Celebrating the best in Canadian Crafts At Out of Hand it’s Craft Year, Every Year

VICTORIA, BC, - This year, the Canadian Crafts Federation/Fédération canadienne des métiers d’art launched a nation-wide celebration of professional Canadian craft: Craft Year 2007.

Ramona Froehle-Schacht, producer of Victoria’s annual Out of Hand Craft Fair (Nov. 22 – 25, 2007), applauds this effort to engage Canadians in the culture of Canadian crafts. “We are blessed with a rich and diverse array of artisans in this country, working in everything from glass and ceramics to textiles, jewellery, metalsmithing, carving and furniture design.”

Visitors to the 2007 Out of Hand Craft Fair can expect to find hiqh-end works in all of these genres, among others. Froehle-Schacht is especially interested in seeing how attendees respond to the works of several artists from the Gulf Islands, including Avanti Glass Studio, ceramicist Rachelle Chinnery and Salt Spring Island Wood Works.

Based on Salt Spring Island, Valla Eiriksson of Avanti Glass Studio (www.avantiglass.com) produces her signature Lace Bowls, custom windows, glass tiles, glass jewellery and sculpture for homes throughout North America. With a career spanning nearly 20 years, the self-taught artist has been featured on television programs in Australia, Britain and Japan. She is currently producing Vetro Nuovo, a line of tableware using recycled glass that would otherwise go to landfills.

Ceramicist Rachelle Chinnery (www.rachellechinnery.ca), who makes her home on Hornby Island, is a 2007 recipient of the British Columbia creative achievement award for excellence in applied art and design. Following a four-year apprenticeship in Japan, she furthered her studies at Sheridan College of Art and Design in Oakville, ON and Emily Carr School of Art and Design in Vancouver, BC. Featured in leading craft publications and Gail Crawford’s book Studio Ceramics in Canada, she is regarded for her sculptural vessels and carved functional ware, which mimic forms found in nature.

In addition to these fine artisans, Froehle-Schacht urges holiday shoppers and home decorators to make time for Out of the Woods, a showing of contemporary furniture designed by BC woodworkers delivered in participation with Salt Spring Island Wood Works. “We’re really proud to be presenting their work at our fair once again. It’s unbelievably beautiful and functional and will last for generations.”

At last count, more than 22,000 Canadians were employed full- or part-time as professional craftspeople, bringing in revenues exceeding $700 million annually. It’s a dynamic industry but, as Froehle-Schacht cautions, “a vulnerable one. Crafters like these depend on the support of individual consumers to ensure their livelihood and enable them to continue producing their invaluable art.”

Thursday, November 22 to Sunday, November 25
Victoria Conference Centre (720 Douglas St.)

Nov. 22: 12:00pm – 8:00pm
Nov. 23: 10:00am – 8:00pm
Nov. 24: 10:00am – 6:00pm
Nov. 25: 10:00am – 5:00pm

Adults, $7; Senior/Student Days on Thursday & Friday, $6; Fair Pass, $8; Under 16, free

For your comfort and convenience, the Out of Hand Craft Fair offers wheelchair access, a mother’s room, a coat/parcel check (run by Santa’s Anonymous), bank machine and central credit card service. Light meals, including a daily curry special, offered onsite by the catering services of the Empress Hotel.

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