I am currently participating in an exhibition in the Alberta Craft Feature Gallery: Alberta Craft Council Discovery Gallery - Edmonton — Alberta Craft Council
From the website:
Kitsch: Craft So Bad That It’s Good is a group exhibition that subverts the rules around good taste, and crosses the line, making you laugh and cringe all at once! The resulting exhibition is exciting, curious, challenging, eccentric and hilarious!
This is my first exhibition in a since 2016. I am very grateful to be participating along with all the other fabulous artists: Abby Light, Ananda Holdsworth, Breanna Barrington, Hellen Beamish, Annette Ten Cate, Carly Hines, Corinne Cowell, Dale Learner, Donna Brunner, Ellie Shuster, Emily Nash, Erik Lee, Erika Dueck, Jennea Frischke, Jennifer Hartley-Illanes, JoAnna Lange, Kaleb Romano, Karla Mather-Cocks, Susan Kristoferson, Laura O'Connor, Lauren Chipeur, Margaret Hall, Matt Gould, Matthew O'Reilly, Meghan Wagg, Mireille Perron, Pour Celine Frit, Puck Janes, Rochelle Hammond, Ruth-Anne French, Sandra Lamouche, Sara Norquay, Sara Young, Sarabeth Carnat, Shona Rae, Siri McCormick, P. Susannah Windrum, William Miles.
The work is fabulous! I am absolutely interested to see my work fit in with all these wonderful creators. I included the following work:
Squirrels and Bison Mug Set
Symbolic animals and semi-precious stones. If one wishes, one could read into what that means, or not… maybe they are just a mug set with a stone badge of honour made in the touristy of all tourist towns.
And I am pleased to be exhibiting these shadow boxes again:
Objects I already have on hand: Shadow boxes
I found an amazing shadow box circle made from plexi glass, wood, and found objects in 2015 at a garage sale in Banff. I hung it in my studio and was inspired of the sheer kitschiness of it. I starred at it for hours trying to figure out how to create this feeling of kitsch and shadow play while incorporating my love for throwing on the wheel. Both cringeworthy and a howdunnit, these circular shadow wall hangings are created in the spirit of kitsch and have been waiting for years to show themselves. They are part of a larger series that explored human connections to land.
And one of my all time favourite pieces:
Rainbow Mountain Plate
Sometimes I think too much. A little bit of ____________ during a serious year.
IMPORTANT VIDEO HERE: One of my favourite teachers at ACAD was Dr. Jennifer Salahub, here is a link to her talking about her passion: Watch Craft and Kitsch – So Good That It’s BAD**, a virtual talk about Kitsch organized by the Alberta Craft Council featuring Historian Dr. Jennifer Salahub Loved watching this.
Here is an article from Galleries West by Megan Klak: Kitsch - Galleries West
And an interview with CKUA: Listen to On Art: ‘Kitsch: Craft So Bad That It’s Good’, an interview with ACC Executive Director Jenna Stanton published by CKUA on September 10, 2021.