2023 Highlights
The year 2022/2023 in the Bachelor of Craft & Design Program has embarked on new adventures and reinstated many of our annual events. Even though we continued to work in the studios throughout the pandemic, many of our gatherings and activities were put on hold over the last few years. In September 2022 we began to see so many phenomenal opportunities come back into play.
COMING TOGETHER AROUND FOOD!
Our faculty and students build a wonderful community within our program. Quite often, this happens around food! We started the school year with a big outdoor welcome back BBQ. And we continued to come together throughout the year with multiple potluck dinners, pizza parties and Chinese Hot Pot!
Studio Faculty Jin Won Han, Simon Ford and Thea Haines admire the chef’s hat of Ceramic Studio Head Laura Kukkee. Together the team cooked up hundreds of hotdogs for everyone in the program to enjoy.
Students from all years got to meet each other and do some maximum relaxing in the sun just outside of our studios during the welcome back BBQ.
This year, we hosted the first Hot Pot Party to celebrate the lunar new year since 2020. Students came together to share a meal and experience the tradition of Chinese Hot Pot; it has been an annual tradition since 2018, and one that we were happy to have reignited this year.
WHERE DID WE GO?
This year, we could begin to travel and meet in groups again and so we did - LOTS! Students, from all years of study, took advantage of the many field trips available. We travelled by chartered bus, public transit, and carpool to experience exciting places and immerse ourselves in inspiring works of Art, Craft, and Design.
Corning Museum In New York State
In November of 2022, thirty-five students from all years of the program as well as several faculty members, chartered a bus to visit the Corning Museum, Library, and Studios in New York State. Students were able to see amazing glass works on display, meet and network with the glass community during an opening reception, and build a deeper connection with the history of glass.
Each fall, students in 2nd and 3rd year across all five Craft and Design studios participate in an intensive collaborative design course called Interdisciplinary Project. Students are divided into 20 teams; each team is comprised of members from a mix of studios and a mix of years, and each team collaborates over the course of one intensive week on a project responding to a design brief outlining an annually selected theme.
This year, we were fortunate to be invited for a second time to link our Interdisciplinary Project to the Winter Stations design competition.
NCECA Conference In Cincinnati Ohio
Students visiting an exhibition during the NCECA conference
In March, the Clay Club hosted a 4-day trip to Cincinnati for 38 ceramics students to attend the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Conference. The group travelled by chartered bus and stayed in the heart of Cincinnati. The Conference is attended by artists, designers, ceramics educators, academics, and gallerists from all over the world. Students can attend lectures, demonstrations, exhibitions, and see the latest developments from ceramic tool and equipment specialists. Our students also meet and network with hundreds of representatives from schools and artist residencies that offer numerous opportunities for post-graduation.
Students on the way to Cincinnati Ohio to attend the NCECA 2023 conference
GTA Galleries And Museums
Each year second-year students choose a piece from the collection at the Textile Museum of Canada to use as inspiration for a large-scale print design. Here they are in the museum’s archives.
We visited exhibitions at the Textile Museum of Canada, Fibreworks 2023 at Cambridge Galleries, Canadian Modern at the Royal Ontario Museum, and took in the historic trade union banners at the Worker’s Arts & Heritage Museum. On most of these visits, students were given exceptional access to the gallery or museum’s storage and archives where they viewed pieces in the collection that the public may not get the opportunity to see.
Several students and faculty members will be visiting the Glass Art Society (GAS) conference which takes place in Detroit this year (June 7-10). This conference is held annually and is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Our own Faculty Jin Won Han will be lecturing and demonstrating her skills during this conference!
Fourth year textile students were able to request specific works be brought out from vast collections and archives at Cambridge Galleries. They began their research journey by getting up close and personal with the works of Anna Torma (back) and Suzanne Carlsen (front).
BLOWN AWAY
Now in its 4th Season, Blown Away — the glass-blowing reality show featuring students from the Bachelor of Craft and Design (Glass) program as assistants — earned three nominations at the Canadian Screen Awards: Best Reality/Competition Program or Series, Best Direction, Reality/Competition and Best Sound in a Lifestyle, Reality or Entertainment production.
Photo Credit: David Leyes
Our graduates, who participate as gaffers and assistants in the Netflix series, gain unbelievable experience working with some of the best glass artists in the world while also experiencing the fast pace of a competitive television series.
Photo Credit: David Leyes
Photo Credit: David Leyes
Blown away continues to work with our Graduates who appear on the show, as well as our Glass Studio Technologist – Jason Cornish as an advisor and our Glass Studio Head Koen Vanderstukken as the series consultant.
INDUSTRY COLLABORATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECTS
Thunder Bay Library Indigenous Knowledge Centre
Snowshoe walk with Animikii-waajiw (Mt. McKay) in the backdrop (Photo credit: Peter Fleming)
Coming off the success of the 2020 community engagement project, third-year furniture students have partnered again with library staff and a diverse group of Indigenous community members to expand, reimagine and co-design furniture for the Indigenous Knowledge Centre in Thunder Bay Public Library’s Waverley branch.
In early January, students spent a three-day weekend in Thunder Bay sharing meals and conversations, building relationships and trust with these design partners. Students partook in smudgings and land-based activities such as snowshoeing on Animikii-waajiw (Mt. McKay) on Fort William First Nation led by local Knowledge Keeper, Sheila Decorte. The weekend also involved co-design activities where students listened to these partners and gathered information with the goal of co-creating a welcoming space that truly reflects the vision and values of the community.
This information provided the foundation for the concepts that students continued to develop in subsequent weeks back at the college. The refined concepts were then presented back to the project partners as scale models and digital presentations in mid-February and were met with resoundingly positive feedback. The fabrication of the final pieces is now well underway and scheduled to be installed in the library in mid-June.
Model making (L to R) Kayla Della-Nebbia, Perry Perreault, Andrea Matasawagan, Michelle Foran, Beverly Sabourin
(L to R) Students Riley Turner and David Cobus taking in the sage joinery advice of the project’s professional mentor, Peter Fleming
Throughout the process, students have benefited from a real-world client experience, and community members significantly guide this space's design. Community empowerment and collaborative skill building will undoubtedly be project outcomes as valuable as the furniture itself.
Yonge Street Mission
Nora Langill and Alison Postma (L to R) discussing the fabrication process of the bookshelves for the TBLIKC
Over the past summer (2022), furniture students, Nora Langill, Neda Moshg Foroush, and Alison Postma helped to fabricate furniture for the Yonge Street Mission. This is an opportunity that our faculty Connie Chisholm (through her social enterprise, Codesign) has spearheaded for the past two summers which enables students to satisfy their co-op placement while providing custom furniture to this worthwhile organization.
Long-serving faculty member Connie Chisholm continues to run her social enterprise Codesign, acting as a liaison on community engagement projects for various organizations and schools. Connie has been running these projects within the Furniture Studio now for the past thirteen years. This past summer Connie’s commitment to this important work was recognized by Sheridan College with the Community Impact People Award.
Canadian Tire
Third year Industrial Design students worked together on an Industry Project with Canadian Tire. Students Anna Keefe, Sita Homidova and Lily Chang collaborated on a project called Work Bench Wand, A worktable dust extraction accessory. Canadian Tire will be developing and producing the project for their consumer products division.
Creative Matters
Students in Textiles worked in groups on projects led by studio head Thea Haines in collaboration with Creative Matters Inc., a Toronto based floor and wall covering design house founded in 1988. Students were provided input and support from Madeleine Baigent and Anna Panosyan – both integral figures at Creative Matters. Students took inspiration from rugs designed by Creative Matters and developed a series of designs incorporating a combination of techniques, such as tufting, needle punch, print (digital or screen printing), dyeing, felting, embroidery, and fabric manipulation.
A page from one of the groups process documents. Students created samples using the new rug tufting equipment in the textile studio.
Students investigate the samples at Creative Matters while asking questions and learning from the company’s designers.
FUNDRAISING AND CLUBS
Many of our studios have clubs that strive to enrich our C&D community and provide extra special experiences for our students. These clubs organize fun and memorable fundraising events that any student (and in some cases alumni too) can participate in. The money raised goes towards field trips, visiting artists, end of year awards, social events and more.
At Home In Bronte Muskoka Chair Painting
First year student Thomas painting a chair in the ceramic studio.
For the second time, many Craft & Design students applied to participate in the At Home in Bronte Muskoka Chair Project organized by the Bronte BIA. This is a fundraising opportunity for the studios but also provides every successful student applicant with $300.00 to creatively paint a Muskoka type Chair for display and use in downtown Bronte.
Our glass studio technologist Jason Cornish helped organize this on behalf of our students to ensure everyone had all the paint and supplies they needed, allowing them to focus on having fun with their chairs.
Chair designs reflected the harbour location, fishing village heritage, outdoor sports & activities, cultural celebrations, local floral or fauna, and more! Our students painted 16 chairs this year.
Collaborative Textile Studio Prints
Students from across all 4 years in the textile studio collaborated to design two different all-over print designs! First-year students worked together to print 16 metres of their collectively designed yardage. Plans are in the works to create products for future fundraising events.
First year students work together to pull repeat prints in the Textile Studio
Clay Club Fundraising
Each fall, the Clay Club at Sheridan invites alumni, current and former faculty to come together and make pots over a weekend in the ceramic studio. Working side-by-side with current students, visitors to the studio do impromptu demonstrations for students, reconnect with each other, and get to know current students in the program. This year’s event produced over 500 pieces!
Impromptu demos at mug and bowl-o-rama. here is Emma Smith demonstrating for students
Annual Clay Club Mug and Bowl Winter sale, Trafalgar campus. So many pots!
EXHIBITIONS
Students in all years are given opportunities to exhibit their work in venues on and off campus. Here are just some of the exciting trade shows and galleries that our students displayed their work in.
Testing, Testing!
Many of the plants harvested from the Textile Studio’s Natural Dye Garden are displayed in jars in front of a wall of fabric swatches dyed with the plant material. Textile students learn to accurately dye a rainbow of colours using both natural and synthetic dyes in their 2nd and 3rd years of the program.
This winter the C&D program put together a show of work by students in all studios. The theme of the exhibition focused on the research and work that leads students to make their profound work. Each studio uses different words for this: iteration, testing, process, sampling, trying, failing, modeling, discovery, play, and design process. The exhibition took place in the Trafalgar Gallery in the Craft & Design AA Wing.
Interior Design Show (IDS 2023)
Caption: Furniture students have their work displayed at IDS. Here is Alison Postma’s cabinet (foreground) and Madison Knott’s switch and outlet covers (background)
This past January, four furniture students (fourth-year student, Madison Knott, and three third-year students, Kayla Della-Nebbia, Michelle Foran and Alison Postma) showed work at Toronto’s Interior Design Show as part of the show’s ‘Prototype’ exhibition.
Gardiner Museum
Group critique and discussion with Sequoia Miller, Chief Curator of the Museum
This year’s graduating class exhibited pieces from their capstone project in their exhibition, “Until Next Time” at the Gardiner Museum in April 2023. The group was our largest ever, 15 students making up the group. Students worked closely with the museum in all aspects of the preparation and mounting of a museum exhibition at one of the best venues to show ceramics in Canada.
Capstone exhibition, installation view
Sandra Ainsley Gallery
Each year our Graduating Glass students exhibit their work at the Sandra Ainsley Gallery and this year their exhibition opens on May 13th, 2023.
Textile Museum Of Canada
Our graduating Textile students will be exhibiting their work at the Textile Museum of Cananda from May 27 to June 25, 2023. The opening for this reception will be Saturday May 27th, 2023
ACIDO Rocket Competition
Concept Poster for Breathii by Emily Hayhurst
The Association of Chartered Industrial Designers of Ontario (ACIDO) hosts “Rocket” – a competition for Ontario’s graduating industrial designers. Graduates nominated at the top of their class from institutions including Sheridan College have the opportunity to pitch their final year thesis projects to a jury of select industry professionals with the top winners announced at the Rocket Awards Ceremony.
Seven of our ID students will be participating in the 2023 competition including Grace Im, Stefan Alexander, Devya Patel, Brayden Popke, Tergel Saikhanbayer, Akbar Anwari, and Roua Kamel.
Also, at Rocket this year, will be the winners of the last 3 Rocket competitions that were held virtually. To give those students an equal experience Rocket is inviting those winners to show their work. Therefore, Quinn MacGowan and Clayton Joseph who placed 2nd and 3rd in 2020 will have their projects there as will Emily Hayhurst who won 1st Place, ACIDO Rocket Market Ready Award (designforce) for her project Breathii: Incentive Spirometer, a Device for Respiratory Muscle Training
VISITING PROFESSIONALS
Our Craft & Design studios invited an astounding roster of professional artists and designers this year to visit our students and share their knowledge via presentations, lectures, workshops, and critiques. Many of these leaders are also graduates of the Craft & Design program.
Here are some of the folks we invited to our studios:
Caroline Forde - Alumni, class of 2015, Textile Artist
Cody Ramseyer – Alumni, class of 2022, Furniture Maker, Fogo Island Workshops
Dayna Gedney – Alumni, class of 2013, Director, Hamilton Craft Studios
Emma Smith – Alumni, class of 2013, Ceramics Artist, Performer. Writer
Giovanni Buda – Alumni, class of 2018, Lampworker and Glass Artist
Helen Weston and Thomas Southmayd - Managers of Creative Studios at Artscape Daniels Launchpad
Joon Hee Kim – Alumni, class of 2015, and this year’s Ceramic Studio Visiting Artist
Julianna Biernacki – Hamilton based Painting and Rug Tufting Artist
Juliana Scherzer – Alumni, class of 2019, Textile Artist, and current artist in Residence, Harbourfront Centre
Kate Duncan – Furniture Designer/Maker, Kate Duncan Design
Katrina Tompkins – Alumni, class of 2009 Owner/Operator, Finefolk
Lauren Reed – Alumni, class of 2013, Founder, Lauren Reed Design
Lucas Brancalion – Alumni, class of 2007, Co-founder, Brothers and Sons
Melanie Egan - Director of Craft & Design at Harbourfront Centre
Micah Donovan – Artist, Museum Installer, and member of Food Jammers
Nadira Narine – Alumni, class of 2018, Glass Artist, and current artist in Residence, Harbourfront Centre
Nathan Clarke – Alumni class of 2015, Director of Craft and Production, Coolican and Company
Nicole Coon – Alumni, class of 2020, Junior Designer, Yabu Pushelberg
Peter Fleming – Former Furniture Studio Head at Sheridan College
Robin Speke – Owner/Operator, Speke Klein
Robyn Wilcox - Head of Programming, DesignTO, and Curator, Craft Ontario
Sami Tsang – Alumni, class of 2019, Ceramic Artist, and current artist in Residence, Harbourfront Centre
Sequoia Miller - Chief Curator, Gardiner Museum
Suzanne Carte - Senior Curator, Art Gallery of Burlington
Tanya Lyons – Alumni, class of 1996, Glass Artist
Vicki Clough – Residency Coordinator, Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design
Capstone critique with visiting critic Suzanne Carte. Pictured: Dana Dallal, Janet Macpherson, Suzanne Carte
Visiting artist Emma Smith joined us for a day of duelling demos with our studio technologist, Duncan Aird. Emma and Duncan are both alumni of Sheridan Ceramics program as well as being colleagues in kiln-building.
Duncan joined our program this year as the full-time studio technologist after Hugh Douglas-Murray retired from the position in August 2022.
Capstone critique with visiting critic Micah Donovan. Pictured: Alice Dawson, Gord Thompson, Micah Donovan, Jess Riva-Cooper, Cathleen Nicholson, Marc Egan
WHAT A YEAR!
After nearly three years, the Furniture Studio’s new dust collection system has now been installed and is running. The new system is housed in a newly built structure outside the Furniture Studio’s South Bench Room and accommodates our briquetting machine which compresses dust and chips into pellets that are burned as heating fuel.
As you can see, so many wonderful things happened this year. Our students are wonderful, positive, and inspiring. They are the reason that the faculty, techs, and administrators in our program love our jobs! Our students are the BEST!
A special THANK YOU to our studio technologists who work tirelessly to make our state-of-the-art studio spaces the absolute best in the country. So much of what they do benefits our students each day! Thanks also to our Program Coordinator Gord Thompson for guiding faculty and students with the kindest heart. It is because of Gord’s steady and wise leadership that many of our end of year festivities take place. Gord worked alongside our studio Faculty Heads as well as Sheridan Gallery Staff; Valentyna Onisko, Alex Nagy, and Jamie Owen, to help organize our end of year Grad Show at the Trafalgar Gallery and our Annual Tulip Ceremony for graduates and award winners. This was one of our largest graduating cohorts in many years and Gord helped ensure it was a year full of successes.
And while I am at it, thank you to Sally McCubbin for designing and installing this amazing online graduate show site. It has been a pleasure pouring over and soaking in this amazing graduate work with you!
Congratulations to everyone for making this a memorable and enjoyable year, and a special Congratulations to this year’s graduating class.
You are exceptional!
Kate Jackson,
Part-time Faculty, Craft & Design Program
Studio Technologists Jason Cornish, Christina Pupo, Janelle Guthrie and Textile Studio Head Thea Haines use their telepathic magic to coordinate their outfits and their Tims.