Craft & Design at Harbourfront Centre in partnership with Craft Ontario and Sheridan College

Space & Place – A Making & Thinking Symposium

November 8 – 10, 2024
Harbourfront Centre, Toronto

Harbourfront Centre, Craft Ontario and Sheridan College are in conversation with communities, artists and art workers for a biennial symposium that discusses the myriad intersections of making and culture.

The symposium, themed Space & Place, is an in-person event that delves into the fascinating ideas, collaborations and contributions of craft and design communities. It also strives to cultivate critical public engagement with craft practice, making it a one-of-a-kind experience for all attendees.

The Space & Place symposium will provide a unique opportunity to build relationships and connect diverse audiences with voices that share how collaboration and fostering community can expand capacity and impact for craft and design practice.

Kicking off the three-day event is a keynote presentation moderated by Nehal El-Hadi, Editor-in-Chief of Studio magazine, featuring artists Munira Amin, Naomi Clement, Dayna Gedney and Pasha Moezzi who will discuss the many ways in which they build and sustain community through their involvement in organizations, projects and practice. It will be followed by a reception in Gallery 235. A film screening, engaging panel conversations and a glass demonstration will invite audiences and future makers into the world of fine craft and the inspired approaches that inform this material practice.

Please note that Space & Place will take place at Harbourfront Centre, November 8–9, and at Sheridan College on November 10. Recordings will be available to the public afterwards.

Learn more and buy an all-access pass at harbourfrontcentre.com:

$50 Regular
$25 Student/Senior

Pasha Moezzi, Edwina, 2024. Sterling silver brooch, roller printed 18K yellow gold, 18K gold tubing, murrine glass, sapphires, rubies. Image courtesy of the artist.

Day 1: Friday, November 8

Keynote Conversation: Building Communities
Moderated by Nehal El-Hadi, Editor-in-Chief of Studio magazine, Munira Amin (Textiles), Naomi Clement (Ceramics), Dayna Gedney (Furniture) and Pasha Moezzi (Jewellery) discuss how they sustain community through their involvement in organizations and in their practice.

Jean Marshall, Untitled, 2024. Hide, beads, porcupine quills, sequins. Image courtesy of the artist.

Day 2: Saturday, November 9

Panel Conversation: Community Engagement – Two Case Studies
Jean Marshall (Anishinaabe/English bead artist), Sheila Decorte (Ojibwe Knowledge Keeper), Kathryn Walter (Textiles) and Connie Chisolm (Furniture) discuss the work behind their inspired projects through the Thunder Bay Public Library Indigenous Knowledge Centre and how each project sustained collaboration and community. Moderated by Janna Hiemstra, Executive Director, Craft Ontario.

Glass Demonstration
Remarkable glass artists, Alyssa Getz, Ian McInnis, Nadira Narine and Rob Raeside share a common experience as the hardworking assistants on a popular television series all about glassblowing! Watch them create live as they show off their prodigious talents.

Community History, Leadership and Mentorship
The extraordinary quilt artist Judith Tinkl will converse with respected Canadian curator, writer and thinker Alan C. Elder on her storied career and how it has shaped many aspects of artistic practice, from curation to volunteerism and advocacy.

Panel Conversation: How to Build a Community – How an ad hoc group becomes a major festival
As DesignTO turns 15, Jeremy Vandermeij, Deborah Wang, Robyn Wilcox and Michael Madjus, the driving team behind the DesignTO Festival, will talk about how they cemented their place in Toronto’s cultural design scene (with some guidance from moderator Melanie Egan, Director of Craft & Design).

Elena Lee Pioneer Gallerist, with Director Danièle Bellemare Lee
This beautiful and touching film, Elena Lee Pioneer Gallerist, directed by Danièle Bellemare Lee, is a tribute to Bellemare Lee’s mother-in-law, the great Elena Lee, who dared to dream big. Elena Lee shared her passion for glass art and artists, supporting them and celebrating their work. The screening will be followed by a Q&A.

Day 3: Sunday, November 10

Panel Presentation: Holding the Centre – Tech Talks
A rare opportunity to hear from the technologists who guide students through their time at Sheridan College. The panel of committed educators, Janelle Guthrie (Textiles), Duncan Aird (Ceramics), Jason Cornish (Glass) and Christina Pupo (Furniture) discuss their careers and approaches to supporting their students.

A bus will shuttle symposium attendees from Harbourfront Centre to Sheridan College.

Harbourfront Centre
235 Queens Quay West
Toronto ON M5J 2G8
harbourfrontcentre.com
craft@harbourfrontcentre.com
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Harbourfront Centre is an accessible venue. To learn more, please download our Access Guide.