Tuesday, May 29, 2012

SLOW CRAFT opening in 2 days!

2012 Manitoba Craft Council Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Craft

Gallery 1C03
May 31 – June 30, 2012
Opening reception May 31, 7 pm
 
On encountering handmade goods, the first question most people ask is “How long did that take you to make?” A confession quickly follows: “I would never have the patience to do that!” 

There’s no denying it – craft takes time. In a culture endlessly obsessed with speed and increasingly aware of its downsides, craft in its many varied forms may be the antidote of choice. The Manitoba Craft Council takes this idea as the starting point for its most recent exhibition, SLOW CRAFT, slated to open at U of W’s Gallery 1C03 on May 31 at 7 pm. 

For most craft-based artists, slow is all in a day’s work. The processes associated with craft cannot be hurried, and the skills associated with craft take years to master. Most craft artists embrace the slowness of their craft, and many are using their work to question Western society’s addiction to speed, to shopping and consuming, to unsustainable environmental practices. Taking its cues from the broader Slow Movement, the SLOW CRAFT exhibition asks viewers to slow down, take a breath, and consider the implications of the work on display. 

As exhibition viewers will note, the works that make up SLOW CRAFT represent an array of craft media and techniques. Exhibiting artists are at varying stages in their lives and professional careers, and each offers a unique interpretation of the exhibition’s theme. SLOW CRAFT includes work in ceramics, textiles, metal, glass, and mixed media by Manitoba artists Kathleen Black, Pauline Braun, Teresa Burrows, Brook Drabot, Kami Goertz, Steve Grimmer, Takashi Iwasaki, Shawna Munro, Keith Oliver, Willow Rector, Melanie Riggs, Sonja Rosenberg, Elizabeth Roy, Peter Tittenberger, and Karen Wardle.

Jurors for SLOW CRAFT had the challenging task of narrowing the field from the 52 artists who made submissions down to the 15 represented in the show. Jurors included Dr. Sandra Alfoldy, curator and professor in Craft History at NSCAD University; Jennifer Gibson, curator at Gallery 1C03, University of Winnipeg; and Alan Lacovetsky, ceramic artist and educator.

Winners of the Marilyn Wolodarsky Levitt Prize for Functional Pottery and the Judith Ryan Memorial Award for Best in Show will be announced at SLOW CRAFT‘s opening reception on May 31, 7 pm.

Refreshments will be served. All are welcome and admission is free. The exhibition continues June 1-30, 2012. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 12-4 pm.

The exhibition will also be on display from July 27 - September 2, 2012 at Wasagaming Community Arts in the town of Wasagaming, Riding Mountain National Park.

Image: Kami Goertz, prairie soil profile in plush (2012), mixed fiber plush embroidery, 45  x  24  x 17 cm, courtesy of the artist.

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