Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery

 
Guest Speaker Denis Longchamps, the Executive Director & Chief Curator of the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery
Rotarian Keith Clarke introduced the guest speaker:
 
Denis Longchamps is the Executive Director at the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery. You may also recognize him from his time as the Artistic Director and Chief Curator at the Art Gallery of Burlington. He received his PhD in art history in 2009 from Concordia University where he was the administrator of the Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art from 2006 to 2011.
Having an accomplished teaching background, Denis has contributed to essays, articles and reviews to magazines and journals such as Espace-Sculpture, Ceramics Monthly, and Ceramics Art and Perception. He is the co-founder of the Canadian Craft Biennial (2017) that included four exhibitions, two residencies, workshops and an international symposium. In 2020, Denis was the recipient of the Craft Ontario John and Barbara Mather Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Denis is passionate about contemporary and historical visual art and fine craft. His advice for those considering graduate studies in art history is “to go for it”!
 
The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery is a not-for-profit organization in Waterloo, Ontario. It aims to collect, exhibit, research, promote and preserve work by Canadian artists and makers in clay, glass, and copper enameling to represent the diversity of the Canadian landscape.
 
It's three main focus areas are:
  1. Collections: The Canadian Clay & Glass gallery is home to four collections, each of which are held in public trust. Since the Gallery's opening in 1993, the collection has grown to encompass a wide range of artworks and object that first began with the Indusmin Collection, more than one hundred works loaned to the Gallery by Unimin Canada Limited.
  2. Exhibitions: The Gallery's rotating exhibitions celebrate and support diverse artists from across Canada working in these mediums and present their work to the public. Through exhibitions that address current and relevant issues, and public programs that engage, educate, and inspire, they are accessible to all.
  3.  Education: A relevant and dynamic cultural organization, the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery provides supportive education programs to people from across the region. Using exhibitions as a starting point, individuals develop arts vocabulary, arts appreciation and cultivate confidence in their interpretation of contemporary artworks. People who return to the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery many times come to understand that the Gallery is a space with dynamic exhibitions, ever-changing hands-on programs and multiple opportunities for learning.
The Gallery has now-reopened with additional pandemic measures. Their education has shifted to online, as well as selling kits needed to do activities from home following Gallery-produced YouTube videos.
 
Upcoming Events & Workshops at the Gallery
  • Claytime; 
    • $20 per person
    • Must book ahead
    • Great for families, friends, & groups (max.10)
    • Every Saturday morning & afternoon
    • Every Sunday afternoon
  • Lumen Lite; Sept.25 6-11pm
  • Shantz Award Presentation; Oct.10 1:30pm
  • Wilfred Laurier Choir performance: Oct.30 12pm
  • Clay Bowl Workshop Sept.30 6-9pm
  • At home Jug Workshop Oct.14 6-9pm
  • Mug Workshop Oct.21 6-9pm
  • Snowfolk Workshop Nov.25 6-9pm
  • Winter Tree Workshop Dec.2 6-9pm
  • Glass Fusion Ornament Workshops
    • Nov.23 7-9pm
    • Nov.30 7-9pm
    • Dec.7 7-9pm
 
Community Projects
  1. In The Moment. This dementia-friendly art tour is in partnership with the Dementia Society of Waterloo
  2. Sharing Experiences Digital Exhibition. In partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Waterloo Wellington, participants create a clay project and discuss a shared experience while doing so.
  3. Community Garden. This interactive garden involved both summer camps and the community at large.
  4. Summer Camps. Involving community youth is important. Thanks to the Grand River Rotary Club, who provided 12 scholarships for children from low income housing.
Rotarian Sandra Marrier thanked the guest speaker