Naked Craft was on at An Lanntair from 15 April – 3 June 2017
The exhibition comprised of work by 22 contemporary, professional makers from Canada and Scotland and covers a broad spectrum of media including: ceramic, glass, jewellery, metalwork, textile and wood.
Craft traditions connect Canada and Scotland and share a sense of northern identity. This exhibition highlights some of these craft traditions and heritage, helping to define our own identities and cultures.
It strips back ideas of craft to four themes that bridge past and present, Old and New Scotland, traditional and changing ideas. These in turn focus on discipline, theory, concepts and methods. It is a novel and timely approach to the production and use of craft from a historical and contemporary perspective.
Under the theme of Do It Yourself: DIY, objects are related to the long and rich history of small craft and home improvement projects, and an ethos of self-sufficiency.
Sarah Alford (Canada) : mixed media
Martin Campbell (Scotland) : furniture
Jennifer Cantwell (Scotland) : mixed media
Amanda McCavour (Canada) : textile
Kevin Morris (Scotland) : ceramic
In Down and Dirty: Politics and Materials the selected works highlight a personal or communal attachment with place, loss or displacement, or highlight renewed engagement or innovative development.
Teresa Burrows (Canada) : textile/beadwork
Susan Collett (Canada) : ceramic
Jen Deschenes (Scotland) : embroidery
Beth Legg (Scotland) :jewellery
Kari Woo (Canada) : mixed media
New Positions, profiles the current generations of makers who embrace new methods of production and terminology such as craftivism, yarn bombing, and sloppy craft.
Jilli Blackwood (Scotland) : textile
Caroline Dear (Scotland) : basketry
Joanne B Kaar (Scotland) : fibre art
John Little (Canada) : metalwork
Nicola Mainville (Canada) : mixed media
Jeanette Sendler (Scotland) : textile
Finally, Tooling Up: New Technologies and Economies, contrasts makers who are exploring their tools and materials; challenging processes, interpreting new ways to understand their materials, and constructing new approaches and tools for their own purposes.
Michael Hosaluk (Canada) : wood
Aaron Nelson (Canada) : ceramic
Clint Neufield (Canada) : ceramic
Claudio Pino (Canada) : jewellery
Amelie Proulx (Canada) : ceramic
Amanda Simmons (Scotland) : glass