The Premiers of Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia joined crafts people from across Atlantic Canada to recognize the industry's best at the Atlantic Canada Craft Awards of Excellence ceremony on Monday evening.
The Honourable Pat Binns, Premier of Prince Edward Island and host province premier for the 2000 Atlantic Craft Trade Show, commented on the quality of the craft industry in the region and the dedicated people who make it happen.
"The craft industry is a great contributor to the Atlantic economy and it is important that we recognize those who play a leading role in advancing the reputation of this industry," said Premier Binns. "I want to congratulate all the award winners as well as those who received nominations. Everyone here should be commended for their efforts in making the craft industry such a success."
The Honourable John Hamm, Premier of Nova Scotia thanked Premier Binns for hosting "the Island party," complete with Island fiddler, Roy Johnstone. "In Atlantic Canada, the history and talents associated with the craft trade is an important part of our cultural fabric," said the Honourable John Hamm. "The craft industry provides employment for thousands of people, many of them in rural areas."
The award presentations honoured the work and talents of six crafts people in the Atlantic region in the areas of Outstanding Exporter, Outstanding Retailer, Industry Leader/Supporter, Prominence of Design, Award of Excellence (for best new product), and Best Visual Display at the trade show. Four of the six awards were presented to crafts people from New Brunswick. Nova Scotia and Newfoundland each received an award as well.
A special addition to the awards presentations was a farewell salute to New Brunswick's economic development specialist with the craft industry, Vern Potter. Potter is taking retirement and was presented with a beautiful assortment of crafts from each of the different New Brunswick businesses at the show. The gesture was a complete surprise to Potter.
"Vern's been very special to all of us. He believed in us, supported us, helped us sort through countless numbers of small and large problems," said Trudy Gallagher of Bejewel. "He's rooted for us and been proud of us and we're really going to miss him."
The Atlantic Craft Trade Show, a combined effort by all the Atlantic provinces, concluded on Tuesday. A record total of 1,320 buyers attended the show in the first two days. Last year, there were 1,500 buyers in total, generating nearly $1.7 million in sales. Organizers anticipate the results this year will be even better.
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Biographies of the six award winners are included below.
Outstanding Exporter Award --Bejewel by Trudy Gallagher:
Bejewel by Trudy Gallagher is the winner of the Outstanding Exporter Award - one of the Atlantic Canada Craft Awards for Excellence for the year 2000.
Gallagher established Bejewel in 1989 after graduating from a Technical Jewellery Program in Quebec City. She has been in business for ten years. Starting as a one person operation, it has gown to include a staff of seven including four additional jewellers. Gross sales started at $13,000 and last year reached more than $200,000.
Bejewel produces a wide range of jewellery in sterling silver, gold, gemstones and recycled materials. It also produces Permanent Artwear; sculpture and giftware made from recycled silverplate, cutlery and vintage watches. Products range from rings, bangles, pendants and brooch-watches to chimes, clocks, candelabras, key chains, to custom hand carved and cast wedding bands, engagement rings and specialty commissioned work. Bejewel introduces new product lines twice a year.
The growth of the company is largely due to exports. When the business began, sales were in the Fredericton and Miramichi areas. Bejewel is now represented at more than 250 galleries and stores across Canada and throughout the US. Gallagher is also shipping orders to England, Japan and most recently to Italy.
Gallagher has always taken special care with marketing and customer service. She produces newsletters for her clients. Four years ago, the company started using a business card attached to each product that featured a picture of the staff, a picture of the product, its name, address, product information and how to care for products.
Gallagher provides an unconditional guarantee on her jewellery. She will always clean, repair and service her products for customers. She allows her wholesale clients to exchange any product that doesn't sell or is slow moving.
All new clients are provided with a framed photo of the staff with a description of the company. First time customers are contacted to find out if there is anything the company can do to provide better support.
Under the direction of Trudy Gallagher, Bejewel will continue to market its products across Canada and into the US. As well, the team will continue to develop and produce special limited edition jewellery collections and truly unique giftware.
Prominence of Design Award -- Peter Powning:
Peter Powning from Markhamville, New Brunswick, is the winner of the Prominence of Design Award - one of the Atlantic Canada Craft Awards for Excellence for the year 2000.
Powning is an artist who has mastered the media of ceramics, glass and bronze. His innovations in marrying these distinct materials and processes speak to his design ingenuity and his technical expertise. He has devised his own techniques and methods for both raku and glass which allow him consistency in product.
A visit to his studio and gallery, near Sussex, New Brunswick, shows the variety of work he is capable of - from production raku to one of a kind objects. Arches that grace the outside of raku vessels come to life in individual sculptures, become handles for pitchers or the motif in cast glass. Powning is keenly aware of the surface, texture, colour and line in every object he makes. His knowledge of materials allows him to marry the unique qualities of each in a considered way.
Powning studied both ceramics and sculpture at the University of Connecticut, graduating in 1971. Since then, he has returned to study and take courses in a variety of subjects, in both North America and Europe, in order to broaden his skills.
Powning has been nominated for and received numerous awards and grants and his work is in many collections, both private and public. He is a recipient of both the Province of New Brunswick's Kjeld and Erica Deichmann Award for Excellence in Craft and the Strathbutler Award for Excellence in the Arts, the two most prestigious awards available in New Brunswick. He has received awards in various competitions including: the International Ceramics Competition, Mino Japan, Bronze Award, 1990; the Maxwell House Coffee Set National Competition, 2nd prize, 1988; The Betty Isaac Hamburger Sculpture Award, Academy of Arts, Baltimore, Maryland, 1987. He has received creation grants from both the Province of New Brunswick's Arts Development Branch and the Canada Council for the Arts.
Powning's sense of design encompasses every aspect of his work. From photography and layout for his brochures, to his productions work, architectural commissions and one of a kind sculptural pieces, every element is carefully considered. His complete understanding of materials and process allows him to get the look he wants in a finished work.
He is an artist who continues to grow and adapt, responding to both formal and design concerns. Within the craft community, it is unusual for an artist to have the affinity and expertise that Powning does in three different media.
Industry Leader/Supporter Award -- Patricia Pollett McClelland:
Patricia Pollett McClelland, from Sydney, Nova Scotia, is the winner of the Industry Leader/Supporter Award - one of the Atlantic Canada Craft Awards for Excellence for the year 2000.
McClelland has been instrumental in the growing appreciation and recognition of Cape Breton's craft sector, provincially, nationally and internationally. She has demonstrated exceptional leadership within the Cape Breton craft community, most specifically for the past eleven years as Executive Director of the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design.
McClelland came to that position at a time when craft instruction and promotion in Nova Scotia was primarily located in Halifax. Seeking to target artisans who did not have access to mainland educational and entrepreneurial opportunities, she put in place programs that were specifically designed to meet local needs. The result of her efforts was an increased awareness of the potential of crafts in both the economic and tourism sectors.
Although her own expertise is in hand weaving, she influenced all disciplines within the craft industry. Over eleven years, she organized workshops and seminars in support of the professional development of crafts. She was a trend setter, moving the craft industry toward excellence.
She was responsible for the growth of the only juried craft show on Cape Breton Island. This greatly contributed to the education of the public and helped to increase the appreciation for quality crafts.
She was a member of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Crafts Council (CCC), vice-president and last but not least, President. She served as Chair of the CCC International Committee and a member of the World Crafts Council as well. She also served on the M. Joan Chalmers Cultural Centre Foundation board and was director for crafts with the Canadian Conference of the Arts. In her work with all these organizations, she served as a tireless advocate for the craft industry.
Her vision for Nova Scotia craft enabled individuals and groups to better realize their goals through her support of their initiatives. Her success as a regional and national crafts organizer also stemmed from this rare ability to see craft as self-realization, education, economics and tourism.
Outstanding Retailer Award -- Paula Cornec:
Paula Cornec, from Stephenville, Newfoundland, is the winner of the Outstanding Retailer Award - one of the Atlantic Canada Craft Awards for Excellence for the year 2000.
Cornec is the owner and operator of the highly successful retail shop called Beavercraft which features a high quality selection of crafts, gifts and craft supplies.
Cornec has a shrewd business sense, combined with a great appreciation for fine crafts and the abilities of those who make them. This blend of attributes has made her a highly successful retailer of crafts in Newfoundland.
Cornec's entrepreneurial skills have been honed over her 22 years of experience in managing Beavercraft. It is Cornec's attention to detail which maximizes sales to the benefit of her suppliers, the community of Stephenville and the craft industry of Newfoundland and Labrador.
A graduate of the Craft School in Newfoundland, Cornec has a personal understanding of the work involved in many of the products in her shop. This gives her a close and understanding relationship with her suppliers.
She also maintains the traditional crafts of the region. Recognizing that her customers are interested in seeing and buying those products which are unique to Newfoundland, Cornec makes an extra effort to find suppliers of both spruce root baskets and thrummed knitting. Products are accompanied by written information cards describing the product and the techniques or materials that make them special.
Cornec makes great use of imagination, persistence and hard work to promote her shop. She places shop brochures in convention packages and visits the front desk of each local hotel to ensure that desk clerks know where to direct visitors.
As the owner of Winterhouses, a successful knitwear production operation, Cornec is a wholesaler as well as a retailer. This gives her a unique perspective. She understands both operations which makes her more successful in the wholesale and retail business.
Beavercraft is a stable business with a lengthy history and a bright future. Led by an astute business woman and supported by faithful and skilled staff, Beavercraft will continue to play a vital role in the craft industry of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Award for Best Visual Display -- Sue-anne McDonald, The Tickle Stick Factory:
Sue-anne McDonald, owner and operator of The Tickle Stick Factory, is the winner of the Award for Best Visual Display - one of the Atlantic Craft Trade Show Awards for the year 2000.
McDonald, of Fredericton, New Brunswick, established The Tickle Stick Factory in 1998. Her home-based business now employs five people in making her quality candy products and as many as twelve people in the busy summer months.
Her display at the Atlantic Craft Trade Show was selected by its design creativity, function, lighting, and overall image including signs and promotional material.
McDonald's booth and the product combined to make an event which was colourful, exciting, and playful. Her signage was catchy and effective. The booth presented a single product with impact and energy. The jury felt it was encouraging to see a first time exhibitor create such a strong presence.
Award of Excellence (Best New Product) -- Lynda Constantine, Constantine Designs:
Constantine Designs, of Peticodiac, New Brunswick, creates elegant contemporary jewellery from a base of classic simplicity.
Lynda Constantine's inspiration for design comes mainly from her eight years of living, working and travelling in Asia, Africa and Europe. She returned to Canada in 1996 to pursue her career in jewellery design.
Constantine's product was selected for its original design and creativity, workmanship, marketability, product function and ecology friendly and promotional literature.
Constantine produces an elegant, restrained and quality ring at a reasonable price. The jury was pleased to see a sophisticated product from a first-time exhibitor, who started her own business in June of 1999.