Exhibits
Exhibit at the Gallery Cafe
A craft exhibit is in the planning phase for fall 2027. More details to follow this fall. (All craft will need to hang on the wall. )
Celebration of Craft Year 2029
The next Celebration of Craft Exhibit will be the summer of 2029! Planning will begin in 2028.
Collect London - The Power of Objects
2026 Collect London - The Power of Objects
Voices of Contemporary Craft
This is a quick review of the week we spent at Collect fair in Somerset House London. @craftallianceatlantic represented 11 makers from Atlantic Canada in their gallery. PEI wood turner Darrell DesRoches @peiwoodturner from Blue Heron Studio & Gallery brought 5 turned oak vessels that were in very great demands and all sold. It was great seeing Darrell patiently interact with so many customers and fans, he is a great communicator and ambassador for PEi and had a blast at the collect show. Many of the other artists work is shown in these pictures. Also shown are a couple of visits to @cockpitstudios in both their locations meeting makers and seeing their spaces. Want to thank @innovation_pei for assisting with this project. Thanks to @bernard_hfx and @bybrunovinhas for all the hard work making this magical opportunity allowing 11 craft makers from Atlantic Canada a chance to take part in a well known front world stage exhibition a reality, finding the funding curating this beautiful booth, figuring out the logistics of getting all the pieces to collect safely and then back to Canada, printing brochures to hand out to 30,000 that come through the show and so much more 🙏congratulations on another successful show.
New Definition of Home Exhibit
New Definition of Home Exhibit
Confederation Art Gallery, Charlottetown
October 16, 2025 - Jan 16, 2026.
Whether by necessity or by choice, people today are more frequently finding themselves leaving their familiar surroundings and moving to a new location. It is no longer limited to a particular time in life such as young adults moving from their childhood home for school or job opportunities. Older adults are downsizing and right-sizing or losing their independence; even staying in the same house may not feel like the same home when all the children are gone or a partner is lost.
The new home may be an exciting and promising development. It could be part of new opportunities, along with new anxieties and challenges. Striking out on one’s own can be quite different than uprooting an entire family, although both can be fulfilling hopes and dreams. Is the new home even that different or is it just the new people, the new friends, or the lack of familiar faces?
The artist’s practice may have been affected by changes in their contacts or influenced by new neighbours. They may have incorporated local traditional designs or replaced those with elements from new cultures. The shift may be deliberate or subconscious.
Each artist and artisan in this exhibition signals a change or a new reality, a feeling of comfort or loneliness, or of establishing acceptance or acceptance of loss. A new street, a new town, a new continent … welcomed or shunned … smiling faces or backs turned.What makes a home? How can we represent our concept of home?
Curators: Paula Kenny and Linda Burko
The exhibit features 18 Professional PEICC Crafts People and 5 invited guest crafts people.
The Artistic Crafters:
James Aquilani
When I moved to PEI, I was thrilled to see that beach parties are still a thing! The guitar strings represent the instruments and musicians, and the blue marble represents the ocean. Kitchen parties, an Atlantic Canada tradition, are casual and intimate social gatherings with music, dancing, food and good company. A blast! These pieces capture the kitchen party magic with mixed metals representing the organized chaos of people, pets, food, and instruments; the diamonds and blue bulbs represent the stars and the ocean.
Kitchen Party (2025) (necklace and pendant) Sterling silver, brass, copper CZ diamonds, blue trail camera bulbs and guitar strings; cold-connection and soldering
Beach Jam (2025) (ring) Copper, sterling silver, vintage marble, and retired guitar strings
Island Skies (2025) (earrings) Sterling silver, copper, brass, retired guitar strings, CZ diamonds, trail camera blue bulbs; soldered and cold-connected
Ruth Aquilani
Canada is my home; Scotland is in my blood. Reading the sentiment that “my heart lies in the land of my ancestors where the thistle grows in the heath,” I wanted to make a thistle quilt. It reminds me of my childhood stays in Scotland, visiting family and exploring the countryside. To me, the scenery of Prince Edward Island is similar to Scotland with green rolling hills, blue blue water and sky, as well as the sense of community. Since moving to PEI, people have been so open and welcoming, and I’ve leaned and shared a lot. This quilt is a tribute to all those wonderful connections made in this beautiful Celtic rich province.
Flower of Scotland (2025) Traditional pieced cotton fabric, machine sewn and quilted
Celtic Connections (2024) Traditional pieced cotton fabric, machine sewn and quilted
Ellen Burge
Diversity reflects the transformation of our communities from the cultural identity of the 1950s into vibrant multicultural spaces shaped by immigration. It celebrates the beauty of belonging and the evolving meaning of home in a diverse and inclusive society.
Diversity (2025) Clay, sagar firings
Ashley Anne Clark
Photographs give us a short glimpse into the past. These silhouettes were based on a photo of the artist’s grandparents. This work speaks of our connection to our ancestors but also the fleeting memory of them. It symbolizes the fading past and changing times, as old ways and customs adapt to our way of living in modern society.
Vanishing Portraits (2025) Photograph silhouette, ink, watercolour and repainted vintage frame
Nancy Cole
No matter where we go or where we stay, there is always a special chair waiting. Home can be a place of comfort, familiarity, and contentment.
The old suitcase hidden under a bed at home, and opened after 50 years, revealed photographs … were they deliberately saved or simply forgotten? Our history, recorded in printed images, is so easily lost after only three generations.
(left to right) CU (2025) Vintage photobooth photographs printed on canvas, embellished with copper wire and thread. Murmurations (2025) Double exposure film printed on canvas, embellished with copper wire and thread.
Jamie Germaine
I am most at home when at the sea - walking the red sand beaches and swimming in the warm waters of the Island’s south shore. The colours and textures of the shoreline feature prominently in my ceramic work and I bring back techniques and collected items from my travels to incorporate in this work.
Red Sky at Night and Sea Floor (2024) Clay imprinted with textured Italian wood, grandmother’s lace, and Mexican beach shells; smoke-fired, bronze metallic finish
Trudy Gilbertson
I left PEI as a wood carver and, almost 30 years later, returned home as a carver of antler and bone, influenced by art and people from Canada’s North to the South Pacific. My work has always featured wildlife, but after years of being homesick for coastal landscapes, I now look to the ocean for inspiration.
Tide Pool (2024) Beef bone, acrylic painted cotton, driftwood, up-cycled vintage frame
Jessica Hutchinson
These pieces were made during one of the driest and hottest summers on record in PEI with wild fires burning in neighbouring provinces. This work explores the fragile boundary between shelter and exposure, safety and loss. The idea of home is increasingly unsettled; the changing climate creating tension between familiarity and disruption.
Fragile Tension (2025) Stoneware clay and high temp metal; cone 6 electric fired glazes
Arlene MacAusland
In early April, Dad would check his seed germination before planting. Mom would offer an old aluminum foil pie pan that she had been saving for this day. The paper towel was wet and my job was to spread out the seeds. The pan was then set on top of the fridge where it was nice and warm for the seeds to sprout. Dad would count the sprouts at coffee time during the week … and that was home! The summer that I was seven, I spent the days making mud pies on the veranda. I prayed to Mother Earth for a hot sunny day to bake them on old wooden shingles. If I added flour, I could get my dog to eat them. This summer, I stirred a three-year old indigo vat on my front deck. I fed her lime and saki and offerings of white cloth. She will winter in my kitchen … and that is home!
Rooted Corset and Living Skies Skirt(2025) Wheat grown on doily; thread-resist indigo-dyed cotton organdy. Beach Dress with Pockets (2025) Thread-resist indigo-dyed cotton organdy.
Robert McMillan
I pay homage to those who are settling here on the foundations of those that came before, as they put down roots in Canada and start a new life. These newcomers often settle in the old farmhouses nestled in the island’s rolling hills. As the center of family life, these iconic buildings represent our past and are now being filled with hope for a new beginning, in a country miles away from their own.
Putting Down Roots (2025) Carved stoneware clay, slip and spray glazes; sectional thrown, cone 65 oxidation fired
Noella Moore
I had the opportunity to learn quilling from Cheryl Simon in 2016, starting with the plain star which I still use when leading a workshop. I enjoy doing snowflakes and the L’nu symbol that means “the people”. Over the years, I designed my own pieces using the eight-pointed star representing the eight nations, as well as experimenting with variations of flowers and animals including the eagle that is sacred and brings good luck. Quilling is a part of who I am, where I feel relaxed and right at home.
Untitled Samples (2016 - 2025) Dyed porcupine quills, birch bark
Quilled Petroglyphs(2025) Dyed porcupine quills, birch bark
Quilled Eagle(2025) Dyed porcupine quills, birchbark, beads
Cathy Murchison Krolikowski
When visitors come to our island from the hectic world of large cities, they reimagine what home means. Cities offer opportunities but sometimes rob us of the tranquility that nature brings. Remote work and Covid made people take stock of what is important and look to making their home in a place they may not have considered previously. This little house by the sea represents security and sustenance.
Little House by the Sea (2025) Fused glass panel in light box
Julia Purcell
The motivation of creating a new artwork can begin with a theme. The initial inspiration for this exhibition did provide soul searching and direction. My long connection to this Island home and my concerns around promoting and preserving a healthy natural environment influences all my work.
Birds and their Lyrics (2025) Linocut block prints using multi-block
Nora Richard
My ancestors, the Mi’kmaq people, were nomads who moved their homes from place to place, following the fish and clams to store for the long winter. The men fished and hunted, while the women gathered berries, other wild food, and medicinal herbs. The basket that I created - baskets within a basket - is inspired by this tradition. It is designed to gather anything such as berries, nuts, and shells; it is a vessel for collecting and storing supplies for the home for winter. With the false bottom and nested baskets, it is the basket that keeps on giving.
A New Version of a Market Basket (2025) Smoked reed and white ash
Ayelet Stewart
For the past twenty-five years, this island has been my home - a world apart from the pace of my former life in the bustling city. Here, time slows. The rhythm is quieter, gentler. As an artist, my eye is drawn to the beauty revealed at low tide - glistening shores adorned with ribbons of seaweed and drifting kelp.
If I Was a Mermaid (2025) Jewelry, chased and repoussé sterling silver and enameled copper.
Jamilynn Wilson
When this mug came out of the kiln, I immediately turned it on its side and saw the tale of three potters travelling across land and sea from PEI to NL in search of knowledge and adventure. My journey to NL profoundly transformed my approach to ceramics and reshaped how I view my work, leading me to explore the production of art prints.
Two Whales (2024) (mug and photographic print) Wood-fired with whale bone and wood ash, shino glaze
Jane Whitten
A calm contentedness comes over me when I smell seaweed … even if it’s rotting, I know I’m home! I’m a wanderer who keeps coming back to the magic of the North Atlantic even though I grew up in inland Australia where the world smelled of warm earth and eucalyptus. The ocean captured me when I spent a year in Maine as a child.
Rockweed: At home on the edge (2025) Hand knitted and felted Maritime wool embellished with wool wrapped rings, discarded ping-pong balls, wire
Bette Young
One of my treasured themes in rug hooking is capturing old homesteads – usually vernacular houses and gambrel-roofed barns that were common on PEI in the last century. I created Red Barns to give credit to the families who choose to keep these traditional structures on their homesteads, while they incorporate modern architecture around them. This work pays tribute to the families who move to rural PEI, restoring and building around traditional homesteads, helping preserve the architectural heritage of the countryside.
Red Barns (2025) Traditional rug hooking; hand-dyed wool on linen
Invited Guest Crafters:
Paula Kenny
In the early days of European settlement, the majority of Islanders had their homes on the farm, passing from generation to generation. In recent years, often not even one child will carry on the family farm, leaving the countryside littered with derelict barns. Home is now wherever you can find work and opportunity - often in the big city.
Moved to the City (2025) Hand hooked rug, wool fabric #6 cut, wool and synthetic yarns, dyed jute and raffia; rug warp backing
Penelope Player
This was originally made for my 13-year-old granddaughter who loves everything black, so different from the soft pastel quilts that I slept under in my Grannie’s back bedroom. The Sawtooth Star pattern became an unexpected metaphor for the complexity and diversity of the world in which my granddaughter and all young people of this generation are making their way.
A group of quilting friends, all smitten with the Jane Stickle quilt from the American Civil War, decided to each make their own ‘Jane’ quilts. A Monday evening sewing circle was formed to share fabric and coach each other in making the blocks. Over three years, joys and sorrows were shared, along with fabric and ideas – and we soared above the limitations of our skill levels. Magic happened there!
Eighteenth century author Jane Austen wrote novels dealing with the precarious position of women in society and their challenges in finding secure and stable homes. Impoverished after her father’s death, Jane, along with her mother and sister, was similarly challenged, finally finding a home provided by a brother at Chawton Cottage. That stability enabled her to write and the ladies to finish the quilt they had been hand-piecing for years. That quilt, so associated with the comfort of home, is now displayed in pride of place at Chawton Cottage, Jane’s final home. My smaller replica quilt is my tribute.
(left to right) When the World Seems Black and White, Choose Your Own (2024) Piece cotton fabric, cotton thread, quilt batting; machine quilted. Jane Stickle Sewing Circle Quilt (2009) Paper-pieced cotton fabric with reverse applique. Contributors: Edie Zakem, Maureen Garrity, Cheryl Doyle, Penelope Player, Helen Steele, Karen Beauregard, Mary Leah Trainor, Jean Steele, and Velda Taylor. (not pictured Jane Austen’s Little Sister (2024) Pieced cotton fabrics, cotton thread, quilt batting; machine quilted).
Left to Right:
Carolyn Hodges
We find our sense of home and community when we gather to explore creative interests. This quilt is a compilation of blocks made by members of the Modern Quilt Guild. The final piece provides a visual reminder of community and that art can bring people together - it’s all about the connections we make with others.
Jean MacKie
As a military wife, after each of our ten moves, I woke up in a new home, in a new town, thinking of all my new friends I’d yet to meet, in all of those houses. This quilt was made in the place we now call home - more firmly rooted, at last. I reflect fondly upon the many ways in which we have defined and redefined home over the years.
Susan Whitaker
My husband was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. While he slept, I sewed this “mystery quilt-along” not knowing the end product, which reflected our journey through his cancer. I finished the quilt just before he passed; when he saw it, he spoke one word “breathtaking”. When he passed, it changed everything: the way I talked, the way I slept, the way I ate, the way I lived. Our home is now my home.
Left to right: Untitled (Block pattern by Elizabeth Hartman) Contributors: Peggy Bethune, Kristen Johnson, Wendy Page, Janet Prentice, Velda Roy, Selina Trainor, Linda Trenton, Cathy Victor. First Light (My Colourful Town) Pieced cotton fabric, cotton backing, bamboo-polyester batting; longarm quilting. Breathtaking (2024) Pieced cotton fabric
60th Anniversary Of the PEI Crafts Council
This year’s Celebration of Craft exhibit, “Excellence in Craft,” will featured a wide variety of well-crafted contemporary pieces inspired by PEI’s talented fine craft community. This exhibition was mounted in partnership with the Eptek Art & Culture Centre. Special attention with a history of the PEICC provided by Ian Scott to mark the 60th Anniversary of the PEICC.
Exhibition Curators: Paula Kenny and Linda Berko
Exhibit Dates:
June 17th until September 26th
Opening Reception June 29th at 1pm. All are welcome.
EptekArt & Culture Centre
130 Heather Moyse Drive, Summerside, PE.
Macédoine of Metals. Jim Aquilani, 2025.
Hammered and embossed sterling silver and copper; hand-coiled copper wire; hand-forged silver ear wires and brass and silver clasp
Macédoine definition – A medley of unrelated items. This necklace was created using 120 separate pieces of sterling silver, brass and copper. All the components were handmade from scratch. The textures were achieved using 17 different items ranging from fabric to chicken wire as well as hammers and files. The contrast of the textures was enhanced with a dark patina. The individual discs swing back and forth on tubing “hinges” so that the necklace does not stay static but moves with the wearer! My intent was to make something visually pleasing as well as providing a tactile element. I find immense joy in bringing my sketches to life!
The earrings were created using the same processes… but with far fewer pieces.
Sunset. Ruth Aquilani, 2025.
Hand-appliquéd, hand-painted, and embellished quilt; cotton and novelty yarn
23 inches by 20 1/2 inches
This Sunset quilt was inspired by a photograph taken at sunset while vacationing on a beach Up West on Prince Edward Island.
Hanging On. Ruth Aquilani, 2025.
Hand-appliquéd quilt; cotton
This Hanging On quilt is a variation of the Autumn Leaves pattern from the 1930s. I modernized it by using bright and bold fabrics, focusing on a centre panel, and designing the leaves border and leaves quilting design to tie it all together.
Good Things Come in Threes. Alex Bevan-Baker, 2025.
Shallow bowl - white stoneware clay, cobalt crystalline glaze
Medium serving bowl - porcelain clay, cobalt crystalline glaze
Large bowl - grogged stoneware clay, cobalt crystalline glaze
Trio of large bowls showcasing the same base crystalline glaze across three different clay bodies. Each wheel thrown bowl has subtle nuances amongst the crystal growth, based on its type of clay. All three were fired as a group on the same shelf in the Kiln.
Resilience in Reverence. Ellen Burge, 2025.
Pine needles, clay, waxed thread
13” X 4 1/2”
A handwoven bowl crafted from red pine needles and clay, drawing inspiration from traditional Indigenous techniques. The pine needles were foraged in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona, gathered from the windfall in French Village, Prince Edward Island. This piece is both a tribute to ancestral knowledge and a meditation on nature’s cycles of destruction and renewal.
Shining Through. Nancy Cole, 2025.
Contemporary embroidery, photograph
My mother’s 95th birthday when she was invited as a special guest at an International Women’s Day party.
Murmurations. Nancy Cole, 2025.
Contemporary embroidery, photograph
Murmurations is about continuing sibling rivalry and shoes. My older sister had shiny patent leather shoes that I coveted. My orthopedic shoes always made me cry. Finding this old photo was a treasure.
Tide’s Out. J. Darrell Desroche, 2025.
Hand-turned red island oak; stained
Woodturned thin-walled local oak vessel that was dried in the microwave, sandblasted and chemically ebonized with a mixture of vinegar and steel wool. Finally finished with my own recipe of 1/3 polyurethane, 1/3 mineral spirits, and 1/3 boiled linseed oil.
A Summer’s Meadow. Holly Anne Doyle, 2025.
A Summer’s Meadow
Red stoneware with glazed floral design
Sea Folk Plates
Glazed red stoneware (not pictured)
Having been born and raised on Prince Edward Island, I can not help but be inspired by the beauty of my surroundings. I find myself often trying to recapture the feeling of my childhood in my work. The wildflowers on my pieces are from a meadow I used to run through as a child. Old farmhouses and hayfields were what passed mye by on a drive through the countryside. And the lighthouses fascinated me with their quiet beauty and history and I often romanticized them imagining them to hold all the secrets of the sea.
Inheritance: Exploration.
Inheritance: Tranquility. Chelsea Farrell.
Hand-felted wool and novelty fibres
My work uses the intricate textures of wool and mixed fibers to create a tactile experience. In these two pieces I explore epigenic inheritance, the idea of inheriting my mother's environmental experiences and in turn passing those down to my three kids. The first piece titled "Inheritance; Exploration" takes me back to rainy spring days where my mother and I would connect the puddles using sticks across our country dirt road. The second piece titled "Inheritance; Tranquility" has two meanings for me. This view of my cottage reminds me both of the peace I feel while at one of my favorite places and also the loss I felt when accepting my mother would no longer return there. I enjoy wool as my canvas because it is so versatile and clearly felt. Through the layering of fibers I am able to tell my own stories organically and show how these experiences have left imprints to be passed down through generations.
Pod. Trudy Gilbertson, 2025.
Carved beef bone; vintage frame
When I began to carve 35 plus years ago, I worked in wood. But after living for a year in the Northwest Territories, and a trip to New Zealand, where bone carving is widely practiced, I switched to mainly working with beef bone and antler. Whales have always been my favourite subject matter to carve. Big, small, singles, pairs or groups - I have carved them in antler, wood, soapstone and beef bone.
These humpback whales are carved from locally sourced beef bone and are mounted in a vintage, up-cycled frame. Texture and blue metallic paint against a black background create a sense of depth and movement in the ocean.
The Twain. Steve Leard, 2025.
Knotty pine treated with tung oil then box was sealed with water based varnish. 20"L x 9"W x 10"D
When I was designing the box it was my intent to use the front/back and two sides to represent the push and pull of forces for better or worse, presently at work on humanity. (Man and nature. Religion and science.) The top was to represent The Twain we have to traverse to achieve a path forward.
The Housing Shortage and Dune Grass. Arlene MacAusland, 2025.
Dune Grass
Wool applique and French knot details constructed from woven wool fabric, new and vintage. Inner layer of wool felt. Sewn with intent to see a glimpse of the dark green felt when rolled.
The Housing Shortage
Wool appliqué hermit crabs; flocked doll head; stitched felt can and felt lightbulb base; embellished with buttons and beads
A shortage of seashells resulting from the souvenir seashell trade and collectors is revealed by the hermit crab resorting to alternative housing; a doll head, food tin and the base of a light bulb.
Intersect. and Pool. Lucus MacDonald. 2024
Intersect. Walnut wood, hand carved, 2024.
38.1 x 29.2 x 3.8cm
Pool. Walnut Wood, hand carved, 2024.
48.2 x 4cm
Humans are pattern seekers. It makes traversing life easier if we’re able to predict what’s coming. We’re drawn to patterns for safety, and so patterns have become a comforting sight. I’ve grown particularly interested in the patterns that water creates. Rain drops in a puddle, light refracting through a glass of water, or the shimmering light off the surface of water on a sunny day. There's so much information packed into these fleeting moments. I wish to capture the liminal beauty hidden in these transient moments that catch us off-guard. Through my wood carvings I attempt to document these ephemeral events that are easily missed in our typically humdrum lives.
Meta Weave: Small Pattern and Cordage Composition 1 and 2. Rilla Marshall, 2025.
Meta Weave: Small Pattern
Handwoven using supplementary weft; plant-dyed cotton yarn and cloth cordage
Cordage Composition 1 and 2
plant dyed cotton yarn and cloth cordage handwoven
Sweet Nectar. Noella Moore, 2025.
Mi’kmaw quillwork; porcupine quills, birchbark, sweetgrass and sinew
Murder at Dawn. Cathy Murchinson, 2025.
Traditional Glass
Dimensions 3 ¼" deep x 25 ¾" high x 18 1/" wide
I have always been fascinated by crows and Ravens. I have a family of crows that live on my property in Point Prim that come to my bird feeders and they provide endless entertainment. I wanted to capture their distinct silhouette against the subtle morning sky as they make their way through the trees. Their noisy cawing sound announcing the start of a new day.
In Marsh and Fen. Julia Purcell, 2025.
Lino cut print. 13” x 16“
I became fascinated with the challenge of depicting a PEl marsh and fen, inhabited by the elusive American Bittern. I imagined them gracefully wading among the tall narrow leaves and reeds, stirring gently in the low colored light of evening with shimmering water and reflections. I considered titling this print the "Myth of the Tryon Bittern" as these birds are rarely, if ever sighted on PEl, likely due to habitat loss. I do love marshes and all wild spaces.
She/Her. Susana Rutherford, 2025.
Traditional Stained Glass with fused and painted details. Dimensions: 24.5" x 24.5"
She/Her is one of a series of five panels made with funding from Innovation PEl to address the topic of gender-based violence. Transgender women are 4x more likely to be victims of violence. Continuing to support existing laws that protect transgender people and affirming their equality and rights has become more important as those rights are being lost or removed globally. The quotes used in the piece are from, Connie Merasty a two-spirited member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Laverne Cox an American actor and Judge Ana Reyes who recently ruled on an executive order in the U.S to prevent transgender people in the U.S military. Her remarks included the recognition of over 30 variations of biological gender.
Swirling Star. Nora Richard, 2025.
Mi’kmaw basketry; natural and dyed reed, seagrass
Water Craft Exploration. Daphne Large and Ian Scott, 2025.
Clay, canvas, leather
Ship’s hull 17” X 12” width – height is 25” with sail
A whimsical look at the possibly early European explorers from L’Anse aux Meadows who it is believed travelled into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, based on the discovery of beech nuts at the Newfoundland archaeological site, a species native to more southern climes. A new study of wooden artifacts found at the Newfoundland site shows that Vikings lived, and felled trees, on North American soil during the year 1021 C.E., added to the earlier archaeological finds there. All of this evidence to support the Vinland Sagas, of discovery and exploration of Vinland by Erik the Red and others, is fascinating.
The item is also a play on the related terms of craft – watercraft, and the shared community that craft has become over 60 years on Prince Edward Island. Having been personally involved for many years, individually and as a family, the figures are symbolic of both community and of family. The role that travellers to PEI have played in sustaining employment, and development of a craft industry locally is also suggested by these early visitors to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Hand built clay, bisque fired with portions being glazed and fired a second time. The unglazed portions are reflective of the red cliffs of PEI. Sail was sewn on a sail maker’s treadle sewing machine and dyed with PEI clay.
Daisy Flower Square Throw. Shweta Seth, 2025.
Crochet; cotton and acrylic yarn
Sunset Storm I and II. Lisa Steele, 2025.
Raku pottery
18cm (7") high x 13cm (5") diameter and 17cm (6.5") high x 14cm (5.5") diameter
These raku pieces use burnished clay and ferric chloride acid to evoke the sensor of movement within natural turbulent flows of fluids, with layering evoking a sense of depth and motion as in storm clouds at sunset.
Orbiting and Infinite Floral. Ayelet Stewart, 2025.
Orbiting
Enamel and graphite on copper dome; hammered and stamped sterling silver embellishments
Infinite Floral
Enamel and graphite on copper dome; hammered and stamped sterling silver embellishments with hand-built and cast sterling silver leaves.
Unwritten Dreams. Gilles Tougas, 2025.
Hand-bound books; book cloth, 24lb Neenah paper, adhesive.
Unwritten Dreams is a mobile of handbound books. The mobile contains 30 tiny hardcover books are 1.25 inches or 0.75 inches in size. The tiny books are made using the complete bookbinding process a book of a larger size would follow. Each tiny book has a hand painted cover and contains 24 lb Neenah paper with a linen finish. The "frame" of the mobile is a large cloth bound book. The cloth for the cover of this book was purchased and treated to become book cloth. The book contains 24 lb Neenah paper with a laid finish. The pages have been put together with adhesive to form the solid structure which the tiny books hang from.
Maple Leaf Forever. Heather Walker, 2025.
Hand-painted falling leaves on Habotai silk
Inspired by Alexander Muir's 1867 patriotic poem, The Maple Leaf Forever, my silk painting depicts maple leaves bravely blowing across the water, a symbol of Canadian pride, coast to coast. Fallen leaves may cause ripples, but unity prevails. "The Maple Leaf, our emblem dear, The Maple Leaf forever". Alexander Muir
Entangled. Jane Meredith Whitten, 2025.
Randomly woven discarded deep sea fishing line netted with cold water fishing line
Marine wildlife is being negatively impacted by the increasing number of ‘ghost nets’ – abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear - which continue to catch and entangle sea life long after fishers have gone home. Entangled is made from lengths of deep-sea fishing line collected on the shores around Halifax, NS. After some unsuccessful playing around with this challenging material I chose random weaving because I could get some control of it. With this combo there was no way I could make a symmetrical piece and I’m very happy with its more organic form. The lengths of deep-sea fishing line were collected from beaches around Halifax by a friend who thought I might like them. The (new) blue cold-water fishing line was netted into the woven fishing line. There is a magical translucence to it when it’s lit. It also plays with your eyes as you’re trying to figure out the depth of field, so it feels like it’s moving even when it’s not.
Broken. Jamilyn Wilson, 2025.
Cast “wild” clay; fishing line
This piece reflects the internal struggles I've faced over the past few years. From family dilemmas and career decisions to financial challenges and issues with self-esteem, I have often felt broken and adrift. I questioned my worth and the value of my efforts. I transformed this pent-up energy into my inaugural collection, "Lost @ Sea." This photograph served as a reminder that, despite feeling fragmented, I have consistently managed to reassemble myself. Rather than concealing what I perceive as flaws, I need to embrace my scars and cherish my beauty marks. They not only define who I am but also represent my experiences and interactions with the world around me.
Layered Rings and Things Box. Jewellery Chest. Keith Wornell.
Box - Jatoba & Maple woods turned with multiple precision lathe mountings
6 drawer jewellery chest of sapele and maple, with wrap around grain design. Hand finished with oil and wax.
Red Door. Bette Young, 2025.
Traditional rug hooking; hand-dyed wool and wool yarn
I hook rugs in a traditional style, inspired by the rich colours of Prince Edward Island. I hand dye most of my wool, and enjoy the challenge of creating what I love the most - old homesteads and colourful landscapes. My approach is simple and stripped down, allowing the viewer to fill in the story.
Having created dozens of landscapes over the years, Red Door was a fun challenge to showcase my rug hooking style, in consideration of this special exhibit for the PEl Craft Council.
Collect London - Here + Now
2025 Collect London - Here + Now
Connecting Culture + Landscape Through Water
This past February 28 to March 2nd the PEi Craft Council participated in collect London art fair for the second year. Three Amazing craft makers from PEI showed their work at our Atlantic Canadian booth at the fair. Rilla Marshall showed her beautiful woven art @rillamarshall . Isako Suzuki exhibited her Neriage pottery @isneriagepottery and @lucuscraft Lucas McDonald displayed his amazing carving abilities with stunning walnut wall pieces. It was great to see Rilla at the show. We want to thank everyone that helped pave our way to be able to participate at this front stage leading international contemporary craft and design show . We want to thank @craftallianceatlantic for dreaming this up and making it happen @bernard_hfx . @bybrunovinhas . Also thank you to @innovation_pei for their continued support.
Collect London 2024 - Here + Now
Collect mission 2024 -Report
Somerset House, London UK.
What is collect?
Collect showcases exceptional fine craft work made by contemporary makers currently working in the craft industry. The galleries exhibiting at the fair curate or commission new bodies of work to be debuted at this fair. The work spans many disciplines including ceramics, glass, Lacquer, art jewellery, precious metalwork, enamel, textile and fibre, wood and paper, resin and bone. The fair aim’s to introduce and cultivate purchasing audiences to develop and grow the financial and intellectual value of craft at this level. Collect, organized by the UK Crafts Council is well regarded for its credibility, sector authority and leadership with an openness that the crafts council prides itself in delivering Collect art fair .
Bernard Burton, Executive Director of Craft Alliance Atlantic Association was the driving force behind organizing the booth at Collect. Bernard conceived the idea, contacted the UK Crafts Council, negotiated the terms that allowed for a Canadian association to take part, and got of the funding to obtain the booth, ship the work to UK, help the makers participate in the fair, publish a brochure representing the artisans from the Atlantic provinces and bring staff to operate the booth. The work that showed at Collect was carefully selected from Atlantic Canadian fine craft makers. Here is the link to the catalog Collected works from Canada’s Atlantic Coast
Here and Now Brochure for Atlantic Canada representatives
Somerset House, London, UK
My week at Collect:
February 27- arrived at Somerset house at 8 AM and was overwhelmed by the sheer grandeur of the building. Once in our space we unpacked 10 crates that contained over 130 pieces made by 18 artisans from Atlantic Canada. The booth, that was curated by Bruno Vinhas from NL showcased the work beautifully. Our space called HERE & NOW- Collected Works from Canada’s Atlantic Coast, was a beautiful space with lots of natural light well positioned on the second floor, and served as a wonderful background for the pieces to be sold. We spent the day mounting pieces on their displays and positioning them according to the gallery layout that Bruno mapped out for us.
February 28 - we dressed up and got to the gallery for the 11:00AM start, to welcome the special invitees, and international Gallerys and museums. The evening reception Gala preview started at 6:00 pm -9:00. The gallery was very busy and we were delighted by a surprise visit from the High Commission of Canada in the UK, Ralph Goodale and his wife. A lot of the artists were on hand to inform and answer questions. Our two artists from P.E.I., Isako Suzuki and Rilla Marshall both sold pieces during the opening night and through out the show.
We sold many beautiful items to different collectors and we were especially excited that one of Key-Yeon Son (NS artist )pieces was purchased by the Victoria and Albert museum.
February 29-The following day was very busy and again the evening was a reception and gala preview and ended at 9:00pm.
March 1-3 The next three days were open to the public and proved to be even busier days with lots of visitors during the open houses 11:00- 6:00. Many collectors students and local makers came through and many questions about technique and use were presented to the artisans. We had an artisan talk everyday at 1:00 pm in our booth, Friday- Metal artist Brigitte Clavette , Saturday -Mi’kmaw mask carver Gordon Sparks and Sunday- textile artist Jessie Fraser. Gordon Sparks participated in a panel about woodcarving on Sunday. For many of the booth visitors this was their first time viewing Canadian and indigenous craft in particular. They were intrigued by our artisans explaining practices and materials such as mask carving and sweet grass.
On closing day we had the crates delivered to our booth and artists on hand helped with dismantling the show and packing the work.
March 4- We completed the crate packing by noon and spent the rest of the day parting from new friends we made at the show and touring the city.
During the week long event we were thrilled to be able to tour the Goldsmith’s Centre which offers educational, training and professional development programs for artists and a wide variety of studio spaces, including a special program aimed at students ages 16-19 years of age. We had the opportunity to view the students exhibit and check out some of the spaces including the “ hammer room”.
On Thursday we had the opportunity to visit cockpit Arts.
Cockpit studios is owned by the local council and has helped artists for the past 40 years develop their businesses in a sustainable model. The facility located right downtown, houses 175 craft makers that have been there from one year to thirty five years. Although this is an incubator space it’s really more exploratory. Cockpit offers business development training and coaching and the makers learn from each other. We got to tour three studios for metal, ceramics and textile.
For more images and information please go to our Facebook / instagram handles
The Crafts Council would like to acknowledge and thank Innovation P.E.I. for their financial support that made this project possible.
Cockpit Arts Studio
Collect 2024, Atlantic Craft Canada
Destruction Recrafted: Hurricane Fiona Up Close and Personal
Destruction Recrafted:
Hurricane Fiona Up Close and Personal
Exhibit dates:
Lefurgey Cultural Centre
June 1st to July 2, 2023
205 Prince Street (Corner of Granville & Prince Streets), Summerside, PE
Frederic S. and Ogden Martin Concourse Gallery Confederation Centre
Sept 9 to Oct 29
145 Richmond Street, Charlottetown, PE
Hurricane Fiona left a path of destruction across our island and has changed our landscape for the next several decades and beyond. It also brought into sharp focus not only the power of nature but the ever increasing effects of climate change. Many people were strongly affected physically, emotionally and psychologically. We have much to deal with and often visual art can help us relate to such earth-shattering events.
The Prince Edward Island Crafts Council invited artists and artisans to share their experiences and emotions through their work in order to bring Islanders together, to help us move past the trauma, and to make something beautiful out of the devastation. Inspired by the carnage in our forests and on our shores, these visual artists interpreted their own experiences, the effects of the hurricane, or the beauty that they still found around them. In many cases, they were able to incorporate actual debris from the storm into their work.
Join us in remembering this fearful storm, the sudden loss of our modern conveniences, and the many neighbourly acts of kindness, while appreciating the work of these craftspeople and artists.
Exhibition Curators, Paula Kenny and Linda Berko
Photography by Peter Young, Lighthouse Studios
James Aquilani
I(t) came. I saw(ed). I conquered. – ring
Birch bark, sterling silver, chainsaw links, epoxy, and nail polish
The chainsaw links represent the massive amount of cutting and cleaning up of the trees downed by Fiona. The birch bark is from one of the hundreds of trees we lost around the studio during the storm
Years In Days – pendant
In-house cast sterling silver cuttlefish, steel roofing
The cuttlefish cast silver represents the wind and waves that occurred during Fiona and the rusted steel (from a neighbour’s roof) represents the heavily eroded red cliffs of PEI.
Still Standing - cuff
Copper, sterling silver, in-house sand-cast White Pine needles with patina for contrast
The centre of the cuff represents the trees that withstood the storm and remained upright, their silhouettes visible through the mist that lingered the next morning. The cast branches represent the trees that didn’t make it.
Windthrow – earrings
In-house cast sterling silver cuttlefish, copper, and Hawthorn tree thorns
The cuttlefish cast silver represents the wind and waves that occurred during Fiona and the copper represents the root balls of the uprooted trees. The Hawthorn thorns represent the trees that blew down. (Windthrow: Windthrow occurs when trees are toppled by wind; trees are uprooted as they topple over.)
Alex Bevan Baker
Fiona “Treepot” Set
Stoneware - Wild Clay Glaze
I think of my teapot set as a playful twist to what was otherwise a devastating loss. Finding beauty amongst the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona seemed far fetched. For the shape of my vessels, I drew inspiration from the torn limbs scattered across the Island. Muddy banks exposed wild clay that I used in the glaze. Again, trying to shed amusement and light on a dark subject, the set is whimsical in form. To stay true to functionality, only one spout pours liquid. There is always a level of comfort with a cup of hot tea.
Ellen Burge
New Habitat
Stoneware, multiple firings, underglazes, and sodium
Many fallen trees have opened the earth, exposing roots and creating new habitats for many creatures. This piece was partially fired to represent the abrupt power failure during the storm.
Ellen Burge
Pine Globe
Stoneware, pine needles, waxen thread
This hand-built globe reflects natural features of the earth. The pine needles are from fallen trees.
Ashley Anne Clark
Regenerative Forest
Ink, watercolour, acrylic, Sugar Maple branch, Birch branch, lichen, wood glue, paper, seaweed, fixative and Varathane on wood
This artwork grieves the loss of the many trees that were taken out by Hurricane Fiona. We form attachments to these long-living plants and learn so much from them. The more we learn about trees, the more we understand how interconnected they are. It is upsetting to see their lives cut short. The piece also depicts new life sprouting from the wreckage, representing the regenerative powers of the forest and inspiring us to do the same.
Fairouz Gaballa
The Cozy Nook
Wood, foamboard, popsicle sticks, cardboard, terrycloth, fabric, and cord
This sculpture represents the hurricane as both a literal and metaphorical entity, capturing the essence of my personal experience with Hurricane Fiona. The room appears to be a real living space…however, outside the giant window, you see two birds flying amidst darkness and rain reminiscent of the storm. I found solace during the storm by reading books, which provided me with a comforting escape from the chaos outside.
Trudy Gilbertson
And When the Power Came Back On…They Danced!
Naturally shed deer antler on driftwood
After Hurricane Fiona, we spent 13 days without power or running water. When the power came back on, there was much celebration. The antler, is a matched set of naturally shed white tail deer antler from a ranch in Alberta. I picked up this piece of driftwood in December, on the Range-Light Wharf in North Rustico Harbour, where large piles of debris were left behind in the wake of Hurricane Fiona. Using a broken piece of driftwood for the base, loosely borrows from the Japanese philosophy of “wabi-sabi”: the concept of seeing and embracing the beauty of imperfection and impermanence in nature.
Jessica Hutchinson
Fiona’s Ashes
Red and white stoneware, pit fired with organic waste, salt, driftwood and wood from fallen spruce and apple trees.
On my tiny property alone, I lost seven large trees. I spent weeks cleaning up debris and brush. I found myself having many bonfires and realized that I could easily turn these debris fires into pit firings. Seven pinch pots decorated by the ash, smoke, and fire of seven trees.
Jessica Hutchinson
Soup for Days
Hand-built red stoneware; ash glaze from fallen spruce and apple trees; driftwood from post-Fiona beach walk
I made these driftwood spoons in response to spending 18 days without power. My family and I mostly ate things that were easy to cook on our propane camp stove: soup, beans, lentils, stew, curry, and more soup – all things enjoyed with spoons. I wanted these spoons to look very basic, primal or caveman-like to mirror the primitive feelings and sense of despair that I was succumbing to on Day 18 of no power.
Cathy Murchison Krolikowski
Portrait of Fiona
Stained glass
My family has always had a close connection to the sea…I’d never felt the danger that the ocean can become. Fiona showed her fierce face to us in the Maritimes and has left us changed physically and emotionally. This is how I conjured her face as the storm raged through the night.
Arlene MacAusland
Green Shadow Tea Cozy
Cotton tea towel indigo dyed with Ori Nui stitching and Shirokage (white shadow) felt resists, overdyed with green
The indigo vat I used was created on the back deck of the PEICC in the shade of a lovely tree which was uprooted during Fiona. (Thankfully I moved the vat inside PEICC two days before Fiona hit.) I fondly refer to the tea cozy as Green Shadow in memory of that lost tree. This piece was dyed in the week following Fiona and is a reminder of the slower lifestyle we experienced; boiling water on a camp stove, gin rummy, puzzles and hand stitching.
Patched Roof, Not so Cozy
Felt resist with thread and picture wire.
After Fiona, we patched our roof with leftover tarps from camping and the wood pile. This is a reminder of the not so cozy feelings: sounds of dripping water from a leaky roof, frayed nerves and power lines.
Blowdown, Not so Cozy
Thread and moss.
Wind snap and root balls, and the uncomfortable awareness of climate change.
Lucus MacDonald
Branches
Trembling Aspen windfall branches, paint
These branches were recycled from the aftermath of Fiona, and their new form mirrors the infinite cycle of life and death that is present in the natural world.
Eventually, no matter what is done, the branches will decay, return to the earth, and become nourishment for new life to grow. The process of destruction and rebirth is a reminder that everything is connected and the cycle of life is never truly broken.
Rilla Marshall
Found Lines
Hand woven with cotton, Dogwood, and fern
After the destruction of Fiona, I found my eyes scavenging the ditches for colour. Without the autumn colours of the leaves, the colours of the rural Island ditches brightened [and] I was especially drawn to the deep burgundy red of the Red Osier Dogwood. Using stems as my weft, weaving on my floor loom, I wanted to create patterns emphasizing the diagonal lines of our fallen forests.
Noella Moore
Blue Jay
Birch bark and dyed porcupine quills.
As a Mi’kmaw artist, it has always been important for me to find materials for my work in nature. Many birch trees came down during the storm, which was sad to see, but it has provided lots of material for my quillwork backing. This piece looked perfect for a Blue Jay on a branch. The storm could not keep them from ‘singing’ the next day.
Julia Purcell
Ode to a Downey Woodpecker: Love, Loss and Renewal
Linocut, archival inks, printmakers paper
Some time ago, I came across the body of a lifeless woodpecker while out for a walk near my home. I have reimagined him and a mate as victims of the tropical storm Fiona. With a background of shattered trees, the woodpeckers become the heroes of my linocut series. One of the woodpeckers is killed in the storm and the other survives to return the following spring with a new mate…a story about love, loss, and renewal. Countless small animals and birds were threatened by the powerful winds of Fiona. The aftermath of this storm will be felt for a very long time.
Nora Richard
Red Osier Basket
Dogwood and pine
…to me, there was a beauty in what was left behind. Regardless of Fiona, the Red Osier Dogwood stayed standing, where the big trees that looked so sturdy were destroyed. This basket represents the resilience I saw after the hurricane and destruction.
Ayelet Stewart
Memory Keepsakes for Fiona Debris
Silver, copper, jade, pearls, moss, lichen and grass
Witnessing the devastation…left me feeling helpless and wanting to do something to honour and preserve what was left. I found myself drawn to the moss, lichen, bark, and little treasures blown away from their mother tree and scattered on the ground. These findings that are seemingly worthless are precious to me, so I had the idea of creating keepsake capsules for the debris…serving as a physical reminder of the power of nature and the importance of cherishing and protecting our environment.
Jane Whitten
Ode to Lichen
Crocheted wool, dyed with lichen from felled trees, knitted embroidery thread and stainless steel wire
Lichens look like doilies…they drape over rocks and branches like they might be protecting them. Lichens are critical to the environment and are very slow growing. How many lichens have we lost on the trees that have been felled because of Fiona?
Bette Young
The Fiona Handbag
birch bark, branches, moss, dyed wool and linen
Yield Exhibit 2022
Yield Exhibit 2022
“With the constant twists and turns over more than two years of intense global change, it is easy to feel torn. Emotionally, economically, and socially, we are stretched thin. Exhausted by this constant dance upon ever-shifting ground, where we are expected to move - and yet stay still - as the world desperately seeks to find its footing.
And yet, despite the closures and the loss, the disconnect and the devastation, the inertia of time thrusts us forward. With this comes reflection, change, and growth. Some have taken this time to shift, planting seeds for future cultivation. Others have slowed to await what comes next - looking out for new approaches. The pandemic has affected us all, and in our varied reactions to this shared isolation, artists have found inspiration.
In partnership with the PEI Crafts Council, we welcome you to share in this juxtaposition of heavy moments and silver linings, through an exhibition acknowledging the ongoing struggle of a "post-pandemic" world, and celebrating the beauty to be found in perseverance. Throughout the gallery, craft artists from across PEI share their interpretations of the nebulous theme of “yield”. A word with varying definitions, “yield” can describe the act of slowing down, looking out, and watching for threats before moving ahead. It can focus on loss, or surrender, relinquishing space for new voices and ideas. Alternatively, “yield” may refer to the act of cultivation, reaping the abundance that blooms as a result of your efforts. In each work you will find a line that connects our human response to this shared traumatic event: leading you down the many roads we traverse to find comfort, face our fears, and dream of a hopeful future."
Exhibition Curator, Maegen Black
James Aquilani
COVID Series: Contained
Copper, sterling silver, brass, liver of sulphur
Once an invitation for a closer view, the intimate nature of jewellery became restricted with the advent of social distancing. The ring a rare exception, it could be outstretched from the wearer toward the viewer - bridging the gap between us, creating a moment of connection, yet still standing apart.
COVID Series: Dissemination
Sterling silver, brass, bronze, copper, liver of sulphur, silver black
Composed of 127 components, “Dissemination” captures the frantic, frenzied confusion of the world grinding to a halt around us, and systems falling apart. The amazement of these moments will never be forgotten by those of us who experienced this panic, and those who fought to keep things together.
COVID Series: And So It Began...
Sterling silver, brass, copper, bronze
In the early days of the pandemic as the virus began its meteoric rise, it shifted from subtle concern, toward an aggressive explosion. The separation of sections within this piece are purposeful, representing the many ways the virus spread and shifted - slowly in some areas, while astronomically in others.
Nancy Cole
Amelia
Embroidery, archival photograph, porous pen, no. 10 crochet cotton
Through portraits taken by the artist during an independent residency in the remote high mountains of central Portugal, these photographs are augmented with embroidery that evokes an unsettling sense of the ubiquitous pandemic mask, reflecting the disturbing and dangerous times we continue to face.
Nancy Cole
Lamentations
Embroidery, archival photograph, porous pen, no. 10 crochet cotton
Donnalee Downe
Mother and Child
Vintage garments, watercolour on wood panel
Artist Donnalee Downe is currently exploring personal narratives through the lens of remembered fabrics. Mother and Child - a diptych which includes the artist's first “art” apron and her own child's favourite shirt - considers how fabrics yield over time, a recurring theme in her current research.
Jamie Germaine
Pod Life
Ceramic, wood
A reflection of a time that required slowing down, sheltering in place, and "cocooning", this fuelled experimentation in the studio, leading to new works such as this piece: centred on growth, protection, and shelter.
Kieren Hall
36 String Celtic Style Harp
Prince Edward Island curly maple
An evocative symbol of the role music plays in our lives, the 'Raven Harp' is a statuesque instrument in waiting. A stoic reminder of the empty concert halls and the deafening quiet that filled our lives - and the profound power of the songs that the future will bring.
Heather Learie
Familiar Places and Worn Out Spaces
Embroidery thread on raw canvas
The bathroom is a familiar place loaded with various textiles and textures. With pandemic-fueled stay at home orders in place, even more time was spent within the home. The normally overlooked and worn-out pieces of everyday life suddenly became an inspiration.
Heather Jarmyn
Lightbulb
Cotton, essex linen, 80/20 batting, aurifil thread
The pandemic forced us to look at ways of connecting differently, and to discover what we can do while sheltering in place. When we slow down, and step outside of our entrenched patterns we find room to explore the next bright idea.
Lucus MacDonald
Concedence
Walnut
Using only hand tools, the repetitive and meditative patterns radiate energy, reflecting and illuminating life itself in solid form. Each line representing the event of its own creation, we make our mark - and centre ourselves through the tangible, the tactile, and the real.
Rilla Marshall
Weighted Lines # 1 – 6
Handwoven painted cotton, ikat dyed raw silk
The land is constantly yielding to the sea on PEI, seen in the annual rate of erosion and our transforming coast. By stripping shorelines down to basic geometry and vertical weighted lines, this series of complementary colour relationships evoke a hazy feeling of transitional space.
Robert McMillan
Vase Form
Ceramic
Reminiscent of the environment and landscape of PEI, the locally sourced clay used to create this work binds it to a specific place and time - the land itself, frozen in form, honouring the beauty and stability of a place rocked by change, but strong enough to withstand.
Mel Montgomery
Yield, Slow, Stop
Wool, cotton, wood
The disorienting pattern and disruptive colour palette of 'Yield, Slow, Stop' fuels the mimicry of confusion and panic that was rife throughout this time. The flow of this repeating pattern is contained by a firm red line - a forced stop for which no person or system was prepared.
Jody Racicot
Red Dogwood
Steel rod, nails
A product of the physical limitations of the pandemic era, 'Red Dogwood' reflects the natural environment of the artist's home studio, created with materials available at hand. Intimate and familiar, the discarded nest of nails is tangled within a shrub, bent by the wind - but holding still.
Nora Richard
Cherokee Gathering Basket
Natural reed / navy blue reed
The creative process of basket weaving pairs patience, detail, and creativity - three skills of great value during a time of intense societal change. A calming and meditative practice, the flow it provides can be a great relief from the heavy burdens we carry each day.
Nora Richard
Cherokee Gathering Basket
Natural reed / navy blue reed
Velda Roy
Down the Road
Quilt Contributors:
Liz Dempsey, Lucinda Harbottle, Heather Jarmyn, Cathy Kay, Leigh Anne Matthews, Cathy Victor
Quilting cotton
Each improvised quilt block represents a location on PEI that the artists wished to visit, or to return to, once restrictions lifted. A patchwork of well-known Island landmarks and lesser known locales, this map of memories and longing is a reminder of time lost, and the comfort of places held in our hearts.
Heather Jarmyn: Teacup Rock
Cathy Victor: Round Hay Bales Near Home
Cathy Kay: Piping Plover
Liz Dempsey: St. Peter’s Church
Leigh Anne Matthews: View From Atop the Ferris Wheel
Lucinda Harbottle: Beaches
Velda Roy: The Dunes at Blooming Point, Tea Cup Rock x 2, Confederation Bridge, Mouth of the Harbour/Charlottetown Boardwalk, Confederation Trail Nearby Morrell, Covehead Lighthouse, Overlooking the Bay in Stanhope, Beach Day in Cavendish, Doyle’s Cove in North Rustico, Confederation Trail Nearby Hunter River.
In memory of Lucinda Harbottle, who lost her battle with pancreatic cancer less than two weeks after she completed her block.
Susana Rutherford
Sprouted
Stained glass, lead, wood
"Sometimes when you're in a dark place you think you've been buried, but you've actually been planted" - Christine Caine
Whether lost in the unknown of the pandemic, or seeking a new path forward from any challenge - light can be found in the strength that grows from our lowest points.
Susana Rutherford
Covid Blues
Stained glass, lead, wood
Covid Blues represents the severing of our circles of community by the pandemic and was created in the era of lockdowns and separation.
Sarah Saunders
Mend Series: Mittens 01, Sweater
Porcelain
A celebration of beauty in the imperfect, these porcelain sculptures capture in precise detail every thread, fold, and surface of the textiles they eternalized. These former wearables are frozen in time, evoking the distance we experienced between us at a time when space, connection, and touch were fraught with emotion.
Sarah Saunders
Mend Series: Shirt, Mittens 02
Porcelain
Ayelet Stewart
New Growth Collection: 1. Lilly Pond Brooch, 2. Open Flower Pendant, 3. Growth Brooch, 4. From the Earth Brooch, 5. Looking Up-Close Brooch
Enamel, copper, silver
The pandemic was an opportunity to rethink - redirect - and restart. With more free time as the new normal, the artist explored the land, interpreting it through technical and aesthetic challenges. Inspired by studies of new growth in the natural world, these lively pieces are precious, playful, and powerful amulets of personal growth.
Jane Whitten
Mussels
Plastic (surplus waste material provided by 'The Handpie Company' from their packaging process), wire, dental floss
Mussels have long been a food source on PEI. Healthy mussels depend on clean, toxin-free waters, and climate change is impacting yields. The production of plastic is a major contributor to climate change, from the presence of micro-plastics in the water, to sea temperature rises, to extreme weather events.
PEI Craft Docs
PEI CRAFT DOCS
Films produced by Jody Racicot
"Films produced and directed by Jody Racicot, featuring craft artists Bette Young, Jessica Hutchinson, Jim Aquilani, Nora Richard, Lucus MacDonald, Arlene MacAusland, and Rilla Marshall.
Music written and performed by 'Atlantic String Machine', featuring Sean Kemp, Karen Graves, Jeffrey Bazett-Jones, Natalie Williams Calhoun, and Adam Hill.
The City Cinema premier screening of the PEI craft makers short films took place on May 31st, 2022. A second screening of the short films took place at the Charlottetown Film Festival in October 2022. The short film “Arlene” was shown at the Atlantic International Film Festival in Halifax, September 19, 2022 as part of the NextGen Atlantic Shorts.
A project of the Prince Edward Island Crafts Council, with funding provided by the Canada Council for the Arts."
View the films by clicking on the pictures!
Creative Obsessions 2020
Meet the Makers
Thursday, August 20 | 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. Nancy Cole, Jane Whitten
Thursday, September 17 | 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. Jim Aquilani, Ayelet Stewart
Thursday, October 15 | 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. Melissa Peter-Paul, Bette Young
Thursday, November 19 | 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. Jaime Germaine, Jody Racicot
Saturday, December 5 | 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Arlene MacAusland, Rilla Marshall
for more information of the Creative Obsessions Exhibit please visit https://confederationcentre.com/exhibitions/creative-obsessions-a-look-at-contemporary-craft-in-prince-edward-island/
James Aquilani
I am obsessed with the ebb and flow of the natural world and its undeniable influence on manmade architecture.
These two things can combine seamlessly or they can be at odds with one another. In creating my jewellery I choose to explore both options.
Inspirations abounds on the beautiful Island I call home. Whether I’m out kayaking, walking the beaches and trails or just sitting in a cozy chair enjoying the view on a snowy Winter’s day (sketch pad my chair) I can’t help but be inspired.
Because of a congenital heart defect I have needed three separate open heart surgeries. Through it all the design and creation of my jewellery has been my true salvation. I have even found inspiration while in the hospital. The tubes and wires surrounding me being reminiscent of tree branches and tentacles. Some of my biggest artistic breakthroughs have occurred during these difficult times.
I enjoy using various metals in my work to mimic the myriad shapes and forms of the natural world thru age old Silversmithing techniques.
When creating pieces that integrate metals, as well as organic materials, I am able to push the limits and express myself on a deeper level.
As the execution of my designs has improved it has enabled me to further explore my obsession with nature and architecture. Consequently I am able to revisit and execute sketches from years ago. Designs that I had put on paper but were out of my reach technically, are now becoming a three-dimensional reality.
My personal growth as an artist is never ending. This growth has inspired me to look further and further from home for inspiration. Further from Earth itself.
I have begun to incorporate the unbounded possibilities of the illimitable expanse of space.
www.Facebook.com/VitaminSeaStudio
VitaminSea@Eastlink.ca
Murray Harbour, PE
Phone: 902-969-2039
Nancy Cole
"My work thrives on interaction. It is a unique interdisciplinary process that bridges visual arts, textile arts, installation, performance, and new media. My work is as theoretically diverse as the people portrayed in them, a response to us as individuals in constantly changing times.
I often select unconventional materials for my work, and the exposure to a limited range of materials only enhances my thematic process."
Email: perrywinkle.cole@gmail.com
instagram: perrywinkle
Jamie Germaine
“Woodland, Sea and Smoke”
smoke fired and glazed ceramic
My work in clay began when I was a university student in the '70s. While pursuing a degree in anthropology I discovered the pottery studio at the student union and was smitten. Since that time I have explored the medium of clay through both participating in workshops around the world and experimenting in my studio at home in South Melville, PEI. My surroundings of woodland and sea are reflected in the organic nature of the surfaces that I create on clay. I am intrigued by the versatility of clay and the ability to create textured environments within my pieces. A workshop in Italy in 2003 introduced me to the primitive technique of smoke firing. Since that time I have been focused on exploring the many facets of this alternative firing method. I am attracted to the subtle and earthy effects of the process that often remind me of the ancient artifacts I discovered while studying in Mexico. A recent body of work created for the exhibition “Smoke and Texture” represented a departure from my previous wheel thrown functional work, to hand built ceramic wall art and sculptural forms. The challenge of creating new work launched me in new and exciting directions that I continue to explore.
Seaclay Pottery
1043 South Melville Rd
Bonshaw, PE, C0A1C0
902-658-2415
www.seaclaypottery.com
Arlene MacAusland
I will describe myself as a pattern designer and maker. I like to create geometric patterns inspired by circles, traditional quilt patterns and folk-art designs of animals. Texture and fibre are important elements in my creations, whether it comes from added beads and velvets or the pattern of light as the sun pours through a sharp tin punch piece. The desire to touch is equally as important as the visual.
Who’s in your bubble? As the second season of the pandemic continues, we entertain ourselves with conversations of who we want in our bubble. Wool applique and wet felting piece inspired by the barnacles stuck on a rock and life on our Island in the Atlantic Bubble.
902 439 0885
www.twistedknickers.ca
arlene@twistedknickers.ca
Instagram/FB: @twistedknickersinc
Rilla Marshall
The main focus of my handweaving / art practice has been to translate technical data about the landscape that surrounds us into tangible textiles. I have used statistics, graphs, and maps to chart the changes to the lives of Atlantic Canadians as well as the changes in our shorelines caused by erosion, climate change and development. These new works explore the theme of “Creative Obsession” through my compassionate investigation of a time in my life where I was obsessed with the patterns of my new baby. That obsession that was an attempt to gain a sense of control during the challenging transition to motherhood, and perhaps a substitute for an art practice that was temporarily on hiatus. Trying to create routine and stability in the ever-shifting terrain of new motherhood brought me new experiences within the landscape that surrounds my home through hundreds of nap walks with a baby carrier and hundreds of “snooze cruise” drives. I still find myself noting the landmarks of those excursions and reflecting upon the ever-evolving routines of parenthood within close proximity to home.
Walking Nap
2019; 50” x 32” handwoven, cotton, handspun wool.
Website: www.rillamarshall.com
Email: rilla13@yahoo.com
Phone: 902-213-7309
Melissa Peter Paul
Melissa is a Mi’kmaw woman from Abegweit First Nation, located on Epekwitk (PEI.) Growing up, Melissa was immersed in cultural teachings and was surrounded by a family of basket makers. She began her artistic expression at a young age,making regalia and beadwork, and is skilled in both traditional and contemporary styles. Melissa’s exposure to other Mi’kmaq artforms led her to quillwork, a traditional skill in which the ancestors of her maternal grandfather excelled.
Melissa was accepted into an apprenticeship with Mi’kmaq Quill Art in 2015. Her training was grounded in the traditional insertion technique and utilized the study of both cultural teachings and formal material culture resources available through historic publications and museums. Quillwork is created by inserting porcupine quills, either dyed or kept natural, into birchbark. The pieces are then edged with quills, sweetgrass or spruce root.
Over the course of her apprenticeship, Melissa learned techniques and protocols related to harvesting raw materials, as well as the complex geometry of traditional design work. Upon completion of her apprenticeship, Melissa has been integral in establishing a community of skilled quill workers. This community of quillers seeks to expand awareness of the art form and recently began working on collaborative projects.
Melissa launched her professional career as a Mi’kmaq quill artist with her first solo exhibit at Receiver Coffee presented by This Town is Small in Charlottetown in 2019. She is heavily influenced by 20th century Mi’kmaw quillwork and she is supported in her harvesting efforts by her family. Melissa is proud to be passing the art on to her two sons and the broader community.
Instagram: @mpeterpaul
Jody Racicot
My creative obsession with plastic laminate began ten years ago. Before that time I built furniture primarily in rare and exotic woods. Then in 2010, experimenting with recycled materials, I created a writing desk from salvaged wood, aluminum, steel and plastic laminate (Writing Desk, 2010). It was a major departure from my training. Writing Desk was entered in the juried Studio North exhibition at Toronto's Interior Design Show, IDS11, where it was a hit with the press and the public. The surprising appearance of vintage plastic laminate resonated with people who found it relatable. I heard a lot of kitchen table stories. I realized that the material triggered narrative and have used it in every major piece since. I collect and remove laminate from old tables using it as the featured material (Vanity, 2013) or in combination with wood and aluminum (Trifold Screen plus One, 2015), in functional (Mirror, 2018) and sculptural objects (Six Foot Ladder, 2014).
Record Player on Concrete Stand (2019) is featured in the Creative Obsessions exhibition. It is made of concrete, steel, electronics, plywood, maple, ebony, arbutus and Formica solid surface - the same material used in counter tops. Record Player is both functional and sculptural; a synergy of materials reflecting my maturity as a furniture craftsman and designer.
My one of a kind furniture is designed and built in my Canoe Cove home workshop. To my knowledge, no other fine furniture maker uses salvaged plastic laminates in the same way.
jodyracicot.com
Ayelet Stewart
This collection of work expresses my fascination and awe with the ocean. I spend hours walking along the beach, marveling at the beauty that is left exposed by the tides. Sometimes I feel like a voyeur as I explore the flora, fauna, and the many sea creatures that have washed onto the shoreline. My designs are also inspired by the barnacle formations on rock clusters of shells, and the range of bright colours of seaweed I find floating in low waters. I have devoted months creating this collection of earrings, necklaces, and broaches attempting to capture the rich aesthetic of the ocean. I invite you to share my love of the ocean, its vivid colours, wonder, and beauty as you explore this collection.
ayelet9@yahoo.com
Instagram: @_aydesign
Facebook: Ayelet Somekh Stewart
Isako Suzuki
Inspired by both traditional and contemporary Neriage works, and determined to not follow the tradition, I taught myself how to create my own style of Neriage work by studying some Japanese masters’ work and by trial and error. I carefully assemble hundreds of layers of gradated coloured clay, from which I throw a piece on the wheel; the resulting work appears to have flowing motion with gradated bands which also creates three dimensional effects in viewers' minds.
Hermann-Suzuki Pottery
hspottery@gmail.com
http://www.hspottery.com
Jane Whitten
“Oh, I could knit that!!!”….. I am constantly seeing things in the landscape that I would love to knit. I’ve been knitting since childhood and find the repetitive movement and the automaticity helps keep me focused on other things going on around me. (The only time I don’t knit is when I’m driving.)
Traditionally, knitters create functional pieces for protection and comfort: sweaters, hats, mittens, socks, long underwear. In this time of climate crisis, however, knitters are uniquely positioned to use their needles to help spread social, political, and environmental messages.
Beach Blanket is the story of how our beaches give us great pleasure and comfort and that we also have a responsibility to protect them.
Instagram: @janewhittenbasketry
Bette Young
I am inspired by the PEI landscape when I design and create my hooked pieces. Homesteads and old buildings are set in the rich colours of the fields, roads and shores that I love. I hand dye most of my wool, but also incorporate wool from old clothing. I especially enjoy hooking skies, which set the mood for my works.
Bette Young
Stratford, PEI
(902)432-0200
Instagram @bettehooksrugs