Alberta Craft Council Board of Directors
Natali Rodrigues (Board Chair), Calgary, AB
In 1999 Natali graduated from the Alberta College of Art and Design with a BFA in Glass. After traveling, working and making art and a production line of blown work she was accepted at the Australian National University. She completed a Masters of Arts (Glass) in 2003. She is now an Associate Professor of Glass, at ACAD and continuing her glass and art practice. Natali’s research interests looks at the boundary of silence, transformative, and embodied experience. Natali has served on the board since 2017.
Dawn Detarando (Vice-Chair), Red Deer, AB
Dawn has been working in clay for over 20 years and has been teaching ceramics and giving workshops at various arts programs, colleges and universities. She is currently a studio artist and co-runs “Voyager Art & Tile” with her partner Brian McArthur. Together, they have created a successful public art and decorative tile business in Red Deer. Dawn received her MFA from The Ohio State University, Columbus and received the Alberta Lieutenant Governor Emerging Artist Award in 2009. Dawn has served on the board for since 2006 (Vice-Chair since 2011).
Tara Owen ( Past Chair), Calgary, AB
Tara is a metalsmith living and working in Calgary. She graduated with a BFA from ACAD in 1996, and works out of her home studio. Tara makes art jewellery, wearable art and small sculpture, and also enjoys writing about the arts. She is active in the metals community in Alberta and an advocate for craft within the wider cultural community. She has served on the board of the Alberta Craft Council since 2000 and was awarded the Rozsa Award for Excellence in Board Leadership of 2019. (Chair since 2013, was Vice Chair from 2006-2012).
Dr. Jennifer E. Salahub, Calgary, AB
Jennifer is a Professor Emerita of Art and Craft Histories at Alberta University of the Arts. Her BFA and MA in Canadian Art History were awarded by Concordia University, Montreal and she received a Ph.D. in the History of Design from the Royal College of Art, London. Before moving to Calgary, she taught art history at Concordia University, University of Ottawa and Montreal's Marianopolis College. She is active in a number of professional societies, lectures and publishes internationally, is on the Board of the Alberta Craft Council, and is on the Editorial Board of Ornamentum the magazine for the Canadian Society of Decorative Arts. Jennifer was the recipient of the Tom McFall Honour Award in 2018. Jennifer has served on the board since 2010.
Kari Woo, Canmore, AB
Kari is a full-time studio jeweller who also doubles as a mixed media assemblage artist. She was co-founder/owner of INFLUX Jewellery Gallery in Calgary, and a founding member of crafter collectives in Calgary and Vancouver that advocate for handmade and buying local. In her spare time, she likes to think about the role of Craft in contemporary culture. Kari graduated with her BFA from the Alberta College of Art + Design, 2003. Kari has served on the board since 2009.
Mary-Beth Laviolette, Canmore, AB
Mary-Beth is a long-time writer about the visual arts and a freelance curator. She is also the author of An Alberta Art Chronicle: Adventures in Recent and Contemporary Art (2005) and the co-author, with Patricia Ainslie, of Alberta Art & Artists: An Overview (2007). Intended for a general audience, both books include craft. Mary-Beth has served on the board since 2009.
Dawn Saunders-Dahl, Canmore, AB
Dawn has a deep interest in place, genealogy, and reconciliation with Canada's Indigenous communities. Many years of professional arts administration have allowed me generate unique, large-scale ideas, that explore powerful and potentially healing intersections between art, artists, and the community. Dawn has served on the board since 2017.
Kayla Gale, Calgary, AB
Kayla is currently a student at Alberta University of the Arts, pursuing a BFA in jewellery and metals. She has had performance and installation work featured at the Edmonton Heritage Festival; Calgary’s Lilac and Sun & Salsa festivals, and Ignite! Festival for Emerging Artists. She is passionate about Calgary arts and culture, and currently serves as the student representative on the Alberta University of the Arts Board of Governors.