36th Annual General Meeting – June 6, 2012
To all OCC Members,
Please mark your calendars for the Ontario Crafts Council’s 36th Annual General Meeting. The Meeting will take place on Wednesday, June 6, 2012, 4:00-5:00 pm, with a celebratory event following until 6:00 pm.
Ontario Crafts Council Annual General Meeting
Wednesday, June 6, 2012, 4:00 – 5:00 pm
Taking place at the Gladstone Hotel (Ballroom)
1214 Queen Street West, Toronto
Followed by a celebration of Emma Quin’s 20 years of service to the organization, 5:00 – 6:00 pm
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) will involve Executive reports, and voting in new members to the OCC Board of Directors. If you are unable to join us for this event in person, please use the ballot proxy form to submit your vote of approval on the six nominated OCC Board members. You can submit your filled out form by fax to 416-925-4223, or by mail to 990 Queen Street W., Toronto ON, M6J 1H1. In either case, it must arrive at the OCC offices by 5:00 pm Tuesday, June 5, 2012.
Thank you for your time - we hope to see you at the AGM, as well as for the celebration immediately following.
All the best from everyone at the OCC!
.jpg) Download ballot proxy form (508 KB pdf)
Rose Haven Fibre Store Picton, Kitchener Waterloo Potters Guild Sale, Linda Brown Northern Lights Gallery in Thunder Bay
Craft on the Outskirts:
Bringing regional Ontario creative communities into focus
A report by Jen Anisef
Presented at the Craft and the New Economy Symposium
OCAD University, Toronto, March 10, 2012
Commissioned by the Ontario Crafts Council
Funded by the Ontario Arts Council
Contemporary critical discourse on craft typically addresses activities based in larger urban centers, whereas perspectives from smaller and outlying communities are often left out of the conversation. In anticipation of their March 2012 Symposium, Craft and the New Economy the Ontario Crafts Council commissioned this project which seeks to bring regional voices into the dialogue. Craft and the New Economy, a one-day symposium based in Toronto explores ideas about and relationships within craft in the current cultural and economic context. In sharing experiences of craft practitioners and professionals living and working in smaller Ontario communities with craft scholars and critical audiences, we take a step towards building a more comprehensive understanding of contemporary issues for craft practitioners.
The findings shared in this report were gathered through three ninety minute focus group sessions moderated in November 2011 by the report author, Jen Anisef. The sessions were held in Picton, Kitchener, and Thunder Bay, hubs for craft activity in eastern, southwestern and northern Ontario. Each group included eight participants (seven, due to illness, in Kitchener), a mix of makers, administrators, educators, and leaders at regional and municipal institutions, chosen with the support of a regional contact familiar with the local craft community. While actual participation was informed by availability, participants were invited with an orientation towards diversity in background and experience. Statements are not attributed to individuals in this report or the related presentation; participants were informed of this confidentiality measure in advance, encouraging them to express their thoughts without reservation.
Focus group discussion questions addressed topics associated with the Symposium agenda, such as sustainability in business practices, marketing and networks, craft subcultures, technology and design, and changing approaches to making and materials. As is apparent in the following report, many of these topics resonated for respondents while others did not, indicating possible distinctions between urban and regional craft practices. Though similar issues arose in each of the regions visited, the size, economic conditions, geographic structure, and demographic make up of each area informs and defines the culture of craft in each place. These common threads and divergences are explored in this report.
|
