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All About Alberta A collection of contemporary fine craft reflecting Alberta's distinct sense of place This exhibition gathers iconic and iconoclastic expressions of Alberta ... in a wide range of contemporary craft objects, mediums and ideas ... vessels, jewellery, wall pieces, furniture ... in clay, glass, leather, wood, fibre, metals ... inspired by chinooks, horses, petroglyphs, forest fires, winter sports, grain fields, mythic beaver, urban life, office towers and more ... by thirty senior professional members of the Alberta Craft Council. Contemporary fine craft in Alberta is sophisticated, diverse and distinctive. Fine craft practice blends self-expression and broader cultural thinking with extensive material understanding. This takes the form of individuals or very small groups, working in studio settings, deliberately hand-making innovative, value-laden, objects, for a limited and appreciative audience that includes aficionados, collectors, galleries, corporations and public institutions. The work in this exhibition demonstrates that fine craft is not a side-line to visual art or an archaic version of product design. Nor is it strictly a business venture. In contrast to visual art or design, cottage industry or manufacturing, fine craft is a distinct cultural practice - with educated and accomplished individuals conceiving and making exploratory objects that have meaning and virtue. Fine craft is about combining intellect AND skill, for intentionally unorthodox results. To put it more succinctly, there are pieces in this exhibition, so unique in concept or production, that they are quite literally the only objects of their kind in the world. |
This exhibition sought out work that, in addition to showing creativity and excellence, demonstrates a sense of place. These pieces say something significant about Alberta, or aspects of Alberta. Not all fine craft made in Alberta is as distinctly about Alberta. Much is also very global in its origins, influences and perspectives. Late-modernist attitudes, still espoused by some art schools and cultural institutions, suggest that local is unsophisticated. Yet, in other creative and business sectors, such as new folk music, slow food, boutique wines, eco-tourism or green architecture, local influences and regional characteristics are being rediscovered and embraced. There are pieces in All About Alberta which are obviously about Alberta. Others are more subtle and evocative. Some are pictorial, some are documentary, some are atmospheric, and some are political. Some use Alberta materials and some present uniquely Albertan, or Canadian, issues. Many pieces involve several of these ideas at once. Liv Pedersen's tapestry portrays a C-train brimming with stampede revellers, an annual summer scene in urban Calgary. Darren Petersen's glass trout is about a different but equally unique place and experience. Judith Green's bean pot commemorates historic cattle ranches and regional cuisine. John Chalke's bowl-like forms encourage the viewer to imagine a variety of Alberta impressions. Brad Keys' and Sarabeth Carnat's pieces are clearly about prairie landscape and wind. James Lavoie's plate might be about glass or wind-blown snow. Pieces by Joan Irvin, Julia Reimer, Gordon Galenza, Anna Hergert and Dawn Deterando all comment, positively or negatively, on Alberta's booming economy. |
Carol and Richard Selfridge's rustic teapot uses both local clays and local wood for firing. Several other pieces feature indigenous materials. Martha Henry's goblets might be about Americans in Alberta and Brian McArthur's beaver is a complex exploration of Canadian identity, Canadians in the United States, and perhaps, American perceptions of Canadian culture. The work in this exhibition is about mastery of form, material, technique, expression - art in craft media. Aside from being loaded with bright, charming, insightful, even critical, ideas, all this work is superbly made. This is just some of the best that Alberta has to offer to the world of contemporary fine craft. All About Alberta is an ambitious project, including 43 pieces by 30 craft artists, in a travelling exhibition, an on-line exhibition (at www.albertacraft.ab.ca), a catalogue, opening receptions, lecture events and related development activities. The Alberta Craft Council wants to thank the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC and Alliance Pipeline, for financial and other support. Through this assistance All About Alberta will be seen in Washington, DC for three months and then tour to Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and beyond. Tom
McFall Joanne Hamel, Project Coordinator |