setting techniques.

Gaetanne Sylvester

medium
ceramics

location
Winnipeg MB

mcc member since
1992

how i learned my craft
I graduated BFA from University of Waterloo in 1990, and I have attended numerous workshops, too many to mention here.

my craft mentors or "heroes"
Ruth Duckworth, Ann Roberts, Jane Buyers, Robert Powning, Trudy Golley, Ruth Chambers, Grace Nickel, Alan Lacovetsky have all inspired me and I could add to the list and go on.....and on. All of these artists express themselves in unique and thought-provoking styles.

what i love about my medium
What I like most about clay is its malleability, and its ability to bring my ideas into a three dimensional presence.

something my craft practice has taught me
The biggest lesson I have learned as a ceramic artist is that just like life, 50% you plan, 50% happens and sometimes mistakes or accidents have the best outcome.

Helen Lyons

Medium

Clay, functional and non functional

Location
Winnipeg

MCC member since 2001

What I love about my craft
I love the versatility of my material. It allows me to sculpt people, generally monochromatic. It also frees me to play with colour in the form of glazes on functional work.

How I learned my craft
I learned my craft with the cliché 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.

My artistic influences
Lots of books and many talented, helpful people have influenced me along the way. To name three heroes or mentors, I would have to say Joe Fafard, seeing his work in 1973 and recognizing the potential of clay. Steve Repa taught me what an inspiration a teacher can be. My third mentor is Alvin Pauls. When I agreed to teach the ceramics classes in Thompson, having never fired a kiln, he was a major back up for me. I still fire questions at him.

Pat Findlay

medium
fibres and mixed media, box-making

location
Winnipeg

website
through the Eastern Manitoba Artists' Co-op
http://www.manitobaart.com/

MCC member
almost 3 years

I have been immersed in fibre related crafts all of my life. My "mentor" had to be my aunt, Lorraine Phernambucq, a well respected local teacher. She introduced me to The Embroiderers' Association of Canada, and together, we were part of the origins of the Manitoba Prairie Quilters. It was through these organizations that I have benefitted from classes with high- profile, internationally known teachers over the past 40 years.