Toronto Craft Alert » Design

EXHIBITION: Capacity 2012 (January 26 -29, 2012; reception January 28)

jen — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:12:40 +0000

A few of my favourite Toronto designers are in this show spotlighting the work of lady designers in Canada. This is part of Toronto Design Week which is in full swing – with shows including Come Up to My Room, Losing Parkdale at the OCC and DO Design on Dundas West. Visit this handy Toronto Design Offisite (TO DO) website for the lowdown on various Design Week events!

“CAPACITY” is an exhibit of new work by female, Canadian designers, curated by [...]

GET SCHOOLED: Valentine’s Craft Workshops at the Design Exchange (February 1st, 2012; 6:30-8:30pm and February 11th, 2012; 12-3pm)

tara — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:46:47 +0000

Lots of fantastic things have been happening at the Design Exchange as of late. Last week, I attended a screening there, where I learned about these great little Valentine’s-oriented workshops happening within the next few weeks, held in partnership with awesome locals Preloved and The Japanese Paper Place. Click the links below to save your spot…

Valentine’s Day at the DX  !

Share the Love with Preloved
February 1, 2012
6.30 pm – 8.30 pm
Design Exchange, 234 Bay Street, Toronto
$85 / person
$75 [...]

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 [...]

QUESTIONS FOR CRAFTERS CHEONGJU: Aaron Oussoren

tara — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:24:23 +0000

Aaron Oussoren, Manhole Cover (Grey). Photo courtesy of the artist.

For our second Cheongju Craft Biennale artist profile, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the work of emerging Toronto-based glass artist, Aaron Oussoren. For more on him and his fantastic work, spend some time poking around his website.

How did you come to be one of the eight Canadians taking part in this year’s Craft Biennale in Cheongju?
I’m fortunate to be an Artist-In-Residence at Harbourfront Centre, and quite a [...]

EXHIBITION: Material Explorations @ Harbourfront Centre (October 1 – December 31; reception: September 30, 2011)

jen — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:25:28 +0000

Katherine Morley, Don’t Mind if I Sugru, 2011. Moldable air cure silicone.

In talking to crafty thinkers and reviewing the literature on contemporary craft practice for my report for the Ontario Arts Council, the relationship between craft, art, design, and related disciplines (such as architecture) was a very hot topic. I came across a whole bunch of fascinating projects which applied craft principles and techniques involving very old or very new materials toward architecture or [...]

EXHIBITION: Fabricate at Meredith Keith Gallery & Freedom Clothing Collective (September 8 – October 1, 2011; reception Sept. 16)

jen — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:10:00 +0000

So many good-looking exhibitions coming up in Toronto, and this one is no exception! Curator Marsya Maharani told me that she was inspired by a panel discussion held at OCADU this past March as part of the Ontario Council’s CraftTalks series, where the blurry lines between craft, art, and design were discussed and celebrated. I am very much looking forward to seeing how the artists and designers in this show tackle this theme.

Fabricate is an exhibition that contextualizes art and design as mediums that are not [...]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Do Design on Dundas West (deadline: September 19, 2011; event: January 26-29, 2012)

jen — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:12:13 +0000

Toronto Design Week (which emerged in response to the Interior Design Show) is always filled with inspiring shows and events, and MADE on Dundas West has been one of the driving forces in bringing conceptual design to the public during this period. They have teamed up with fellow Dundas St. West buddies Bookhou and R.A.D. to produce Do Design, a four day design crawl now in its second year which features contemporary furniture, objects, architectural and graphic design on display in storefronts, [...]

EXHIBITION: Capacity at the DX (August 25-October 15, 2011; reception: August 26)

jen — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:45:02 +0000

If, like me, you missed the Capacity show during design week in January, you will be happy to hear that the Design Exchange is hosting the exhibit starting August 25. They are also running a panel discussion on a topic at the heart of this lady-designed show, Design and Gender. Not to be missed! Also also, they are accepting submissions for Capacity 2012 (deadline September 15, 2011) so email them if you are interested in participating.

It is with much pride and excitement we announce that [...]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Show Off @ The Junction (deadline: August 26; event: October 18-30, 2011)

jen — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:20:04 +0000

Window Display Artist was one of my top childhood dream jobs (along with Florist and Copywriter), so I got pretty excited when Angelune pointed out this call for submissions from Mason Interior Design for designers & artists to create installations for window displays in Junction storefronts. This design event will take place from October 18-30, 2011. The call closes August 26, so if this piques your imagination, head over here for more information and to download an application for registration.

If you have [...]

CRAFT SHOW: Bloorcourt Arts and Crafts Streetfair Market (August 13, 2011)

jen — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:13:15 +0000

Yes, yes, I’ve been blogging about little else lately in the form of vendor profiles, but sometimes it’s easy to miss the forest through the trees! So just a quick ‘mark your calendars’ type note that this very Saturday, the Bloorcourt Arts and Crafts Street Fair is coming up, and the market action is NOT TO BE MISSED.

We’ve got several dozen artists and makers offering up prints, ceramics, paper goods, textiles for the home and bod, accessories and jewellery galore, and even [...]

CRAFTY HAPPENING: Miracle Thieves Grand Opening (July 28, 2011; All Day!)

tara — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 03:12:43 +0000

Just got a heads up on this great-looking space opening at the end of the month a mere block away from me (what luck!), right across from Trinity Bellwoods Park. Miracle Thieves will be a craft and design retail space as well as a workshop and community art space. See below for all the deets about their upcoming day-long opening celebration.

Miracle Thieves is a new and exciting multi-purpose creative space. Aside from a curated retail component which exclusively houses [...]

SHOP CRAFTY: Field & Market Pop Up Shop (July 7 – 10, 2011)

jen — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 22:22:36 +0000

I am running out the door so just a flyer and some links for this pop-up shop – stylish & tasty looking (& opened today!):

http://blog-fieldandmarket.tumblr.com

Facebook event

EXHIBITION: Zoo @ Loose Canon Gallery, Hamilton (July 8 – August 12, 2011; reception July 8)

jen — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:10:30 +0000

It’s art crawl time again (yes, I am going to keep plugging this thing until I see more of you guys wandering the streets of Hamilton every second Friday night of the month!) and this is the show I am most excited about checking out. A fantastic little group of local illustrator/designers have come together to explore the wonders (and from the sounds of it, horrors) of the animal kingdom. Behold:

ZOO
or, A Motley Menagerie of Magnificent Mammalia

EXHIBITION: The Parallel Library at 1080 Queen Street West (June 23-July 3; Reception: June 23rd, 6-9pm)

tara — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:10:27 +0000

I have long been a fan of the Monkey’s Paw and its collection of eclectic, obscure and sometimes downright bizarre printed matter. After all, in what other book store would you find a biography of “Honest” Ed Mirvish next to a lushly-illustrated book on Hawaiian coconut shell crafts from the 1950s? I recently spotted the following listing for a staff-curated exhibition of some of MP’s more notable titles, due to happen later on this month. [...]

EXHIBITION: Cold Comfort: New and Improved Souvenirs of Canada at the Textile Museum of Canada (June 18-September 18, 2011; Workshops June 25-26, 2011)

tara — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 23:55:44 +0000

Just in time for Canada Day! This fabulous-looking exhibition– a collaboration between Waterloo-based art collective Dodolab and the Textile Museum of Canada– will feature both a slew of vintage Canadian souvenir pillows and artifacts and an interactive pillow making workshop. If mounties and beavers aren’t your idea of Canadian symbols, attend the workshops over the weekend of the 25th and 26th and create your own Canadian iconography. I fully intend on attending and making a pillow or two based on my favourite [...]

CRAFTY HAPPENING: CrEATe and FEAST Art and Design Micro-Funding Projects (June 8 and June 15, 2011)

tara — Sat, 28 May 2011 01:03:50 +0000

Image Courtesy of the FEAST Toronto Blog

Most people who know me know that my two favourite things in the whole wide world are art and food. Needless to say these two events/fundraisers caught my eye when perusing the latest Instant Coffee broadcast in my inbox. Micro-funding seems to have become a hot topic in the world of art and design over the past year and a bit, no doubt as a [...]

EXHIBITION: The Show Off: OCAD University’s 96th annual Graduate Exhibition (May 5 to 8, 2011

jen — Thu, 05 May 2011 15:34:09 +0000

I always find it super inspiring to check out student shows – without fail there are at least one or two people expressing ideas or an aesthetic I haven’t seen elsewhere, particulary as students aren’t as encumbered by concerns about commercial viability yet! As this OCAD grad show involves more than 500 (!) graduates, it is a safe bet that there will be something there that engages you. Read on for deets…

The Show Off: OCAD University’s [...]

GET SCHOOLED: Crafty Programming At This Year’s Subtle Technologies Festival (May 28th-June 5th, 2011)

tara — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:18:47 +0000

Bioplastic Buttons by Stephanie Phillips

For those of you who don’t know, Subtle Technologies is a really exciting annual festival of art and science that gathers artists, scientists, innovators, technologists, engineers, designers and the general public to discuss and exhibit work that intersects such disciplines. A few weeks ago, I noticed their website was up and was thrilled to see that there is some really interesting crafty programming attached to the festival this year. One piece [...]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Nova Scotia Centre for Craft and Design Summer Professional Development Residency (deadline: April 29, 2011)

tara — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:00:50 +0000

How would you like to spend July and August creating a new body of work in glorious Halifax, Nova Scotia? I spotted this call for subs for a residency program geared towards emerging craftspeople at the The Nova Scotia Centre for Craft and Design the other day…looks like a really fantastic opportunity to hunker down and make work in an exciting, new (not to mention beautiful) city. For more details, take a look at the NSCCD’s website.

Photo of NSCCD’s [...]

VENDOR CALL: IDS12 Studio North and Prototype (deadline: May 6,2011; show: Jan 26-29, 2012)

jen — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 12:53:29 +0000

Mike (husband, woodworker) participated in IDS’s Prototype section in 2010, and as an emerging furniture maker it was a great experience for him – he got his piece featured in NOW, got tons of feedback on his work, gained confidence from positive comments, and scored a number of commissions out if it. (For him, at least) it wasn’t a show about sales as you would expect from a craft event, but more about learning and connecting. If this sounds like something that may be of use to you, perhaps you want to consider applying for IDS12. Details below!

EXHIBITION: Marian Bantjes: I Wonder at Onsite (at) OCADU (March 2-June 5, 2011) REVIEW

tara — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 19:27:22 +0000

I Wonder image courtesy of Onsite (at) OCADU’s website

A few weeks ago I dropped in to see the exhibition I Wonder at Onsite (at) OCADU, which features the innovative and utterly seductive work of Canadian graphic artist Marian Bantjes. I Wonder is also the title of Bantjes’ new book, which not only features her lush and highly original work with design and typography, but it also discusses her thoughts on design. Having flipped through the book in [...]

CRAFTY LIT: bookhou at home (b.a.h.) mag Launch & Giveaway (deadline: March 13, 2011)

jen — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 14:17:00 +0000

I (and many others, I’m certain) am frequently in awe of the bookhou phenomenon that seamlessly blends John and Arounna’s repective art practices, stellar craft and design work, retail store, two gorgeous kids, and general celebration of all things beautiful. They just launched b.a.h. mag – an online publication that contains news of bookhou developments, studio visits with makers, DIY projects, local restaurant reviews, and recipes- and it is a perfect reflection of their aesthetic and approach to life.

This first issue has a recipe for ridiculously delicious [...]

GET SCHOOLED: Design Camps for Kids by the AGO & OCADU (starting July 4, 2011, registration open)

jen — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:28:38 +0000

Wow, it looks like summer camp is a different animal for kids these days – my experiences were more PB & J than sustainable architecture! Kinda wish my parents would register me for these camps run by OCADU and the AGO…

Register your child for OCAD U and AGO Design Camps this summer

Register your child for summer camp at Toronto’s ultimate Design campus! OCAD University, in partnership with the Art Gallery of Ontario, is offering an exciting camp experience for children, ages 8 to 13. Two-week design camps, starting July 4 and [...]

CRAFTY CHAT: Craft: Shifting Directions II, Craft Education (March 09, 2011)

jen — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 13:46:57 +0000

I hesitate to post about this, only because I am a wee bit nervous to be moderating this CraftTalks panel (does that feeling ever go away??) hosted by the Ontario Crafts Council and OCAD’s Material Art & Design program. But I think this is a very current and valuable conversation to be having, so I want to make sure those of you who haven’t come across it know about it. Come out be part of the discussion!

Craft: Shifting Directions II
Wednesday, March 9, 6:30 pm
OCADU, Room 190, 100 McCaul [...]

EXHIBITION: Marian Bantjes, I Wonder at Onsite [at] OCAD (Exhibition: March 2-June 5, 2011; Reception: March 2, 7-9 pm)

tara — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 14:07:56 +0000

Calling all design fans and typography heads! This upcoming exhibition at Onsite [at] OCAD (formerly known as OCAD Professional Gallery) featuring illustrator and typographer Marian Banjes looks very interesting. The book I Wonder itself looks gorgeous…a feast for the eyes that combines old traditions and new forms of typography in a truly compelling way. For more on Bantjes, take a look at her website, which includes some fantastic images to appetize you until the show opens at the beginning of [...]

CRAFTY CONTEST: T-Shirt Designs for Pop Montreal (Deadline: March 4, 2011)

becky — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 09:04:58 +0000

Feel like designing your way into music stardom? Think you can work the logo above into a swank new T-shirt graphic? The folks over at Pop Montreal have devised a contest to help you do those two things! Use one of both of their graphics in designing a new tee and you could win shows tickets and plenty of cred. Check out those celebrity judges, too!

From their website:

Design POP: Open Call for T-Shirt Designs

POP Montreal is pleased to announce our first annual T-Shirt Design [...]

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 [...]

EXHIBITION: Toronto Design Week 2011- What’s left!

jen — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:06:43 +0000

It pains me to write this, but we are coming online right after the core weekend of the typically amazing Toronto Design Week 2011 activities, like Come Up to My Room at the Gladstone. But don’t fret too hard if you missed it yourself, there there is still time to check out a few enticing exhibitions. See the Toronto Design Week 2011 Offsite website for more details on offsite events as well as tons of video interviews and other coverage. Also be sure to visit the

CRAFTY HAPPENING: Artisan Chair Auction for Charity (July 6)

rosalyn — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 12:24:53 +0000

Come support a great cause on Tuesday July 6, 2010 from 5-8pm

Design @ Humber students invite you to attend this charity event to support WoodGreen Community Services and the Furniture Bank. We wish to bring awareness to low income housing by having an Artisan Chair Silent Auction. Local artists and designers will be displaying their re-vamped chairs in the streets of the Distillery District on July 6, 2010 from 5-8pm. Come and [...]

EXHIBITION: Ceramic installation by Susie Osler (June 17 – July 31)

angelune — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:42:37 +0000

Opening Reception at MADE 7pm to 9pm, Thursday 17th June
867 Dundas St West
Exhibition continues to 31st July

MADE presents: Collection a ceramic installation by Susie Osler

Plate collections abound. Some collections serve as souvenirs of personal travels, others as repositories demonstrating wealth, taste, or sophistication. Susie Osler’s collection explores the fragments of memories of birds seen while driving around Mexico this past winter.

In 16th century Europe – an era of global exploration/exploitation and colonial expansion – the “Kunstkammer” or “Cabinet of Curiosity” was regarded as [...]