Three new exhibitions have opened at the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery

NEWS RELEASE
THE CANADIAN CLAY & GLASS GALLERY
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The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of three new exhibitions that celebrate emerging ceramic and glass artists from across Canada! The 2021 Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics Exhibition, Capacity for Wonder: Meghan Sims, and In Relation are all open to the public. Good Earth: The Pots and Passion of Walter Ostrom, a major retrospective exhibition featuring the work of one of Canada’s foremost ceramic artists which opened this summer also continues on display until December 31, 2021. As always, exhibitions at the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery are open to all and are free admission, thanks to the generosity of our donors and supporters.  

The 2021 Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics will be presented to this year’s winner, Jocelyn Reid of Calgary, Alberta at a ticketed reception on Sunday, October 10, 2021. Only limited spaces are available. Jocelyn Reid will receive the award and present a brief talk about her work. 2020 winner, Joon Hee Kim of Oakville, Ontario will also present a brief artist talk. 

Members of the community are invited to visit the gallery to view the new exhibitions on Sunday, October 10 from 2-5pm. Gallery capacity will be limited and COVID-19 precautions will be in place. All are welcome to celebrate the opening of these exciting new exhibitions! 

The 2021 Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics Exhibition features the work of 2021 winner Jocelyn Reid, 2020 winner Joon Hee Kim, and 2021 finalists Mitsuo Kimura (Toronto, ON), Matthew O’Reilly (Calgary, AB), and Jessica Sallay-Carrington (Montreal, QC). This exhibition highlights the best of emerging ceramics talent in Canada and demonstrates the future of Canadian ceramics. 

The Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics is supported by The Keith and Winifred Shantz Fund for the Arts, held at Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation. This prestigious $10,000 award allows practising early career ceramic artists to undertake a period of independent research, or other activities that advance their artistic and professional practice. This year's award was juried by Amy Gogarty, Maja Padrov, and Susan Surette. 

Capacity for Wonder is the latest installment in our Emerging Talent Series of exhibitions and features emerging glass artist Meghan Sims. Born with Achromatopsia, a rare visual condition, Sims is colourblind, near-sighted, and extremely light sensitive. In her installation, Capacity for Wonder, Meghan Sims explores the concepts of perception, light, and shadow that have inspired her unique artistic style. Through an adapted glass blowing practice, Sims has produced an installation that uses the interactions between glass and light to share her unique way of seeing the world around us. 

Curated by emerging curator and glass artist Kat Looby, In Relation explores familial and friendship bonds through the work of ceramic artist Candice Boese, and glass artist Nadira Narine. Sharing both comfort and loss that can be felt through relationships, the artists use memories of family to bring us together into something bigger. 

Good Earth: The Pots and Passion of Walter Ostrom, presented in our Keith & Winifred Shantz Gallery, is the first major retrospective to chronicle the work and global impact of Walter Ostrom’s career as a ceramic artist and instructor at NSCAD University. One of Canada’s foremost ceramic artists, Ostrom revolutionized clay from brown earthenware to colourful, bright maiolica and influenced generations of ceramists through his teaching and mastery of ceramics. From his earliest ceramic works to his projects at NSCAD University, to the intersections between his art and his love of gardening, this comprehensive exhibition shares unique insights into process and creativity that have been at the heart of Ostrom’s more than 40 year career as an artist and instructor. Expecting high demand for this impressive exhibition, we have extended Good Earth to run until December 31, 2021, ensuring that all are able to visit it. Good Earth is co-curated by Sandra Alfoldy, Shannon parker, and Dr. Julie Hollenbach, and is organized and circulated by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia with support from the Government of Canada. 

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