About
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.
While craft is an artistic endeavour that involves the creation of objects, it is also an expanded field of relationships. 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.
Including five live presentations, a film screening, panel conversations and craft demonstrations, we invite audiences and future makers into the world and discipline of fine craft, inspiring new thinking and approaches to this material practice.
Co-presented by Sheridan College and Craft Ontario.
Curatorial Statement
“The theme of ‘Space & Place’ will explore collaborations, connections and contributions of groups and individual who make, build and sustain the craft and design communities.
Focusing on an in-person event for 100+ attendees, alongside recordings that will be shared with the public at a later date and at no cost, the symposium will support access and foster critical public engagement with craft practice, approaches and ideas.
How do artistic communities create capacity? How and why do grassroots initiatives begin, and how are they sustained? Who are the people doing the work of community building, and how can collaboration effect change?
While craft is an artistic endeavour that involves the creation of objects, it is also an expanded field of relationships, where meaning is made through making, partnership, compromise, and embodied viewpoints that act in the world. Space & Place will be an 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.
Five presentations, along with demonstrations, breakout groups for conversation, a film screening and insights into technologists’ role in the craft and design ecology (on site at Sheridan College) are planned.
- Keynote Conversation: Building Communities
- Panel Conversation: Community Engagement – two case studies
- Glass Demonstration
- Interview: Community History, Leadership and Mentorship – senior member of craft community
- Panel Conversation: How to Build a Community – how an ad hoc group becomes a major festival
- Film Screening and Q&A: Elena Lee Pioneer Gallerist, with Director Danièle Bellemare Lee
- Panel Presentation: Holding the Centre – Tech Talks
The need for a symposium is essential to advance the discipline of fine craft and to help develop an understanding of the workings and ‘goings-on’ within field. The prospect of networking and access to a diverse roster of presenters creates important new relationships that will influence the creation of new thinking and approaches to material practice. The Space & Place Symposium will not only help the people directly involved in the event, but also influence audiences and empower makers.”
– Melanie Egan, Director of Craft & Design
