Whether listening to her in a lecture hall, chatting while hanging an exhibition, reading an essay or book she had written, strategizing while crammed together in the back of a cab or over too many drinks in a bar – Sandra Alfoldy always inspired me to take action.

Sadly, Sandra passed away in her Halifax home surrounded by her loved ones on February 24, 2019.

She was a powerhouse for Canadian craft. Sandra’s extensive writing on Canadian craft serves as the required reading in many a university curriculum and is a must for lovers of craft; her curatorial work interpreted the breadth and depth of Canadian craft for regional, national and international audiences; and her critical & witty blog musings have been endlessly quoted. She was the first person we all thought of when wanting to reflect Canadian craft back to the world and the first person to encourage us to widen our perspectives, sharpen our critique and to be open to new possibilities of what craft is and could be.

While her influence will continue to be international, Sandra’s roots were in BC – her parents, artists Elaine and Arthur were founders of the Craft Council of BC. Her last big project out here was when she curated CCBC’s 40th anniversary exhibition – Invested. When asked to do it, she said yes!!!! and touted it as a wonderful opportunity for her to express the love she held for craft in her ‘home’ province and her unbridled pride in her families’ legacy.

Our condolences go out to her family and to the communities she worked with daily – such a big loss. I will sorely miss working with Sandra – her unapologetic, spirited and joyful passion for craft, always infused with laughter, was indeed something to behold.

raine

executive director, ccbc

Image from Sandra’s TEDx Talk: The Connected Hand