ABOUT
WHAT IS OBJECToronto?
OBJECToronto - art exposition of contemporary craft + design is an annual event that brings together contemporary practitioners, galleries, and their work in the material based arts. The diversity of the work illustrates the convergence of contemporary craft, art and design in contemporary object making. The common interest in manipulating materials and forms to produce unconventional and challenging objects is at the core of OBJECToronto.
WHO IS OBJECToronto?
OBJECToronto is organised by a not for profit, curatorial collective made up of three members: Paul McClure, Vivienne Jones and Melanie Egan and associate members David H Kaye and Sarah Troper. These individuals have strong reputations within the national and international craft communities with collective experience as arts practitioners, curators, arts administrators, gallery owners and educators. The curators' vision of the collective is to establish OBJECToronto as an annual exhibition that provides the Toronto community access to the highest calibre of talent engaged in contemporary object making.
ORGANIZERS
Paul McClure - Bio
Paul McClure is a practicing jewellery artist and educator. He is a graduate from NSCAD University (BFA 1989) and NCAD Dublin (MA 1999). He has exhibited extensively throughout Europe and North America in invitational group and solo shows and is represented by private galleries on both continents. McClure has been a recipient from various arts grants organizations including the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. His work is represented in private and public collections including The Museum of Decorative Arts, Barcelona, The National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh and The Museum of Civilization, Ottawa.
As well as maintaining a private studio practice, McClure has been Associate Professor at NSCAD University and is presently Professor of Jewellery at George Brown College in Toronto. He is a founding member of the curatorial collective OBJECToronto.
Vivienne Jones - Bio
A graduate of Birmingham School of Jewellery, UK, Vivienne Jones moved to Canada in 1976 taking up residency in Toronto. Since 1980 she has maintained a full time studio practice in Toronto as a jewellery artist and her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Vivienne has maintained a strong interest in the well being of the Canadian craft community and has consistently contributed through volunteering, participation in not for profit organizations, and as anindependent curator. She is a founding member of the curatorial collective OBJECToronto.
Melanie Egan - Bio
Melanie Egan is the Head of the Craft Department at Harbourfront Centre. She chairs the artist-in-residence programme curates and organizes exhibitions. She graduated from George Brown College - Jewellery Arts Programme, with Honours in 1983.
Melanie Egan received the Mather Award from the Ontario Crafts Council in 2007. She sits on the Editorial Advisory Committee for the Ontario Crafts Council and was appointed to the Editorial Advisory Group, for Object Magazine Sydney, Australia. She has sat on the Toronto Arts Council - Advisory Board for Visual/Media Arts. She was a first director on the board of SKETCH - Working Arts for Street-involved and Homeless Youth. She is a former member of the Board of Directors Glass Art Association of Canada, and Executive Committee Member of the Metal Arts Guild.
David H. Kaye - Bio
David H. Kaye is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art (A.O.C.A., 1972), the University of Guelph (B.A., 1978), and the Cranbrook Academy of Art (M.F.A., 1980). Following an active and productive career as a fibre artist, Kaye decided to take on new work challenges in the art world. On April 5, 2006, after 21 years working for two art galleries in Toronto, Kaye opened the doors to his own - DAVID KAYE GALLERY. The gallery shows objects and paintings in provocative exhibitions that expand critical understandings of the arts. He is married to an anthropologist.
Sarah Troper - Bio
Sarah Troper received a BFA from the NSCAD University (Jewellery Design and Metalsmithing, 2000) and an MFA from the State University of New York at New Paltz (Metal, 2008). She spent three years as an artist-in-residence in the Metal Studio at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto.
Sarah has exhibited extensively in Canada and internationally. She has received awards and honours from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Crafts Council, the State University of New York at New Paltz and NSCAD University.
Sarah resides in Toronto where she maintains an active studio practice and teaches in the Jewellery Studies program at George Brown College.