Craft Council of BC - The Earring Show - May 5, 2022

Once a year, Craft Council of BC (CCBC) gallery at Granville Island, has a fund raiser,  "The Earring Show." Next year, it will be the 10th Anniversary of this fundraiser. The gallery has so many beautiful crafts, cards, pottery, jewelry and more. It has been in it current location since 1986. Previously it was in the Carousel Theatre building since 1979. See what I wrote the last time I attended an event in 2017!

We thank Alex for the opportunity to see how so many earrings are displayed. 195 this year, from 94 local and international Designers, and how the exhibit and fundraiser is displayed best in a smaller space. Every set was placed and numbered and further details are provided online. For the evening event, there are refreshments, meet and greets and opportunities to bid and buy, in person or online. Here are 10 of our favorites:

 

This time, I took Carolyn Bruce, of Carolyn Bruce Designs. 

Because we all dress for adventures and events, she wore these fabulous faces

 

Frog by Daniel Hunt

 

Orca Hunt by Daniel Hunt

 

Raven by Daniel Hunt

Invisible Road Earring by Lei (Yuna) Zhang

Anishnaube Florals by Jaymie Campbell

Beaded Earrings by Mishelle Lavoi 

Anishnaube Florals by Jaymie Campbell

Mismatched Pearl Sliders by Edna Milevsky

Moon by Siyu Dong

Moon by Siyu Dong

For complete list of 200 earrings and Designer Bios please see the beautiful catalogue here.

I always enjoy the Earring Show and encourage you to sign up for the year round events from Craft Council of BC.

Instagram, Facebook & Twitter: craftcouncilBC

Thanks to Alex Montes, Comm, Manager, for arranging for Carolyn and me to observe the show set up and to take photos. 

For The Earring Show, this is the community behind it:

Raine McKay (Executive Director) Program and Event Lead, Organizer, Presenter

Sheryl Mackay Host and Interviewer (Best voice, ever)

Barbara Cohen Gallery Exhibition Curator & Award Sponsor

Charlene Wichaidit Submissions logistics &data, Editing Support, Presenter

Tom Costle (Shop Manager) Shop & Gallery set up support, online shop, Presenter

Tatiana Povoroznyuk Image Editing Support, data Support, online Shop, Event Tech Support

Volunteers: Arman Qureshi, Diana Kamensek, Rafaeia Gomes, Karen Voff, Gigi Wichaidit

Botanically Inspired at Van Dusen Gardens

My friend, Bobbie and I celebrated her pre-birthday,briefly, in the beautiful Shaughnessy Restaurant in Van Dusen Gardens and then we were off to the first in a three part lecture series, Botanically Inspired, in celebration of Craft Year 2015 and in a great partnership of Van Dusen Gardens and the Craft Council of B.C.

This was a fabulous display of  felts and silks by Marina Georgiadis (Vanti Designs) who is an artist, designer, silversmith and terrific presenter of her techniques and creations.  Originally from Toronto, she trained as a silversmith, in Athens, and fortunately for us, returned to B.C, where she is busy designing and bringing botanicals to us, especially in those luxurious scarves.  Much more here: vantidesigns.com.

Jan MacLeod, www.plantpapers.com, demonstrated the art of turning pulp mixtures into cards, sculptures, artwork and almost anything multimedia that she creates for home and businesses.  I might be able to make a card, with training, but it takes expertise and that 'eye' to make the vast array of art that she brought to show us.  You can see more of her at Circle Craft and Craft House on Granville Island.

T'uyt' t' tanat- Cease Wyss, talked about foraging, seasonally for ingredients for ingredients for teas, not only for flavor and color but also for medicinal purposes.  She co-owns, with her daughter, Raven and Hummingbird Tea Co.

Only the first in a series of 3, don't forget, this evening was an exceptional contribution of time and creativity from three who bring the garden and its bounty inside and to those of us who love to look but who may be at the beginning of our botanical journey.

Bobbie and host 

T'uy'tanat Cease Wyss - nature nourishes

Marina presenting her botanically inspired silk 

Marina's scarves

Jan McLeod and her marvelous paper art 

We wore Asian inspired jackets, a nod to the botanical theme 

and also to other beautiful gardens, especially those in Japan.

On a further note, Bobbie and I celebrated the day at High Tea at The Fairmont Airport Hotel, Richmond.  Wearing our Ribkoff jackets, again, we visited the Craft Council store in the airport and found Marina Georgiadis' beautiful scarves on display.  We enthusiastically encouraged the store staff and others, there, to come to Van Dusen Gardens to see the Botanically Inspired Exhibit as well as to come to the last 2 of the lecture series.

Next sessions are October 27 and November 17, 2015 at Van Dusen Gardens.  Also, October 1-November 1 is a mixed media exhibition of works by 33 BC artists inspired by the garden.

COVID 19 Interview with Christine Dibble, Recent Grad of VCC Jewellery Program

I have long been a fan of  VCC Jewellery and was pleased to meet Christine Dibble, recent Grad of the program. Also a Music Therapist, Christine's beautiful designs reflect her total immersion in the Arts.

Interview with Christine Dibble

Hi folks! My name is Christine Dibble, creator and designer of Bodacious Butterflies, and I am a recent graduate of the Jewellery Art And Design program at Vancouver Community College, 2020.  

I started hand making Bodacious Beads woven beaded jewelry in 2011, in a search for alternative forms of creative self-expression after moving back to BC from completing my Masters in Music Therapy at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario. Bodacious Butterflies came to be in 2012 after I was inspired by butterfly wing art I saw in several galleries in the Nayarit province of Mexico. I attended a stained glass art workshop from Sunlight Art Glass in Surrey BC, to explore ways of presenting these beautiful specimens as wearable art. In 2016, I began silversmithing through workshops at the Working Silver Studio in New Westminster BC, to further pursue my love, passion, and craft of jewelry making and design.  

I create not only as a means of giving voice to my inner world, but also as an instrument of self-exploration. I find motivation to design wearable pieces through the joy the act of constructing brings, as well as its inherent therapeutic components. I consider art, like music, as therapy: it brings a sense of calm, peace, and purpose. Making gives my life meaning: to devise elegant pieces that people can wear to reflect their inner individuality, and appreciate for their aesthetic appeal and uniqueness is the aspiration of my art. 

Since I have been a full time student for the past two years at VCC, I have not had much time to continue growing Bodacious Butterflies within the community of the Lower Mainland. I had, up until the start of my studies, been very active in the artisanal craft show circuit, meeting with current and potential clients, making contacts for custom designs, and growing my professional circle. Since the lockdown following the COVID 19 Pandemic, I am continuing to focus on my online presence, growing my brand globally. It has been difficult, as several shops that sell my work in Vancouver have also closed down, and online sales have seen a definite decline. I often worry about the relevance of my work during these strange days, where other human necessities are far more important. However, art is therapy! As artists, we still need to create, to grow, to build, despite the financial uncertainties. I create for catharsis, not for financial gain, and this will not change regardless of the state of the world.  

My plans, now that I am finished my studies and my music therapy work has been put on hold due to COVID-19, are to advance my technical jewelry making skills through online workshops and revamp my website into an online portfolio instead of an online store. I would also like to start a YouTube channel that focuses on jewelry making techniques and how-to videos. I want to expand my audience not only to current and potential clients, but other jewelers as well. I want to use online platforms to connect, communicate, and share art.  

I think what sustains me in continuing to move forward with my work is my passion for creating. I want to know more, gain more skill, learn, grow, and branch out. I have always had a herculean drive in all my artistic endeavours, and the present is no different. Though currently we may have had to alter how we connect, I see it as an opportunity to continue reaching personal goals and milestones creatively and artistically.  

COVID-19 has currently put a kibosh on our first and second year students year-end show, however we have found alternative means of sharing our work. The VCC Jewellery facebook page is featuring our work online through photo postings, and the BC Craft Council gallery on Granville Island is hosting a window display for socially distant viewing of our work. Opening night at the Craft Council is May 28th from 6-9pm, with both the online and window displays being featured until June 11th 2020. 

Click here for more information: https://www.facebook.com/vccjewelleryartanddesign 

We hope to see you there, from afar, and I look forward to what these new horizons have to offer.  

~ C 

www.bodaciousbutterflies.com 

Facebook: Bodaciousbutterflies 

Instagram: Bodaciousbutterflies 

info@bodaciousbutterflies.com 

VCC Jewellery Program's Grad Shows, Student Exhibitions and Sales are truly wonderful.

Recently, VCC Jewellery Grad Show has gone online and can be seen on Facebook and at CCBC store on Granville Island.

Thanks so much Christine! Thanks also to Marilyn R. Wilson who led the way by featuring her own COVID Series Olio by Marilyn.

SEEING RED - The Craft Council of B.C. June 29, 2017

Curated by Barbara Cohen, this show runs from June 29-August 10th and is well worth seeing. I highly recommend these statement hand made, one of a kind pieces, as well as the rest of the gallery/store: The Craft Council of B.C. at 1386 Cartwright, Granville Island.

Each piece featured the powerful colour, red. My favourites were by Barbara Cohen and Pamela Richie but there were 54 pieces, in total. This exhibit, as Barbara points out, goes beyond ornamentation. ...the ever growing field of contemporary art jewelry pushes those limits with unusual ideas, materials, techniques and concepts and moves jewelry toward the realm of Art. So beyond necklaces, earrings and bracelets to sculptured Art forms.

Everyone dressed up for this event. I wore red coral beads and many 

of the Artists wore their spectacular work. John and Judy wore red hats 

that Judy had created. She's from New Orleans and always dresses!

Loved "Two Women" sculpted by Linda Doherty, too. 

So much to see and wear. I want it all! See more at craftcouncilbc.ca. 

Opening Night of "WITHIN CELLS INTERLINKED" A New Exhibit of Ceramics, Metalwork and Sculpture, Curated by Charlinee Wichaidit Jan 22, 2026

I often visit the Craft Council of BC, on Granville Island, as it features such a wide variety of Art and Crafts, and the collections and events are always changing. Please have a look at my instagram to see more or check out the specific reels for (Kinuka Hara, Isis Costa, full exhibit) of the reception, last night to see the gallery, the crowd and some of the Artists and Staff who welcomed us to an evening of looking at and thinking about the complexities and beauty of all of the pieces in this exhibit, WITHIN CELLS INTERLINKED, featuring 5 Artists: Isis Costa, Kinuka Hara, Naomi Zhang, Jordan Mitchell and Tatiana Ragonesi,  as well as many other Artists, throughout the entire space. I have enjoyed the CCBC's annual Earring Show and blogged about one in 2022, here. I look forward to the next one May 7-28th!! Since I do love jewellery, I will focus here on the jewellery by Isis Costa currently a student in the VCC Jewelry program, and Kinuka Hara, whose ceramic stoneware 'wearable art' headpiece and necklaces, titled: In the Flow of Sakura Petals, reminds me of the cherry blossoms here and in Japan. She is thinking about Spring and "...the beauty of nature" but also about family and her experience in Japan and in Vancouver. I was thinking about how the beads were petal shaped and would move as you walked or turned your head.I wondered how it would look with a kimono and the sounds it might make in a quiet tea room or at Queen Elizabeth Park, in Cherry Blossom Season. Isis Costa had many pieces in her collection: earrings, rings, brooches, and bracelets. Here are 10 photos and a description with each. It seems that Isis is reflecting on the inner spaces of the Artist and all humans, as well as the inner layers/compartments of each piece. Her sterling silver work is strong and draws the eye. Her rings, brooches and bracelets are shapes I have never seen before. Isis had the support of some of her fellow students from VCC at this fantastic evening at CCBC. I look forward to being at her graduation and being able to buy something special. "Within Cells Interlinked" is on now so I encourage you to get to 1386 Cartwright St., Granville Island and see Art at its very best!

Mary (Head of Communications and Marketing for the Gallery) and me!

Isis and Charlinee Wichaidit