Museums, galleries and cultural centers across the country are re-opening after months long closures due to the recent pandemic. This is an exciting time for those of us who have been eager to reacquaint ourselves with physical (and virtual) art spaces. This week we want to share with our readers exhibitions rooted in craft that are happening within Canada, through which we can see the current craft landscape emerging.
Modern in the Making: Post-War Craft and Design in British Columbia
July 18, 2020 – January 3, 2021
Vancouver Art Gallery
Vancouver, BC
“Modern in the Making: Post-War Craft and Design in British Columbia” features over 300 works from the mid twentieth century including furniture, ceramics, textiles, fashion and jewellery. The Post-War environment in British Columbia encouraged the development of modernist inspired design and craft in the region. This exhibition demonstrates how modernism has been interpreted in British Columbia by a myriad of craft smiths, designers and artists.
ᖃᓪᓗᓈᖅᑕᐃᑦ ᓯᑯᓯᓛᕐᒥᑦ Printed Textiles from Kinngait Studios
December 7, 2019 – June 1, 2021
Textile Museum
Toronto, ON
“ᖃᓪᓗᓈᖅᑕᐃᑦ ᓯᑯᓯᓛᕐᒥᑦ Printed Textiles from Kinngait Studios” presents a collection of graphic textiles produced by a group of Inuit artists and printmakers in Kinngait, (Cape Dorset, Nunavut) during the 1950s and 60s. The textiles featured, created during a time of social change for interior spaces, illustrate legends, stories, and traditional ways of life. They bridge contemporary practices with generations past by tracing the evolution and impact of this textile initiative on Inuit Graphic Arts.
“From Scratch” features the work of twenty Saskatchewan Craft Council juried professional craftspeople working across a variety of craft media and techniques. The exhibition considers the critical role and use of raw materials in craft. “From Scratch” questions how different technologies and the introduction of conceptual frameworks into craft have influenced making.
Craft Narratives From Rural Manitoba: 1930s-1990s
May 20, 2020 – December 31, 2020
C2 Centre for Craft
Winnipeg, MB
“Craft Narratives From Rural Manitoba: 1930s-1990s” features a variety of works demonstrating how craft has historically been used to overcome difficulties of isolated agriculturalism resulting in self-sufficiency and economic independence for many rural families. The exhibition also demonstrates how programs promoting craft have been used to empower and politically engage women while advancing standards of living at home and in the community.
Dynamic Connections: Threads of Living Memory
February 22, 2020 – January 10, 2021
Glenbow Museum
Calgary, AB
“Dynamic Connections: Threads of Living Memory” features works from the Glenbow’s Inuit textile collection, as well from institutions and artists around Canada. Through stitching, the exhibition brings into focus the deep cultural, genetic, personal and communal memories of the Inuit. These textiles activate and demonstrate how memories live through and exist within the threads and fibres of textiles