A.C.E.: Alberta Craft Excellence features a diverse selection of exceptional Fine Craft artists in our province today. Marking the Alberta Craft Council’s 40th anniversary (2020), the exhibition serves both to celebrate and to commemorate excellence in Alberta contemporary and traditional fine craft recognizing quality, authenticity, innovation, and craftsmanship.  

The invited jury - two professional makers Natali Rodrigues and Sharon Rose Kootenay and craft historian Jennifer Salahub had the arduous task of selecting from many high-quality submissions, those most representative of craft excellence in 2020. 

Participating Artists:  Jim Etzkorn, Pamma FitzGerald, Brian McArthur, Mackenzie Kelly-Frère, Susan Kristoferson, Liv Pedersen, Bonita Datta, Bonny Houston, Marty Kaufman, Brenda Malkinson, Jackie Anderson, Karen Cantine, Sarabeth Carnat, Albertine Crow Shoe, Charles Lewton-Brain, Shona Rae, John Smith-Jones, Simon Wroot, Kenton Jeske, Talar & Jean-Claude Préfontaine, Erin Schwab.  

Curated by Shiemara Hogarth

Audre Lorde once said that “if I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.”

eva birhanu and Simone Elizabeth Saunders define for themselves, in this body of work, permanent manifestations through sculptural and textile practices that reckon with the necessary conversations surrounding race, gender, roots and identity.

Conceived as a visual narrative and social commentary, Sharon Rose Kootenay’s Manitohkewin series explored the artist’s relationship between cultural practices, spiritual beliefs and global concerns.
Manitohkewin was made possible in part with the support of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts: Indigenous Arts Individual Project Grant, the Royal Alberta Museum, and the Glenbow Museum.

In craft, careers are as varied as the objects created, and each artist has their own unique career story to tell. Marking the Alberta Craft Council’s 40th anniversary, Making: a career in craft shares the stories of 21 fine craft artists.

The Spaces Between is a solo exhibition of works by Leah Kudel exploring the absent spaces that surround us in life. They are spaces that make us feel something. They bring us together, make us question our lives, fill us with curiosity, and help us grieve after loss. An intersection between handblown glass, photography, video, and interactive art, this exhibition blurs the lines between fine craft and contemporary art.

Kudel was a contestant on the Netflix series Blown Away: Season 1, a high-stakes glassblowing competition. Now based in Edmonton, Leah has returned to Canada after spending four years travelling the globe working as a professional glassblower. Leah has worked as an artist in studios across the USA, New Zealand, Italy, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Fiji, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, and Croatia.

Cultivate | Instigate is about the influential creatives at the forefront of post-secondary craft education in Alberta. The artists in this exhibition balance the dual roles of educator and professional practicing artist.

Participating Artists: Zimra Beiner, Reed Fagan, Marty Kaufman, Mackenzie Kelly-Frère, Martina Lantin, Bill Morton, Lyndsay Rice, Tyler Rock, Natali Rodrigues, Laura Vickerson, Trudie Allen, Ruby Sweetman, Trudy Golley.

Dawn Detarando (Red Deer) uses her ceramics expertise to curate a diverse selection of 20+ butter dishes. This exhibition will demonstrate the variety of processes and techniques that contemporary ceramics artists ‘churn’ out from their studios.