Looking for some indoor fun? Keep your hands and head busy by signing up for a craft workshop this winter. There are a wide variety of classes available for every skill set so get out there and learn something new! Read the full article to see what some of our member guilds and organizations are offering.

Calgary has a great craft community and this is further demonstrated through the support of attendees to the various craft shows popping up this festive season. The Alberta Craft Council (ACC) staff regularly travel to create the window displays for Art Market but this year it was our goal to take in some more craft sales. Arriving in Calgary last Sunday we were treated to a warm winter’s day and loads of craft eye candy. We were lucky to visit Handmade Here craft sale, the Bee Kingdom studio sale, and Art Market.

The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery announced the winners for the 2012 Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics and the RBC Award for Glass at an Awards Ceremony in Waterloo on October 10th. Award winners received $10,000 each and runners-up $1,000 each. These prestigious national awards allow early career ceramic and glass artists to undertake a period of independent research, or other activities that will advance their artistic and professional practice at a key moment in their careers.

The Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild (CBBAG) is pleased to present Art of the Book 2013. This sixth juried travelling exhibition of members' work marks CBBAG's 30th anniversary. We've had great response to our "Intention to Participate" in Art of the Book 2013 thus far and have extended the deadline to October 1, 2012. We're excited to announce that a new grand prize of $1000 will be awarded in addition to the seven previously announced category prizes. CBBAG held its first Art of the Book exhibition in 1988, and every five years since. The exhibition travels across the country for two years post-opening and it is expected that the originality and artistic merit of these pieces will provide standards and inspiration for the Canadian book arts community. The categories for the exhibition include: fine binding, calligraphy, fine printing, paper making, paper decorating, box making, and artists' books.