OCC News:
2010 OCC Board Nominations
The Ontario Crafts Council invites nominations from the membership for five (5) vacant positions on the Board of Directors. One of the most challenging and rewarding ways of contributing to the craft community is as a member of the Crafts Council’s Board of Directors. To nominate someone, or yourself, please complete the nomination form below, along with supplying a brief letter stating their/your willingness and eligibility to serve as well as a copy of their/your current CV, in confidence to: Janice Warren, Chair of Nominations Committee - jwarren@tcn.net no later than March 1, 2010.
Directors will be elected at the 2010 Annual General Meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at the Gladstone Hotel. Positions are for a two-year term and commence following the AGM.
Requirements of Service
The role of the Board of Directors is to plan and direct policy, to establish the goals and objectives of the organization and the means of implementation, to ensure fiscal responsibility and to represent the OCC to the public and to various levels of government.
Directors of the Ontario Crafts Council:
1. Serve as charitable trustees.
2. Serve in a voluntary capacity with no remuneration or profit.
3. Reflect the craft community to the Board and the organization to the community.
4. Evaluate strategic plan development, progress and effectiveness.
5. Support and work towards development of the OCC's mission.
6. Attend (5) five board meetings, one-strategic planning session and the AGM per-year, as active participants.
7. Learn how the OCC functions on a day-to-day level, getting to know the staff and their responsibilities and becoming familiar with the workings of the committees.
8. Support and participate in OCC activities; such as exhibition openings, fundraising initiatives, educational programming. Donate to the organization in accordance to ones means.
To nominate yourself, or to be nominated, you must hold a current OCC membership in good standing up to and including March 1, 2010.
.jpg) OCC 2010 Board Nomination form (43 KB)
Mather Award Winners
John Mather Award for Lifetime Achievement
John Mather was the founding treasurer of the Crafts Council and, in 1972, was President of the Ontario Crafts Foundation. Prior to the Foundation’s amalgamation with the Canadian Guild of Crafts (Ontario), he foresaw the need for a common voice for crafts in the province and stated, “A single organization acting on behalf of the craftspeople could exert considerable influence”. As president of Indusmin Limited, John Mather established that company’s unique collection of crafts. After his death in 1977, Indusmin honoured John Mather through the establishment of the John Mather Fund, which is administered by the Executive Committee of the Crafts Council.
The designer of the John Mather Medal is Jim Wies. The metal is cast in bronze in high relief. One side incorporates a symbolic hand with the Ontario Crafts Council logo above it. The reverse side has the inscription: “The Ontario Crafts Council awards this medal in appreciation of your contribution to craft in Ontario”. The Mather family commissions the casting of the medals and the presentation piece for the medal designed by Joel Robson. Since 1980, this honour has been awarded for service to crafts over an extended period. The recipient also receives a life membership with the Ontario Crafts Council.
The OCC in honored to recognize three truly outstanding individuals for their contribution to the crafts community with this year’s John Mather Award:
David Kaye
Nominated by the OCC Board of Directors
Over the last four decades David has been active both as a maker and supporter of Canadian craft. David is himself a talented fibre artist, with an overwhelming list of exhibitions, awards and accolades achieved locally, nationally and internationally. His work can be found in many highly respected private and corporate collections around the world.
In addition to his career as a craftsperson, David has been in the gallery business for more than two decades. In this role David has educated numerous collectors about the intrinsic value of craft, developed a keen eye for quality and craftsmanship, and helped support and propel many people’s careers. David also volunteers extensively in the crafts sector, most notably as the Chair of the Textile Museums Shadow Box Fundraiser. He has also sat on numerous craft juries, including the OCC’s Ontario Craft ‘07.
Undoubtedly, one of David’s most recognizable accomplishments is the David Kaye Gallery. He opened the Gallery on April 5, 2006 with a mandate to exhibit objects, jewellery and paintings by artists and makers at all career levels who demonstrate exceptional talent and need for support. His success in this endeavour is clear as his opening receptions are always packed wall to wall with makers, enthusiasts and collectors – a true testament to David’s ability to both engage and support this vital community.
Lillian Forrester
Nominated by FUSION
In 1972 Lillian discovered clay at Humber College. Since then she has gone on to demonstrate enormous energy, professionalism and dedication to Ontario’s craft community for over 35 years.
Since 1974 Lillian has served in many volunteer capacities while living in the community of Burlington and later in the Peterborough area. She has sat on the Board’s of numerous art service organizations and guilds including the Burlington Potters Guild (Executive), the Burlington Arts Centre (President), the Burlington Endowment Foundation and the Kawartha Potters Guild (President). She has been involved in numerous fundraising efforts with each of these organizations, becoming instrumental in the development and implementation of various workshops, speakers series and exhibitions.
Most recently Lillian served on the FUSION Board of Directors in the role of Director at large, subsequently moving to Board Chair and ultimately President. Since this time she has retired from the Board but has continued her involvement by organizing FUSION’s Annual Winter Workshop and sitting on the committee for FUSION’s Pottery and Glass Show.
Jonathon Bancroft-Snell
Nominated by FUSION
For much of his early career Jonathon found himself involved in the world of design, but it wasn’t until 2000 when he opened his new Gallery in London, Ontario that his full impact on Canada’s craft community began to be felt.
From the initial goal of being a completely Canadian based art gallery, Jonathon’s Gallery has continued to grow over the years, ultimately coalescing into becoming one of the largest and finest contemporary ceramic galleries in Canada. In 2006 the Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery expanded to its present size of over 4,500 sq ft. and now showcases some of Canada’s finest artists working in ceramics, metal and paint. In addition to his work at the Gallery, Jonathon has also been active in the revitalization of downtown London and has been instrumental in the success of many local fundraising initiatives.
To quote Ann Mortimer C.M. RCA, “His support for individual artists, including myself has been wholehearted and sincere and the combination of his many qualities, knowledge, endless energy and a particularly charming mixture of aggression and persuasion cast the work of a gallery owner in a new and blessedly refreshing light.”
To learn more about the history of the John Mather Award please click here
Growing Ontario’s Craft Community
We are incredibly proud to be a recipient of an Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) grant in the amount of $215,000 for thirty-six months. This grant will fund our Growing Ontario’s Craft Community initiative, designed to enhance our operational capacity by hiring regional staff to improve service delivery, online programming and communications, as well as strengthen networks, partnerships and develop new markets for craftspeople across Ontario’s communities. In addition to the support of the OTF, we have received further supported from the McLean Foundation and the Henry White Kinnear Foundation. By the end of September 2008 we’ll have a full-time employee working in Ontario’s Eastern region for a 13-month contract. This will be followed with a coordinator hired in South-Western Ontario in year two and Northern Ontario in year three. To further support our Eastern regional activities through 2008/09 we’re taking the Goblet Grab to Ottawa. One of the first regional members’ activities will be the delivery of our Building Your Successful Craft Career conference in Ottawa on March 1st. We’re hitting the ground running – and thrilled to be doing so.
The Guild Shop Receives Niche Award
 The Guild Shop, was named this year’s Best Guild Store winner by NICHE magazine in the annual Top Retailer Awards program,
which recognizes craft retailers who are committed to fair business practices and to growing and strengthening the North American craft community. The award was presented during a ceremony held on August 3 at the Buyers Market of American Craft in Philadelphia, PA.
Since 1932, The Guild Shop has been the premiere destination in Ontario for high-quality, handmade objects by Canada’s leading craft artists. Proceeds from The Guild Shop’s sales support OCC programs and the careers of individual artists—in 2007 alone The Guild Shop provided $665,000 in revenue for craftspeople across the country. Recently, The Guild Shop underwent a major renovation at its retail location at 118 Cumberland Street in Yorkville that gave the shop a fresh contemporary look and increased its exhibition space.
The Guild Shop is also Toronto’s oldest retail venue specializing in Inuit and Native art, and one of the few authorized dealers of the annual collections of Nunavut’s Pangnirtung and Cape Dorset communities. Currently, the Inuit and Native gallery is featuring a show titled Arnait Sanaugangit: Works by Inuit Women, running from August 7 to September 15, 2008, which features works by female artists in the mediums of carving, weaving, and basketry.
View The Guild Shop Renovation Photogallery.
Find out more about The Guild Shop and the Inuit and Native Gallery.
Learn about the NICHE Awards.
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