'Craft Practical' Symposium

Please note: we will be happy to offer onsite registration for all those interested.  Please bring a cheque payable to the Ontario Crafts Council.  Registration will take place between 9:30am-10am at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery.

The “Craft Practical” Symposium is a one day workshop/lecture series that provides an opportunity for artists to explore, interact, inform and be informed in regards to the contemporary craft world.  Attendees will have the opportunity to ask connect with curators, artists, and arts administrators and connect with their creative peers.

 This event provides an important opportunity to stimulate people to think about “craft” from fresh perspectives and with one’s eyes – and mind – wide open.  The range and diversity of participants will encourage and develop a forum for new dialogue that addresses “craft” within contemporary practice and contemporary thought rather than framing it within the constructs and thought patterns of generations past.

Our knowledgeable panel will ensure you recieve the information you need in order to excel at the business side of your craft. 

Symposium Schedule

9:30-10am Registration

10am ‘Craftsperson as Small Business’.....A lively panel discussion with Andrew Goss (Goss Design) Juan Bohorquez and Shannon Kennedy (Cynosure Jewelry) as they share their marketing strategies, personal experiences in establishing a studio, and the realities of running a small business.

11am Refreshment Break

11:15am ‘Digital Image Preparation’.....Fused glass artist, photographer and entrepreneur Renato Foti (Trio Design) walks participants through the process of preparing images for a standard call for entry. (Image requirements, resizing, DPI, CMYK) Renato presents a step by step process of how an image is made suitable for a jury.

11:15am ‘Onsite Portfolio Evaluation’.....Veteran jurors Virginia Eichhorn, Denis Longchamps and Emma Quin share their insightful comments though an engaging open critique. Digital images must be submitted in advance of the workshop.

12:15pm Networking Lunch (included)

1pm ‘Curating Craft Exhibitions'.....Panel discussion with Melanie Egan, Virginia Eichhorn and Denis Longchamps.

1:45pm Refreshment Break

2pm ‘Grant Writing Workshop’.....Lisa Wöhrle of the Ontario Arts Council demystifies the process of completing a grant application.

4pm Coffee Break

4:15pm ‘NeoCraft: Is Everything Old New Again?’ with Virginia Eichhorn, Michele Karch-Ackerman and Sandra Noble Goss

5pm Networking Social

6pm **CraftBus depart for Toronto and Kitchener