emerging artist development award
exhibition awards
status
closed
deadline for applications
May 31, 2024
The primary focus of our student award program is to support students in deepening their critical assessment of contemporary craft.
Along with a free one-year membership in CCBC, the award includes:
- the opportunity to participate in a group exhibition in a professional gallery which counts towards Canada Council grant applications
- to take part in a jury workshop delivered by an experienced senior craft artist, giving the student an inside perspective of how selection committees assess exhibition proposals
- the opportunity to use these skills to jury the bi-annual Online Student Exhibition.
Students are nominated by their institution for these awards. While CCBC routinely promotes the award to all institutions/organizations that provide material-based courses, we usually receive nominations from the jewellery programs at Vancouver Community College & Lasalle College and the ceramic’s program at Langara College. If your institution/organization would like to nominate students for this award please contact us awards(@)craftcouncilbc.ca.
awardees
2023
Nicole Guillemin is on what she calls her “second life” after another career as a professional chef for over 16 years. During the pandemic, she came to art by way of the divine intervention of having free time due to the hospitality industry all but completely halting. It felt like a missing piece. Over those years she pursued her early education at Langara with increasing pace, eventually leading her to quit her job all together and start her own business as a private chef to support her growing passion for another kind of making. The necessity of timing cannot be missed in this venture, as Nicole is not certain that any other circumstances would have allowed her to pause and pursue anything else. She loves laughing, food, sci-fi, cycling, is very curious about everything, and has untethered risk tolerance.
“My practice is mainly directed by touch and intuition. I work with the three dimensional (mostly) and find myself deeply engaged with ceramics. The inherently process-orientated nature of these materials as well as the rich anthropological history carries a significance I am still unfolding. I am most interested in exploring what it means to be authentic, and stripping away the need to perform as an idea of what should be. I find myself caught between the pull of technical perfection and unbridled present-ness in my making, directed by no planned outcome. I look to making as a way to be free from self and hope to make art that is accessible in concept and consumption by all. I want to be free and real, and want that for you too.”
Akiab Martinez was born in Montreal to Spanish parents, but she moved to the Okanagan as an infant to live on a ranch surrounded by nature, where she lived with her family until 1999 when they moved to Spain. Going from living in the mountains to the city, was tumultuous for her. As a way of escaping the city, she started drawing Japanese anime and that opened a door for creativity. Returning to Canada after 25 years in Spain, she worked in different types of jobs, but during the pandemic, she quit her job and started her diploma in Fine Arts at Langara College. Never worked with clay before, and once she had her first ceramic class, she immediately fell in love with it. She loves to work with her hands, and create things, and is passionate about the work process and developing her practice and skills.
“My name is Akiab, and I am a Spanish Canadian visual artist. Having finished my Diploma in Fine Arts from Langara College, I am most interested in ceramics as I feel that it explores the relationship between the natural elements and the earth we live in. Feeling the clay in my hands keeps me grounded and connected to nature. Raised in the mountains, I take inspiration from nature and tend to have my pieces with a design, and color that touches the natural elements of the earth. I hope to communicate with my work a sense of appreciation for the world we live in.”
Viyan Petekkaya is a Kurdish designer based in Vancouver, BC. She holds a Bachelor of International Economics from the University of British Columbia where she was an ILOT Award recipient, and a Graphic Design Associate Certificate from the British Columbia Institute of Technology where she graduated with distinction. She continues her creative journey in the Jewellery Art and Design program at Vancouver Community College, where she received the Craft Council of BC Award for technical achievement.
Having long revered people who work with their hands, Viyan finds a profound sense of fulfillment in her training as a goldsmith: “While working with metal, you need to listen to it, be patient and respect its boundaries. Approach the people in your life like you approach metal, and your relationships will flourish.”
Through her jewellery designs, Viyan delves into abstract concepts, exploring the complexities of individual identities, the intricacies of human psychology, and the question of existence, among other themes.
About her collection “Chiaroscuro”
Where there is connection, there is tension. Chiaroscuro is an introspective exploration of this duality present in all forms of relationships, from the one between our inner and outer selves to the one we have with our surroundings.
The undulating shapes of the pieces introduced in this collection are inspired by contemporary ballet. The dancers’ movements are translated into the form of jewelry to enhance the wearer’s body language and communicate their deepest emotions. The sinuous outlines bring a sensual touch to each piece while also echoing the vigour of the hammer blows that formed them. In each curve, in each crevice, there are traces of vulnerability but also strength. There is pain but also endurance.
Chiaroscuro carries a hint of existential philosophy: while the dark patina takes the wearer on a journey along the heft of their existence, the bright contrasting surfaces and a subtle touch of pearls offer them a light caress, a gentle reminder that they have the power to build their own essence.
2022
Anna Altwein is a Vancouver based Jeweler and multi-disciplinary artist. Since beginning Vancouver Community College’s Jewellery, Art and Design Program in 2021, Anna continues to refine and expand her skills as a Goldsmith. In 2022, she was awarded the Craft Council of BC Award for technical achievement and the Donna Hawrelko Design Award for outstanding achievement in Gemmology. Anna will exhibit her work at Craft Council of BC and the Queen Elizabeth Theater in 2023. When away from the excitement of her jewelry bench, Anna can be found studying Gemmology or scouring libraries for her next inspiration.
Inspired by humanity’s interpretations of the vast unknown, I create sleek jewels realized in symbolic materials and embellished with archetypal imagery. The resulting designs invite viewers to connect with the universal myths which have provided inspiration and guidance for countless generations. My creative practice is propelled by the joyful process of transmuting raw metals and gem materials into new, symbolic forms. By constantly experimenting with new alloys, fabrication methods, and gemstones, I am able to keep my offerings dynamic, satisfy my curiosity, and explore the magnificent history of Goldsmithing.
Cindy Karimun is a jewellery designer born in Jakarta, Indonesia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) major in Industrial Design from Limkokwing University in Malaysia. She graduated from the Jewellery Design program at LaSalle College Vancouver and received Artistic Excellence Award. In 2012, Cindy established her jewellery brand “Tree Craft Diary” – emphasizing the natural characteristics of gemstones with her own contemporary, unique style. Her work has been exhibited in numerous international shows including South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Indonesia, and was recently featured in Framed exhibition and The Earring Show at the CCBC. She received the People’s Choice award for The Earring Show 2022.
“Like the branches of a lush tree, inspiration never comes to an end. Particularly I believe that crystals hold magic and can uplift your everyday mood with their individual spiritual quality that is attached to them. Hence, I like to incorporate gemstones and metalsmithing techniques into my designs, focusing on visuals and colors to create charming jewelry for individuals who adore unique contemporary styles with a sense of wonder. Most of my creations are one-of-a-kind or made in limited pieces, and the unusual beauties speak for themselves. No matter how simple a bracelet is crafted or how a statement necklace is designed, by pairing them with your outfit, they will utterly zest up your style!”
Kassandra Lee was born and grew up in Richmond, BC, a city that is home to the biggest Asian diaspora in North America. From her reflections of her upbringing in the community as a child who loved craft, to an adult discovering the meaning behind it, she finds inspiration in cultural spaces, to which she seeks to express through digital art. She recently graduated with a Diploma in Fine Arts from Langara College, at which she won the 2022 Functional Ceramics award and completed a residency at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. Currently, she is pursuing a Bachelor’s in Visual Arts at Emily Carr.
“Through the incorporation of traditional Chinese motifs and a modern vision, I hope to cross the geographical yet also emotional distances of my upbringing as a Chinese-Canadian woman and artist. As art allows me to have conversations between various notions of my cultural identity, I also want to introduce audiences and sometimes even myself to aspects of Chinese culture, through bright colours and playful designs.”
Courtney Mott is a Vancouver based artist on the unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations. Courtney has graduated from Langara College with a Fine Art Diploma, specialising in sculpture and ceramic. She was the recipient of the Sculptural Ceramic Award for her sculptural works titled Outlands (2022) and For My Sister (2022) in Langara’s Fine Art Grad show, which entailed a Scholarship at the Shadbolt Centre For the Arts. She also assists teaching beginner-intermediate wheel throwing at Hand Eye Design Ceramics studio. In the coming years, Courtney is continuing her studies at Emily Carr’s University of Art and Design to complete a Bachelors in Fine Art.
“I’m a Vancouver based artist working with ceramic, stone, metal, organic materials and found objects. My process often involves object collecting and clay; intuitively looking for relationships between materials. My methods of making are hand building, wheel throwing, mould making, carving, assemblage and more; which varies between functional and sculptural. My conceptual practice most often stems from my fascination with anthropology, archaeology, flora, fauna, and the environment; exploring the relationships, behaviours and complexities of life on earth.”
2021
Monique Huynh has been a visual storyteller for most of her life. Her formal education in the creative fields include an Environmental Design degree in the Faculty of Architecture from the University of Manitoba and a Communications Design degree from Emily Carr University. She worked as a senior graphic designer for social impact company LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics for almost a decade. She eventually left LUSH to pursue long-distance love and raise three sons. After spending most of her creative focus on the 2D world of design she decided she needed a medium that would allow her to put her design skills to use while also allowing her to be more tactile. She set out to learn a craft and soon landed on jewelry making. Currently she is enrolled in the Jewellery Art and Design program at VCC.
Leah Lang was born and raised on the west coast of British Columbia. Eventually she made her way to the mainland settling in East Vancouver. With a passion for the arts and inspiration from the natural environment of the Gulf Islands she began her exploration in studio arts at Emily Carr University of Art & Design and completed her BFA at the University of British Columbia. She then earned a Diploma in Horticulture from Kwantlen University. Her working life began with landscaping for Vancouver Park Board followed by a career in the Vancouver Film Industry for IATSE local 891. Film introduced her to the world of sculpture, fabrication and the desire for more art and design-based studies particularly in metal techniques. She has recently completed the Jewellery Art & Design Programme at Vancouver Community College and is continuing studies in Gem A gemology certification.