SASKATCHEWAN CRAFT COUNCIL
01. Art Patrons
02. Prairie Excellence: The Today and Tomorrow of Prairie Craft
03. Gardenscape 2010
04. Harbourfront Artist in Residence Program
05. The Sask. Govt. wins the prestigious Medici Award by ranking #1 in Government Spending
06. Membership Directory Up and Running
07. Welcome New and Returning SCC Members

01. Art Patrons
Lorenzo de Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificent - 1449–1492) was a legendary patron of the arts. Head of the Medici Bank and Governor of Florence, Lorenzo sponsored artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli. He was a rich and powerful lover of the arts – including craft – who symbolizes what it means to be a patron.

Many of you have friends and relatives who might not be as rich as a Medici, but who are patrons of the arts in their own way. If they’ve supported your career and bought your craft over the years, there’s two great ways to show you appreciate it.

First - buy them a Patron membership in the SCC. It’s only $50 – and they’ll get:

• A Certificate identifying that they are a Patron Member.
• An invitation to all SCC functions and events.
• A free subscription to Studio Magazine.
• A 10% discount on purchases at Traditions and the SCC Gallery.
• The opportunity to have their own patron’s page on our members directory (click here for sample page).

A patron membership is a truly special way to thank a friend, family member, or faithful customer of your work. To buy one for someone special, just call 306.653.3613 ext. 0. Operators are standing by. Visa and Mastercard accepted.

For those of you on a tighter budget, the SCC’s Fine Craft Playing Cards make a great gift or stocking stuffer. They provide a great survey of Saskatchewan and Canadian craft – and are plastic coated to ensure they’ll last – even for the most enthusiastic card players.

Decks are only $6 – or $5 if you buy more than 10. Available at Traditions (2714 13th Avenue, Regina), the SCC Gallery (813 Broadway Avenue, Saskatoon) or by calling 306.653.3616 ext. 0.
Order now to avoid disappointment.

Oh, and a final word on the benefits of supporting the arts. People today remember Lorenzo de Medici. Fewer remember Allesandro de Medici (1510 – 1537). Allesandro broke with the family tradition of being patrons of the arts, and used his money instead to build the Fortezzo de Basso – a massive fortress and jail complex (now home to the Florence Biennale, where Lindsay Embree is currently exhibiting). Allesandro’s policy of jails over art was highly unpopular – he was lured into a trap by the promise of a romantic assignation with a beautiful widow, murdered, wrapped in a carpet and secretly buried. Allesandro was the last of his branch of the Medici family to rule Florence.

There’s a moral in that story, we’re sure. However – the best thing you can do is honour your own patrons with a gift Patron Membership or a deck of Fine Craft Playing Cards.

02. Prairie Excellence: The Today and Tomorrow of Prairie Craft
In 2010, the Craft Councils from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta are joining forces to create a special juried exhibition called Prairie Excellence: The Today and Tomorrow of Prairie Craft. For Saskatchewan, this exhibition will be a temporary, one-year replacement for Dimensions.

A comprehensive call for entries document is now receiving the final touches, and will be issued before the end of the year. However, the key points are that:

• There will be a three person selection committee – one from and nominated by each province.
• Thirty-six pieces will be selected (12 from each province).
• There will be three categories of craft people – emerging (less than five years of practice); mid-career (6 to 15 years of practice) and established (over 15 years of practice). The selection committee will strive to ensure good representation from each category.
• All craft media will be welcomed – pieces can be one of a kind, limited edition or production.
• The initial round of selection will be done on the basis of images and written material. A shortlist of about 45 pieces will be collected for the selection committee to make the final selection on the basis of examination of the actual objects.
• We are beginning the process of seeking corporate donors for awards – and are being very ambitious in our thinking.
• The exhibition will be toured for 3 years to galleries in the prairies, across Canada and internationally.
• The entry deadline will be May 31, 2010.

A few obvious points flow from this. First, the Prairie Excellence exhibition will offer tremendous exposure for those selected. Quite simply, this exhibition will be the greatest exposure vehicle the SCC has ever been involved in creating. Second, the competition will be very tough. Dimensions always has around 35 pieces – Prairie Excellence will have 12 from Saskatchewan. This means that only your very best work will have a chance.

The call for entries brochure will be mailed and posted on the website in short order. Stay tuned for further information on this exciting opportunity.

03. Gardenscape 2010
Gardenscape 2010 – March 26-28: Prairieland Park, Saskatoon

Last March the SCC set up our first trade show booth at Gardenscape 2009 selling the work of 20 members. We sold close to $2,000 worth of product at prices ranging from $10 to $695 and were overwhelmed by the number of visitors. The total attendance for three days was 26,622 with 70% of them purchasing. The prime demographics are that 70% of the visitors are female and 47% are 51 to 65 years of age with 36% 21 to 35.

Don Pell and Mike Saretsky combined their efforts to build a large booth complete with landscaping and fences to display their work in a garden-like setting that drew large crowds and generated strong sales. The SCC group display was adjacent to their booth so the comparison was obvious. We feel that in order to raise our sales for SCC members we need to follow this example. We are competing for the attention of the throngs of visitors with many huge booths displaying garden tractors, architectural landscaping, greenhouses and garden supply centres. If we can expand the SCC presence with individual members taking booths in a row with the SCC member’s display and Don & Mike’s booth as the centre of attention we stand a much better chance of attracting buyers.

People spend a lot of money and time on their gardens and many are looking for something unique to make their yard special. If you have work that appeals to gardeners including outdoor products and garden-themed indoor work please consider this new opportunity to show your work to thousands of visitors, many who never attend typical craft sales. Email: events@saskatoonex.com or phone: Shelley Wing – 306.931.7149 for an application package. Booth fee – $525 for the first 10’x10’ space & $425 for additional 10’x10’ booths. Deadline – Dec.28/09. When applying please contact Chris Jones (scc.memberservices@sasktel.net or phone: 306.653.3616 ext.24) so that we can coordinate the SCC booths as to pricing and location.

04. Harbourfront Artist in Residence Program
The Harbourfront Centre in Toronto is a unique, thriving hub of cultural activity ranging from Dance to Fine Craft. One innovative program is their craft Artist-in-Residence Program. Over 300 craft artists have gone through this program since it’s inception in the 1970’s. However, NOT A SINGLE PERSON FROM SASKATCHEWAN HAS EVER APPLIED. Melanie Egan, the Director of Craft Programming at Harbourfront visited Saskatchewan last week. She outlined and promoted the Artist in Residence Program at a public meeting at the SCC Gallery.

The Harbourfront Artist in Residence Program is designed for emerging craft artists who have completed their “basic training” (usually a BFA in a craft media), but not yet established a commercial practice. It is the only post-secondary craft residency program recognized by Heritage Canada. There are 23 residencies spread over the media of ceramics, glass, textiles and jewellery. The residencies run from 1 to 3 years, during which time the participants can work in well equipped studios, receive mentoring, instructional, exposure and sales opportunities and participate in the full range of cultural programming at Harbourfront. For example, the craft residents receive free admission to all music, dance, speaking and literary performances at the centre.

Find out more information about the Harbourfront Artist in Residence Program.

Or contact Melanie Egan, Head of Craft at Harbourfront Centre.
Ph: 416.973.4963, or email Melanie Egan.

05. The Saskatchewan Government wins the prestigious Medici Award by ranking #1 in Government Spending
Hill Strategy Research has just released a report on cultural spending in Canada by the three levels of government in the 2006-2007 fiscal year. The data includes direct government spending on culture (not including tax credits or other indirect instruments). The results for Saskatchewan are:

1. The federal government spends only $48 per capita on cultural spending in Saskatchewan. That compares with a Canadian average of $114, and spending in Quebec of $164 per capita. Saskatchewan ranks second from the bottom in federal cultural spending – behind only British Columbia. (The four western provinces rank at the bottom of federal spending).
2. The Saskatchewan provincial government ranks #1 in cultural spending, and $118 per capita – compared with a Canadian average of $79. Manitoba is in second place at $110.
3. Municipalities in Saskatchewan spend $91 per capita on cultural spending – again, tops in the country. The Canadian average for municipal spending was $73.
4. Taking the spending of all three levels of government, Saskatchewan cultural support from government was $257 per capita, ranked 3rd behind Quebec and Prince Edward Island.

So...The next time you see a provincial MLA or a municipal councillor, you might want to thank them for making Saskatchewan number 1 in provincial and municipal support for culture. At the same time, you might give a (polite) raspberry to our federal MP’s for keeping us at Number 9.

06. Membership Directory Up and Running
The new SCC Membership Directory is officially up and running. Visit the Saskatchewan Craft Council website to see it!

The Directory is a replacement for the Fine Craft Guide – it is designed to give you exposure on the internet, or, if you have your own website, to help drive traffic to your site. There are two differences between the membership directory and the Fine Craft Guide:

1. It doesn’t cost you anything. The Fine Craft Guide cost $50 per year – the Membership Directory is part of your member benefits without any additional charge.
2. It’s easier – with the Fine Craft Guide, members were responsible for uploading their own images and information. We’ve come to the conclusion that many SCC members are better makers than computer nerds – so now we do this for you.

There is one big weakness still in the Membership Directory. That is – many of you have still not provided us with the information and images that we need. As a result, when someone clicks on your name, they get a pretty blank page.

Please help us change this. If you haven’t provided Colin with your picture, images of your work, and a short blurb about your work, please do so asap by e-mailing him at colin@integityimages.ca. The sooner you get your material to him, the sooner you have a good presence. For those who are up, don’t forget to stay current. As you produce new work or change you focus, provide Colin with the information and images. We want to present you in the best possible way – but we need your help.

Finally, this Directory is meant as a service for you. If you don’t have a website, it gives you an internet presence at no cost and very little hassle. If you have your own website, the member directory will help drive traffic to you.

07. Welcome New SCC Members

Thomas Schultz, Nipawin - Sculpture