Saturday 22 June 2019

Canadian Society of Decorative Arts Symposium

Thursday September 26 - 29th, 2019, 
Kingston, Ontario
Agnes Etherton Art Centre


An invitation from our friends with the Canadian Society of Decorative Arts
Join the many decorative arts collectors, experts and enthusiasts who plan to be among the delegates in Kingston, September 26-29th.  Early bird rates end June 30th!

Honouring the past and learning about current practice in the decorative arts is reflected in this year’s theme: Trends and Traditions. To that end, the CSDA/CCAD Programming Committee has been hard at work planning and delivering an exceptional line up of lectures and events led by a stellar group of regional, national and international scholars, experts, curators, collectors and leading contemporary makers of decorative arts. Symposium delegates will also enjoy exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to private and public collections and studios, and visits to important sites and cultural attractions in the area on guided walking tours.

For more information:  https://csda-ccad.org/Events

Monday 17 June 2019

Evergreen Brick Works Tour!

 The Brick-Making Machine

Chimney

Our guide

Purple-Eyed Susan Sculpture on the side of the building

Old photograph of Toronto


Photos courtesy of WMSC member Heather Johnson.


Saturday 8 June 2019

Tapestry of Spirit: The Torah Stitch By Stitch Project

Rona Kosansky; cross-stitch on aida cloth; 13” wide; “Just before his death Moses views the Promised Land from Mt. Nebo. God would not allow him to enter because of an earlier transgression (Deuteronomy 34:1-4)”. Design courtesy of Ann Logan; image courtesy of Torah Stitch by Stitch.


The Textile Museum of Canada presents Tapestry of Spirit, from June 12 – November 17, 2019


Tapestry of Spirit presents the ambitious and inclusive social project to cross stitch the first five books of the Bible as well as selections from the Scriptures and Qur’an, reflecting on the theme of creation. It is an immersive installation that has been collectively created by almost 1500 volunteers of many faiths, under the artistic leadership of Temma Gentles (Toronto). Visitors will journey through nearly 1000 panels in three languages (Hebrew, Greek and Arabic) including illuminations and embellishments by stitchers from 28 countries who have interpreted these ancient narratives into contemplative, often highly personal expressions.
The award-winning documentary short film Stitchers: Tapestry of Spirit (directed by Tassie Notar and produced by 90th Parallel) will play throughout the exhibition.
Opening reception: Wednesday June 12, 5 - 8:30 PM. All are welcome!

Monday 3 June 2019

Edit-a-thons aim to ensure craftswomen's legacy on internet

Ditchling museum will hold Wikipedia-editing sessions to redress gender imbalance


Elizabeth Peacock (left). Photograph: Crafts Study Centre, University for the Creative Arts

The crafts industry has become the latest sector to attempt to tackle the internet’s gender imbalance, after a museum warned the legacy of the UK’s most important craftswomen is at risk of being forgotten.
Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft is to hold a series of Wikipedia edit-a-thons in June. It open its doors to volunteers who will be taught how to create and edit Wikipedia pages to include significant 20th-century craftswomen. The edit-a-thon is one of hundreds taking place around the world aiming to mitigate the lack of information about women online.
Abby Butcher, communications manager at Ditchling museum, says craftswomen are “undoubtedly” at risk of being forgotten and suffer from gender bias that sees male artists such as Eric Gill dominate discussions of crafts history.
“It’s the usual factors you’d expect: they’re women and they were working in the early 20th century, and there were a lot of male craftspeople who were dominating that scene. That’s the obvious patriarchy argument,” says Butcher, who believes the situation is exacerbated by the fact that less than 10% of Wikipedia editors are women.
“The story of Ditchling is dominated by Eric Gill because he was such a big figure but there are a lot of hidden stories. You can trace the impact that a lot of these lesser-known artists have had across the arts and craft movement – there’s this lineage.”
The museum is holding two edit-a-thons, which have become popular ways for groups to tackle the dearth of female figures on Wikipedia pages in areas such as science and museum curation, on 1 June. Butcher believes for the younger generation, the internet is a vital research tool and if artists don’t have a presence, they can quickly become obsolete.
“So much important history is in out-of-print books or in people’s heads so it’s great we have the chance to get that down,” she said. “I think there’s a risk with Generation Z that if it isn’t online, it doesn’t count.
Read the rest on the Guardian website.