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CRAFTY CHAT: Craft and Culture: Making Things with Rachel MacHenry at OCAD University (January 17th, 2012; 6:30-7:30pm)

tara — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:18:03 +0000

I went to a couple of CraftTalks- a lecture and panel series co-presented by OCADU and the Ontario Crafts Council- in 2010 and took an indescribable amount of knowledge and inspiration away from them. For some reason (homework and general school-related chaos, perhaps?) I ended up missing 2011′s lineup of talks altogether. 2012 is another year, and I’m excited to be attending the first of many scheduled CraftTalks tomorrow evening. The speaker is textile artist and educator Rachel MacHenry- find all [...]

CRAFTY HAPPENING: Miracle Thieves Winter Launch (December 3, 2011; 7pm)

tara — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:02:04 +0000

Miracle Thieves is a itty-bitty little shop with a big heart. Since opening last summer on Crawford Street, they have done a lot of really wonderful things on top of being a shop of handmade wares– a quick peruse of their website shows that they have creative workshops for kids and hold hoppin’ community events, exhibitions and benefits. Tomorrow they are having their winter launch, which– on top of being a fun gathering with music and cupcakes– will definitely be a great place to [...]

EXHIBITION: 2011 Pangnirtung Tapestry Collection at The Guild Shop (November 17-December 24, 2011; Reception: November 17, 5-9pm)

tara — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:37:57 +0000

Thoughts of the Owl (2011); image courtesy of The Guild Shop website.

In a Canadian Art History class last year, I was lucky to learn about the Inuit printmakers of Cape Dorset, on Dorset Island in Nunavut. Cape Dorset is known as the “Capital of Inuit Art,” and is well known for its rich history of stone lithography, drawing, carving and handicraft. Similarly, Pangnirtung– on Baffin Island– is known for its weaving studio, which was established in 1970. The exhibition below will [...]

CRAFTY HAPPENING: 1st Annual DuWest Art Gallery Crawl (November 26th, 2011; 12pm, 1pm and 2pm)

tara — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:52:30 +0000

Claude Grenier, Traffic, 2011. Image courtesy of Meredith Keith Gallery

The Dundas BIA is behind a new gallery crawl series that will focus attention on the galleries of the Dundas West/Brockton Village neighbourhood, which has morphed into a community full of very cool art and design destinations over the past year or two. Crawl stops on the 26th will include Dundas West gallery mainstay Jessica Bradley Art + Projects (which features consistently excellent exhibitions) and Meredith Keith Gallery, which [...]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Penpal Adventures! A Curated Zine on the Experiences of Girls as Penpals (Deadline: February 1, 2012)

tara — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:08:58 +0000

Image courtesy of Chuckman’s Other Collection (Toronto Postcards) Volume 5

Having pen pals and being one was such a huge part of my life as a teenager who made zines– a practice that was, in the [...]

QUESTIONS FOR CRAFTERS CHEONGJU: Robyn Love

tara — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:52:32 +0000

Robyn lays down The Knitted Mile in Dallas, Texas (2008)

Greetings, readers! Welcome to the first installment of a short series of interviews with a few of the talented craftspeople taking part in this year’s International Craft Biennale in Cheongju, Korea, which opened just a few days ago. There are 8 Canadians taking part in the festivities this year– one of them being Robyn Love, who was invited to the Biennale to create an ambitious site-specific installation. Robyn is an [...]

GET TOGETHER: The Great TTC Knitalong (July 9, 2011)

jen — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:07:48 +0000

We have all been there, stealing surreptitious glances at a stranger’s knitting across the subway aisle. Or perhaps you have been the one subtly ogled as you crochet hook bobs and weaves its way to your streetcar stop. All coyness goes out the window at the annual TTC Knitalong (KAL), which brings together knitters and hookers (aka crocheters) alike from all over the GTA, Ontario and beyond for a day of yarn related tourism, shopping, and chatting it up with fellow yarnheads. All funds raised [...]

CRAFTY HAPPENING: Take Off Your Clothes Clothing Swap at Trinity Bellwoods Community Centre (May 27 & 28, 2011)

tara — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:33:35 +0000

Talk about a dream come true…an enormous, weekend-long clothing swap happening right at the top of my street! This is one event that my shopping-o-phobic beau is just as excited (if not even more excited) about as I am. It is certain that Take Off Your Clothes will be full of fantastic finds…don’t miss out.

The S.W.A.P. Team, an North American non-profit social enterprise based in Montreal, Quebec, is expecting over 400 people at its 2nd Toronto edition [...]

CRAFTIVISM: Mayday: 1001 Chairs For Ai Weiwei at the Chinese Consulate (Sunday, May 15, 1-2pm)

tara — Thu, 12 May 2011 19:29:48 +0000

Ai Weiwei poster courtesy of dangerousminds.net

Many of us in the art and craft community have heard about the situation in China involving the arrest of renowned contemporary artist and activist Ai Weiwei. Ai Weiwei’s provocative work is often political and deeply human. For example, his recent work Sunflower Seeds consisted of one hundred million porcelain sunflower “seeds” made by artisans in Jingdezhen, which is known as the “porcelain capital” of China. This work was meant to be a [...]

FROM THE DESK OF TCA: Last days of Becky’s kickstarter campaign DONATE by April 27!

jen — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 12:46:05 +0000

Rust in Pieces, Boris Carloff
by the men and women of the Misanthrope Specialty Co.

You may recall this recent post about Becky’s Kickstarter drive to raise funds to embark on her seasonal craft journey across North America. Well, the deadline is coming up in less than a week, and though she has made some amazing progress ($5474 at time of posting) she still needs your help to reach her $6500 goal by April 27. [...]

FROM THE DESK OF TCA: Kickstart Becky back into crafty action! (deadline to donate: April 27, 2011)

jen — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:36:31 +0000

A still from Becky’s Kickstarter video. Watch it here!

If you’ve engaged in grassroots craft activity in Toronto (or hell, Bruno, Saskatchewan or Arlington, Virginia), you’ve probably encountered Becky Johnson. Beyond running the sweetie pie press (her full-time button, zine, crochet neckwarmer, and miscellaneous multiples business) which she tables around town at various shows, Becky has brought you crafty action that includes: The Good Catch Craft Fair series, Trunk Shows at the workroom, and all manner of activities related to City of Craft – including [...]

CRAFTIVISM: Ashita: Artists For Japan (Tuesday, March 29, 2011, 7pm)

tara — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 14:27:21 +0000

Here is another art event that has been put together to benefit Japan. This one is a one-night gathering of music and performance art. Galleries such as Art Metropole and Magic Pony have donated books for sale at the show, and the work of awesome local art/illustration heavyweights such as Fiona Smyth and Nicholas Di Genova will be on sale as well. Sounds super!

Ashita: Artists for Japan
Our heart and minds [...]

GET SCHOOLED: Upcoming Craft Workshops at Harbourfront Centre (April-June 2011)

tara — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:04:11 +0000

With everything that goes on in this city for culture vultures and art/craft fiends, it’s easy to take things for granted. Take craft workshops at Harbourfront Centre, for example– there are an amazing variety of them taught by incredible local craftspeople, yet I often find myself forgetting about them and then having these eureka moments of rediscovery. The city is full of fantastic workshops like these that happen seasonally…lets take advantage of them to ensure that they always [...]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Good Work at the Textile Arts Centre, Brooklyn (Deadline: March 25, 2011)

tara — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:42:40 +0000

I found this great looking call this morning on ArtClothText, a fantastic textile/craft blog out of Alberta. The deadline is coming up fairly soon, so if this exhibition’s theme grabs you, hop to it and prepare your submission!

Good Work
Curated by Tali Weinberg
Textile Arts Center and Oak Knit Studio Gallery

May Day is a celebration of spring, rejuvenation, fertility and life—a day to dance and weave the Maypole. And it is a day to honor laborers, to mark the social and economic achievements of the labor movement, and for workers around the [...]

IT CAME FROM THE FORUM: Affordable Artist Space – Aardvark Collective

jen — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:56:58 +0000

Affordable artist space can be so hard to find in Toronto’s totally inflated real estate market, so kudos to the Aardvark Collective for taking action to provide an accessible option.

Artist Studio/Non-Profit Activist space for rent
Aardvark Collective is seeking artists, activists, non-profits and any other suitable organizations or groups to rent a large warehouse space. Our aim is to provide affordable, non-profit space for artists and activist organizations.

Regenesis is a social justice and environmental non-profit dedicated to collective economics, activism and the arts. Aardvark’s mission is to
facilitate [...]

EXHBITION: Some words on The Wunderkabinet 2 (Berlin, Germany)

Toronto Craft Alert — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 14:09:56 +0000

Since we were on hiatus during the first round of Leah Buckareff’s (co-founder of the Toronto Church of Craft & City of Craft alike and all around crafty champion) wonderful Wunderkabinet exhibition, we wanted to make sure to give the second edition some love. The Wunderkabinet 2 involves many local craft artists (4 of them part of the TCA team!), so it is like a Toronto-Berlin craft art exchange program. Kudos to Leah for making this happen, and happen so well. For more background on the project, check out this post.

The [...]

CRAFTY CONTEST: Snow Forts! (Deadline: Thursday February 3, 2011 – TOMORROW)

becky — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:09:33 +0000

Photo by the P.I.N.E. Project

Inspired by today’s snowfall, the awesome folks at the P.I.N.E. Project have created an impromptu snow fort competition.

From their website:

Here’s our challenge: We’re building a snowfort on our front lawn today with some friends and a local family. We challenge you to do the same. Don’t care if you’re a family of one, twelve, college housemates, or you just want to build a fort for your beloved dog.

Get outside, and start building!

Forts will be judged tomorrow [...]

FROM THE DESK OF TCA: Hiatus Hookups

jen — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:43:43 +0000

It’s official: We’re on a six month hiatus from posting on the site, to return in January 2011.

While we’re off, here are some ways to stay in the crafty loop & continue to spread your own news:

TCA FORUM: We’ve added all of our usual posting categories (e.g. Vendor Calls, Get Schooled) and have kept some of the more social categories up as well (e.g. Crafting Advice, Crushes and Inspiration). We really encourage y’all to use this community tool to connect, inspire & [...]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: The Wunderkabinet (deadline: July 23, launches: August 28)

jen — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 13:46:48 +0000

Our dear friend Leah of Toronto Church of Craft and City of Craft is currently living/making cool stuff happen in Berlin. She’d very much like to create some links between the craft worlds here and there – please see her call for your submissions to her latest project below.

Located inside the incredible bastel lounge that is La Bastellerie in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighbourhood, The Wunderkabinet will house a very special collection of handmade curiosities from parts near and very far.* [...]

GET SCHOOLED: Got Zoori?! (June 27)

rosalyn — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:34:39 +0000

Date: Sunday, June 27, 2010 Time: 2-5pm
Materials: Please bring 3 L-size T-shirts and scissors
Cost: $30 (Includes Zoori making instruction) 10 seats available!
Please sign up at theknitcafe@hotmail.com or 416-533-5648

ZOORI is our original interpretation of the traditional Japanese “zouri”, simply means “cloth sandals”. These are worn by traditional Japanese more than 200 years ago. However, recently they have gained back the popularity in Japan, but this time round, the sandals are all made with variety of fabrics such as [...]

VENDOR CALL: Meadowvale Village P.S. Fall Fair (September 25)

rosalyn — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:50:20 +0000

September 25, 2010, 11:00am to 3:00pm
Meadowvale Village Public School, 890 Old Derry Road W., Mississauga, ON seeks vendors for its annual Community Fun Fair.

Registration fee is $45 for one 8 ft. table plus a donation to the school’s silent auction. Applications will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis until we reach capacity at 30 tables. You must submit application with payment.

For more information and application, contact Leanne Hamaguchi at lhamaguchi@hotmail.com

GET TOGETHER: TTC Knitalong (July 10)

rosalyn — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 23:57:56 +0000

TTC Knitalong

The TTC Knitalong is back for 2010! We’re exploring some new features and a few changes to the routes, but basically the goals stay the same: TTC, knit, shop!

So save the date Saturday, July 10 2010 and get your pointy sticks and TTC passes ready to go.

To register please check the blog for details or email ttcknitalong@gmail.com

So what is the TTC Knitalong?

3 teams meet at different yarn stores around the city. Travelling by streetcar, subway and bus [...]

CRAFT SHOW: Yard Sale Trunk Show (June 13)

rosalyn — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:07:11 +0000

It’s almost summertime, and the workroom is hosting another fantastic trunk show! The Yard Sale Trunk Show is taking place on Sunday June 13 from 12-5 pm.

More than 15 local crafty vendors will be taking part in this indoor/outdoor yard sale/craft show. Buy local handmade goods and some incredible rummage. Enjoy the workroom’s amazing backyard and have some delicious free snacks. Have your photo taken in our outdoor photo booth by

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: From the Great Lakes (August-September, deadline: June 9)

rosalyn — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:03:15 +0000

De La Cason Arte Contemporanea is a brand new exhibition space in Venice, Italy and one of the very few in the city that exhibits works by emerging artists.

“From the Great Lakes” will be an exhibition showcasing work by emerging Canadian artists to an international community, curated by Michelle Galletta, an OCAD grad who now lives and works in Venice. This is an open invitation to artists who live in or are from Ontario and are making [...]

GET TOGETHER: Worldwide Knit in Public Day – Guinness World Record Attempt (June 12)

rosalyn — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:02:56 +0000

Saturday, June 12, 1:00 – 4:00
Junction Square, 2945 Dundas at Pacific

The 2nd Sunday in June is Worldwide Knit in Public Day (WWKIP Day for those in the know). The celebration started in Europe in 2005, and is rapidly gaining popularity, thanks to the rise of knitting (and other traditional needle crafts) among a whole new generation of hipsters who dig handmade.

June 12, three organizations are [...]

GET SCHOOLED: Workshops at Wise Daughters (June)

rosalyn — Sun, 23 May 2010 15:53:31 +0000

Wise Daughters Craft Market
3079B Dundas St. W.
416-761-1555
www.wisedaughters.com

Summertime Vision Board Workshop
Sun, June 6, 1:00 – 5:00
Join life coach Ruth Tamari for this half day workshop where you will create a visual representation of your summertime desires. You will leave with a powerful tool that will continue to motivate you towards achieving your dreams. $60 ($50 each for 2).
Light refreshments will be [...]

VENDOR CALL: Art in the Park 2010 – Call for Entry (deadline: May 21)

rosalyn — Wed, 19 May 2010 04:08:13 +0000

Art in the Park 2010 – Call for Entry

ONE WEEK LEFT TO REGISTER- Entry Deadline: Friday, May 21, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.

Annual Outdoor Art Show & Sale

Art in the Park is an annual juried one-day outdoor community arts festival that is held in the parkland surrounding the Scarborough Arts Council. Artists will have the opportunity to connect with the community, sell their work and discuss ideas [...]

GET TOGETHER: World Wide Knit in Public Day (June 19)

rosalyn — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:55:24 +0000

Saturday, June 19 – 8am-12noon
Did you know June 12-20 is World Wide Knit in Public Week in 2010? Public knitting events will be held around the world.

To participate and celebrate the close connection knitting has to the industrial heritage of the area Cambridge Centre for the Arts Artist-in-Residence Sue Sturdy invites you to join hundreds of other knitters in an attempt to set a new world record for the most people knitting simultaneously!

Where and When?

Civic Square in [...]

CRAFT SHOW: The Creators’ Marketplace Show & Sale (TODAY!)

rosalyn — Sat, 01 May 2010 15:36:47 +0000

Looking for a unique Mother’s Day gift? Or just want to find something really different for yourself?

Come check out over 8400 sq. ft. of original and handmade art, jewellery, toys, clothing, food and more at:

The Creators’ Marketplace Show & Sale
Thornhill Community Centre
7755 Bayview Ave., Markham
Saturday May 1, 2010
12-6 pm

FEATURING:
FREE Parking
FREE Kids Activities
FREE Workshops for guests of all ages!
Balloon art, Face Painting
Silent auction with proceeds going to the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

MEET: KURT LEHNER
Animation Artist for Disney, [...]

CRAFT SHOW: Stitch ‘n’ Kitsch Spring Show ‘n’ Sale (TODAY!)

rosalyn — Sat, 01 May 2010 15:22:58 +0000

In our efforts to support local, sustainable businesses, the Stitch’n’Kitsch Spring Show and Sale is the perfect opportunity to get to know some of our regional gems. You don’t have to worry about fair-trade practices, carbon footprints or child labor when you purchase from this craft collective. It has one rule – everything is handmade. It is free and runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 1 at First United Church, corner of King and William, Uptown Waterloo.

The Stitch’n’Kitsch collective began in 2004 as part of [...]