CRAFTED 2023

Jewellery created by goldsmith Alexandra Tumanov, celebrates the elegance of Mother Earth. The intricate detail inherent in a fallen leaf, the texture and complexity of a found twig transforms through the artist process. Every piece is a symbolic connection to the natural world. Committed to an environmentally sustainable practice, Alexandra exclusively uses recycled materials and ethically sourced gemstones. Every piece of jewellery is made from start to finish by Alexandra. 

Alexis is a visual artist inspired by her Labrador Inuit ancestors. At a young age, she learned the basics of sewing from her gram, and used those skills to teach herself beading. In addition to learning from her grandmothers, who did traditional crafting, Alexis finds inspiration in nature. She enjoys incorporating what she sees into her work, and often sources materials from the land, like seal skin and caribou antler. For Alexis, crafting is a way to relax and stay grounded. She has taken it upon herself to learn more about her Inuit culture and has even been asked to share her learnings with children in her community. 

Alina Tungilik lives in Kuugaaruk (Pelly Bay) and started carving at the age of 12. She was taught by her mother, Emily Illuitok’s older sister. The influence of her aunt, master artist Emily Pangnerk Illuitok is very evident in her carving style. Her works are in the classic Kuugaaruk style working in mixed materials incorporating inlays of ivory, whalebone and caribou antler. She has been carving for many years in varied subject matters from day to day life in the community to the traditional ways of living on the land.

Andréanne Mulaire Dandeneau was born and raised in Saint-Boniface, Manitoba. She is of Ojibwa/French Métis ancestry and has created her Heritage clothing line to honour Canada’s French, Indigenous, and Métis character. Andréanne is committed to fair trade, environmental stewardship, and ethical business practices which has led to Anne Mulaire’s Just-In-Time philosophy and waste-reducing circular manufacturing model. With comfort and versatility at the forefront of design, Anne Mulaire is an expression of heritage, beauty, and pride. In 2022, Andréanne celebrated 17 years as a designer and manufacturer, right here in Winnipeg. 

Annie Akulukjuk Kilabuk is an emerging Inuk artist from Panniqtuuq (Pangnirtung), NU, who works with textiles, sealskin, leather, and furs. Kilabuk is known for her crafts and fashion pieces, including her vibrant “pang hats” and mittens that have become signatures of hers. She draws inspiration from the spring and fall seasons in Nunavut, as well as from the Northern colours of the land and sea. Her work pays homage to her grandmother, whose traditional patterns she inherited and regularly applies in her sewing. Kilabuk’s crafts have been exhibited across Canada in including in Winnipeg, Whitehorse, Iqaluit and Pangnirtung.

April Allen is an Inuk artist originally from Rigolet, Nunatsiavut with a small business, Stitched by April. April creates pieces that incorporate her Inuit culture, history, and traditional materials into her designs. She demonstrates a strong passion for her work – valuing the extensive detail in which she creates with every stitch. She constantly explores new variations of designs for future creations and considers where the materials come from and new ways that she can incorporate education into her projects. April believes that sharing and connecting with Indigenous youth in artistic practices is vital.

April Glaicar is a circumpolar and Antarctic multi-disciplinary artist and photographer from Hay River. Her work has a strong connection to the northern world, the seventh continent and arctic conservation while embracing traditional knowledge and cultures. April’s collection, Arctic Raw, is a celebration of silver, gold and bronze pieces that feature the raw beauty of Northwest Territories landscapes captured in solid glass and semi and precious gemstones from the regions alongside natural elements found nearby. From organic textures and fossils to rough gemstones and stunningly cut NWT diamonds, April creates unique one-of-a-kind artisan jewellery.

Goota Ashoona is a third generation Inuit artist from Cape Dorset, Nunavut. From a long line of well-known artists, Ashoona, along with her late husband Bob Kussy and their twin sons Joe Jaw and Samueli Ashoona, founded Ashoona Studios, currently operating in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Produced both individually and collaboratively, their work is part autobiographical and part historical, detailing stories from their family life. Many carvings are made from whalebone and black argilite but often mixed with other materials such as caribou antler, soapstone, copper, and claws. 

Kayla Annanack-Lauzon is an established Inuk artist from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik who is passionate about creating. Known for her beaded earrings and silapaaq (pullover cover), Kayla has been creating headpieces, mitts, and parkas since she was very young. She uses art as medicine, and named her company, August Beadwork, for her late father since he was born in August. Kayla is also an aspiring cultural tattoo artist who wants to be part of the revitalization of traditional markings.

BARE no tools is a sculptural jewellery brand that creates hand-formed polymer accessories designed by Winnipeg-born, multidisciplinary artist, Marissa Hoff. Founded on an admiration of unique self expression and a passion for design, these accessories aim to expand fashion inclusivity by creating contemporary pieces that can be appreciated and worn by all bodies, ages, and gender expressions. The designs are driven by organic shapes, vivid colours, and the technical process of creating something refined and beautiful with the artist’s bare hands.

bead n’ butter is an accessories brand owned by Jessie Pruden, a queer, disabled, Metis artist from Winnipeg. Each piece is handmade using glass beads and other materials, and every design is inspired by people in Jessie’s life. Bright and colourful, each piece is created with great intention, mixing a contemporary and traditional Metis design. bead n’ butter has been featured everywhere from Paris Fashion Week, to Fashion Canada Magazine, to the Instagram of celebrities. Collaborating with her brother, Noel, Jessie works out of her home, overseen by her pug-chihuahua, Bella. 

Nichol Marsch is a Métis artist from rural Manitoba, Treaty 1 Territory. She primarily works in multimedia sculptural installation that involves various contemporary and traditional mediums and processes, including beadwork. She enjoys making functional as well as decorative beadwork pieces and finding ways to merge the medium with others. Marsch learned bead working from various teachers including friends, fellow Métis artists, and leaders of Métis beading circles, and independent exploration. 

Glass homewares + art bring handmade inspiration to your every day. Working out of her studio, Brook melts and blows glass using a flame working technique. The process begins with drawing and playing with existing bits and parts of glass. In the studio she will experiment until coming up with a sample piece used for a pattern. Using three different sizes of oxygen and propane fuelled torches, Brook will melt, blow, and shape the glass, before slowly cooling the finished piece in an annealer. 

Candace is a Métis artist, student, doula, sundancer, cedar bath practitioner, community worker and facilitator from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Beading and creating jewellery is a way for her to process the things she does, hears, sees, and feels in her daily life. Candace makes jewellery and art that combines traditional techniques and materials with contemporary design, and materials. She is inspired by the work she does in the community and at school, songs, movies, relationships, dreams, and ceremonies. Candace has literally dreamed pieces that that she was able to create in the real world.

Cathie Ugrin is a Manitoba based fabric artist whose work is characterized by a rich and inventive use of colour and unique approach to design. Thread is her pencil; fabric is her paint; the artwork created is her voice. She has studied with numerous international fibre artists, continually expanding her technique while advancing her growth as an artist. Her pieces have reached a broad audience, finding homes across Canada, the United States, England, Finland, Italy, Peru, and Slovenia. Cathie’s work has been accepted into various National Juried shows and exhibits. Collaborating and teaching complete her resume of fibre-related art activities. 

Charlotte Sigurdson is a sculpture and doll artist from Winnipeg. A life-long doll lover, Charlotte began her art career making bespoke toy dolls and over time, her work evolved from toys to fine art sculpture. Her work draws on baroque imagery and has a subtle element of the grotesque. Conceptually, Charlotte’s work focuses on the human condition and how our humanity connects us through time and space. History is of particular importance in her work. Many of her pieces are inspired by specific historical events or the history of ideas. 

Cheryl Thomas is a self-taught fibre artist who, although born and raised in Ontario, has lived in Yellowknife for the past 27 years.  She enjoys the many different aspects of felting whether it be needle-felting, wet-felting or felting from hand knit wool items. Many of her works combine these methods. Cheryl prioritizes nature in her life and spends many hours scavenging the forests and shorelines for items to incorporate into her art. Cheryl combines her love of nature and her crafting skills to produce unique works of art.

CJ Tennant creates modern gemstone jewellery. Balancing edgy and elegant, embracing colour and texture, these stunning, quality pieces fulfill CJ’s goal of making every customer feel like their best self and have a darn good time in the process. Her design philosophy is always to focus on the real-life needs and bodies of women, creating pieces that excite and flatter. The collections mix and layer so everyone can build a timeless style wardrobe, all while adding the power of gemstones.    

Claire Johnston is a Queer and Autistic Métis beadwork artist based in Treaty 1 Territory/Winnipeg. They are currently mentoring alongside Métis Master Beadwork Artist and Knowledge Keeper Jennine Krauchi, as well as engaging in intergenerational learning and knowledge transfer from their father Roy Johnston. Claire’s work is informed by the strengthening of relationships—with themself, their kin and the natural world. They are an MMF citizen, a member of the Two-Spirit Michif Local, and are a founding member of the grassroots Michif collective Red River Echoes.

Matt Jenkins and Karen Rudolph are dedicated to designing and forging highly crafted work. For 45 years they have honed their skills and learned traditional blacksmith techniques while studying with master smiths around the world. Matt has placed twice at the World Forging Championship in Stia, Italy and in 2016 he completed a yearlong project where he designed and forged a different style hook every day. Between hammering on custom projects in their shop located in just north of Winnipeg, Manitoba; they lead workshops and demonstrate the ancient craft of blacksmithing across North America.

Kevin Conlin lives and works in southwestern Manitoba, in the municipality of South Cypress. Loving clay even as a child, he took his first real ceramic class at Northern Arizona University and completed his BFA at the University of Regina. He went on to teach and work for the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and Red Deer College and developed the ceramic program at Brandon University. Today, he runs Cypress Ceramic Studios and works for the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba. His work has been shown and collected nationally and internationally in both private and public established collections.

Daria Tittenberger is a jewellery artist living and working in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Working predominately with off-loom beadweaving techniques, she uses a single needle and thread to sew glass beads together into three-dimensional wearable art. Informed by traditional fabric arts and inspired by contemporary forms of expression, she uses the repetition and layering of simple geometric shapes to create beadwoven jewellery with complex textures, patterns, and shapes. 

Lisa and Sean Reico are Winnipeg, Manitoba based artists inspired by their love for and interest in minimalist design and modern architecture. Together, their mission is to innovate through their use of unique elements, and to support the community at large by using eco-friendly materials such as 40% recycled resins which incorporate organic materials and hand-woven weaves developed by skilled artisans in diverse regions around the world. Although Lisa and Sean have no formal training in fine arts, their respective decade long interest and passion for architecture and design inspired them to start dconstruct jewellery. 

Debra is a book-artist whose distinct materials are sourced from the places most meaningful to her; their personal significance finds its place as they become functional books to hold and preserve individual experience. Her training in the precise art of bookbinding allows for elegant balance between fine technique and innovative play. Her work ranges from leather or wood-bound journals to sculptural artworks featuring foraged logs and self-preserved fish leather. Placing high value on sustainable craft, fishing for and tanning her own leather has become a critical aspect of Debra’s practice. Her work has been shown and collected nationally and internationally. 

Karlyn Blake was raised in Aklavik and enjoys beading, embroidering, making covers, slippers and more. Her favourite pieces to date are her signature earrings that are made from gun shell casings, granny hanky & moosehide. Karlyn started sewing when she was gifted a beading kit from her Jijuu (grandmother) at around 10 years old. Later, as an adult she started challenging herself to create other items for her children and husband with help from local artists including her Ama (mother). As a mom of 4 children, Karlyn describes sewing as the calm in her busy everyday life.

Earth and Hide is a lifestyle brand focussing on high quality leather goods with a timeless rugged quality. Earth and Hide products connect to its owner through the things it carries and the way it’s used. Every customer has a unique story and their product will become an integral part of that story. Imagine what you put in your bag and the importance these items have; the contacts in your phone, the things written with the pen, the drawings held within the sketchbook. The hope is that their products will be an integral part of the things customers do.

Tracey is a Dene artist living in the small northern community of Whatì. She makes jewelry and accessories using traditional materials such as beads, hides, porcupine quills, caribou hair tufting and birchbark. Since moving back to her home community in 2019, Tracey has been learning how to tan caribou and moose hide with her auntie, learning different methods and techniques from elders in the community. Tracey occasionally teaches beading classes and is passionate about sharing her skills and knowledge of beading and making art using traditional materials.  Tracey sells her pieces online on social media under the name @Ehts’o t’a, which means “with beads”.

Elisapee Tatigat Avingaq is a jeweller and seamstress based in Iqaluit, NU. Known for her unique earrings that incorporate fish leather and beadwork, Avingaq is also an avid seamstress after having been taught by her mother, Susan Avingaq, honing her skills in adulthood when she wanted to craft her own amautis. Now, Avingaq creates an extensive line of earrings and textiles, which she sells through the digital marketplace. She appeared alongside her mother on the cover of the 1995 “Inuit Art World” issue of the “Inuit Art Quarterly”.

Erin Konsmo (she/they) is an Alberta-raised Prairie queer of Métis and settler Canadian descent. They are a member of the Two-Spirit Michif Local (MMF) harvester and fisher and visual artist based out of Winnipeg, MB. They are a community organizer, reproductive justice, embodiment, and healing practitioner. Erin’s artistic practice currently focuses on fish scale art and macro photography. They enjoy spending time ice fishing and sharing the gifts from the fish. Erin is also a textile artist, taking inspiration from her mothers sewing room and loves a good perusal through drawers full of fabric, rick rack, trims and lace.

Candace Lipischak is a multidisciplinary Métis artist born and raised on Treaty 1 territory. Owner and jewellery designer for her company Fat Daug (Father-Daughter), Candace was taught by her mentor and father, Larry. Inspired by their Métis heritage and love of nature, their pendants and earrings are hand-carved out of various antler. Each piece is original and organic, meant to add some creative flair to your wardrobe, and most of all, to keep you grounded. 

Graeson Fehr is a Winnipeg based knife maker who creates custom, high end culinary and hunting blades. Each blade starts as a raw bar of steel and is forged or ground into shape, heat treated, polished, sharpened entirely at his forge in the Exchange District. After the blade is finished Graeson chooses a handle material, carefully weighing considerations between aesthetic choices as well as durability to make sure that the finished product will look unique and hold up to a lifetime of use. 

Fredrick Spence (Thunderbear) is an Ojibwe (Peguis First Nation) soapstone carver based in Winnipeg, Treaty 1 Territory. Fredrick began his journey with soapstone in 2018 teaching workshops to unhoused relatives in downtown Winnipeg, many struggling with mental health and addictions. Drawing on his own experiences of finding healing medicine through art, Fredrick has now travelled across the country and guided over 1000 individuals in creating their own unique soapstone sculptures in the hopes of changing one person’s life. In his own art practice, Fredrick is heavily influenced by the Seven Sacred Grandfather teachings and is currently preparing for his first-ever solo show in Winnipeg. Fredrick is a Sundancer, father, and journeyman electrician.

Shawna McLeod is a Dehcho Dene/Métis from Deh Gáh Got’íé First Nation (Fort Providence) and is now located in Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ (Fort Simpson). She is a land-based jewelry artist and designer who operates From the Land Creations with her sister, Robyn McLeod. Their jewellery blends approaches and styles – the beauty of NWT traditions with modern colourful experimentation. Each piece includes elements from the land or water, using quills, antler, sweet grass, shells, traditionally tanned hide and fur. Shawna also co-owns Fireweed Supply Co., which is a curated artist box that showcases and celebrates northern artists and small businesses from all territories in Canada.

Fashion By Hafsa is a progressive artistic line of clothing designed for the modern, modest woman. Hafsa uses influences from her experiences and different cultures to create a unique line of modest clothing. Being designed to be worn by anyone regardless of belief is important as Hafsa’s vision is to bring the old world into the new world, to respect the past while modernizing to prepare for the future. Authentic custom and hand painted designs stand out to promote a woman’s forward fashion sense while respecting one’s preferences and beliefs, regardless of body type or background. 

Haley Alakan White is a mixed-media artist who draws inspiration from her Inuk heritage, using traditional skills learned from family, elders, and community. She uses natural materials like antler, bone, fur, and stone. Initially focusing on sewing, Haley incorporates beading, tufting, printmaking, and carving, following a deeply ingrained principle of respect for animals and utilizing all parts of the animals she works with. Haley’s art reflects the past, present, and future of her people, portraying the resilience and strength of the Inuit community. She aims to instill a sense of connection, joy, and hope, bridging generations and honoring Inuit culture. 

Helen Gair creates fine hats & headpieces. With a background in historic costume, Helen blocked her first hat more than 20 years ago. After deciding to pursue millinery as an art form, she travelled to England to study under various millinery masters. Using carefully selected premium materials from their characteristic countries, allows Helen to hand craft couture pieces that blend traditional techniques with modern sensibilities. Adorned with genuine vintage, never-sold deadstock trims ensure small batches and exclusivity in each design, due to the rarity of materials used. Helen meticulously creates timeless pieces in her Winnipeg home studio. 

Destiny Seymour is an Anishinaabe interior designer based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She graduated with her master’s degree in Interior Design from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba. In 2016 Destiny started designing artisan textiles for interiors that respectfully reflect local Manitoban Indigenous peoples and their history. Her company, Indigo Arrows, now offers a range of table linens, pillows, and blankets that showcase patterns from local Indigenous pottery and bone tools that date from 400 to over 3,000 years old. These patterns are picking up where her ancestors left off. 

Ittuvik Paquet is an Inuit artist from Salluit, Quebec. Her passion for parka making started six years ago when her cousins began teaching her over the phone. Ittuvik recently attended the Northern Lights Tradeshow in Ottawa, Ontario. 

Jillian Sareault graduated from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, BC in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. While there, she focused on creating functional ceramic work that pulled techniques from other mediums like Illustration, Animation, and Silk Screening. By combining these mediums and techniques, she creates brightly coloured functional ceramics for any setting. Since moving back to Manitoba, she has been drawing inspiration for her work from her surroundings including the large variety of fruit and vegetable fields that are grown around the province. 

Thrown on the potter’s wheel and fired in a wood burning kiln, Jen Sonnenberg Woodfired Pottery is functional porcelain and stoneware that are both modern and timeless. Wood firing creates surfaces and textures that are truly unique, even to other pieces from the same woodfiring! Ash and flame leave their mark on each piece creating a surface with rustic, earthy textures, beautiful colours, movement, and an energy that tells of the time in the kiln.

Johanna founded Johanna Brierley Jewellery Design in 2007 after applying her lifelong fascination with jewellery in its many forms. Johanna is known primarily for her Lucky Stone Collection, which is inspired by hole stones found on the shores of Lake Winnipeg in Gimli, Manitoba. These “lucky stones” continue to play a role in her jewellery design, which has grown to include collections in sterling silver and gold. As a result of Johanna’s creativity, talent, and passion, JBJD has grown over the last 15 years, and her work can be found in retailers all over North America. When Johanna isn’t travelling the world seeking experiences and inspiration, she works in her studio in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

John was born in Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ (Fort Simpson). His carvings explore the complex relationship between humans and nature. In stone, he reimagines motifs from the Dehcho Dene stories and legends he heard throughout his youth. The possibility of transformation is one of the themes that intrigues him the most. When he carves stone, he feels energized which paradoxically brings a calm focus and balance to being in the world. He loves to feel like he is totally in control of the creative process, but he knows that when the stone presents other ideas, he has to respond!

Julianna is an artist from the prairies of southern Manitoba. She works primarily in clay, but also extends her practice to include a variety of other materials. Her current body of work investigates our relationship to food. She received her first Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of Manitoba and her BFA (studio) from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design. In June 2021 Julianna defended her thesis and graduated with a Master of Fine Art from the University of Manitoba.

Julie Grenier is from Kuujjuaq, a small community in Nunavik, Northern Québec. She currently resides in Notre-Dame-de-l’ile-Perrot and has been beading and sewing since the age of eight. Julie was recently one of 10 Canadian Indigenous designers selected to take part in an Indigenous Haute Couture Fashion Residency at the Banff Center for Creative Arts, under the tutelage of D’Arcy Moses. She also recently collaborated on the design and beading of the outfit worn by Canada’s Governor General. One of Julie’s collaborative works is on permanent display at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris, another one was exhibited at WAG-Qaumajuq. She has been recognized by the Nunavik Arts Secretariat, by the Avataq Cultural Institute and by Kativik Ilisarnilirijiit for her work.  

June Derksen, owner of Junebug Design is a glass artist from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She has spent over 26 years developing her skills and learning new methods to further evolve as a glass artist. June sees glasswork as an opportunity to combine her technical skills and artistry, to create beautiful flowing works of art, special keepsakes, or wearable art. Using handmade sheet glass, frit (crushed glass in various granular sizes) and vitro-graph (molten glass pulled to create glass string). Layer upon layer is built up like a collage and fused together in a kiln. The reveal is always exciting and unpredictable.
 

Ysa Aguinaldo’s Just for Fun Ceramics features functional wares made to brighten your day. Ysa expresses her creativity through the joys of making colourful pottery with geometric and curvaceous silhouettes. Inspired by celebrating differences and individuality, each piece is made to be unique and one of one. Ysa began pottery 3 years ago when she began classes at the WAG. Ysa enjoys experimenting with a variety of mediums and learning new crafts in her spare time, as she would during her full-time career as an educator, teaching children the importance of hands-on learning and expression through Woodworking and Visual Arts.

Karen Kerr is a rope artist who works from her studio in Winnipeg, MB. She designs and crafts bowls, baskets, and purses using natural unbleached cotton rope of varying widths. Each contemporary design is meticulously machine sewn with some incorporating accents of leather, wood, cork, and fabric. Karen’s unique rope creations are works of art providing beauty, quality, and functionality to any decor. 

Karen is an eclectic artist influenced by modern and medieval architecture, and the beauty of the skies, lakes, and trees found in the Manitoba landscape. She embraces the challenge of designing 3D small sculptures as personal adornment. Her fusion of form and function in sterling silver, with attention to texture and detail, enables wearers to best express their own individuality. Having taught a Jewellery and Metalsmithing Program for many years, she has benefitted from her experience in the studio and the many workshops she has attended throughout her expanding career.    

Kathryne Koop’s passion for pottery began over 50 years ago through a community clay class which planted the seed that launched a lifelong career as a full-time potter. Working with porcelain clay, Koop explores endless approaches to familiar objects that balance aesthetics with both form and function. She creates unique pieces of pottery that are both elegant and gestural, making them as desirable to display as they are to use. Each piece is wheel thrown, glazed with multiple layers of colour and fired in a gas reduction kiln. 

Working from her studio in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Kelli Rey is inspired by early–to–mid-20th century design, defamiliarization, experimental techniques, and vibrant colours. Her passion lies in artfully crafting ceramics, incorporating elements that aim to surprise, puzzle, or entertain. Kelli’s commitment to continuous learning is evident in her educational journey, which includes a BFA Honours in Ceramics and a BEd from the University of Manitoba and a Graphic Design Diploma from Red River Polytechnic College. She has received numerous awards for her work and has been published in Studio Magazine Canada, Lark Ceramics 500 Teapots, and Homemade Soups in Handmade Vessels.

Kristie MAH clothing is a re-birth of Velvet Plume Clothier for the past 16 years. Kristie is a self-taught clothing designer and seamstress; she has travelled, vended, and displayed at shows for 20 years. MAH can mean the sound between sounds, or the measure of an electrical charge. People will remember you after you leave the room when you wear an original Kristie MAH design. The energetic essence of you, charging your every step. Kristie MAH clothing is poetry in motion. Designs to help you bloom into being and an opportunity to awaken sacred space within and around you. 

Together under the banner of Kuutsiq’s Designs and LPZ, Charlotte Kuutsiq Zawadski and her husband Derek Zawadski produce and sell handcrafted Inuit-made products. Charlotte is an Inuk seamstress who sews traditional and modern outerwear clothing. Her inspiration comes from the Kivalliq seamstresses in the 1980s and 90s who paved the way for Kivallirmiut creating a distinctive style of parkas and amautiit still used to this day. Derek Zawadski is an Inuk craftsman who makes uluit (plural for ulu, a woman’s knife). Each ulu is unique, very sharp and handcrafted to last for generations. Derek’s inspiration comes from the memory of watching his grandfather create tools and uluit, that are still used to this day.  

Koomuatuk Sapa Curley, known widely as Kuzy, is originally from Kinngait Nunavut and has lived in Yellowknife, Toronto, and Ottawa where he has established himself as an artist of remarkable talent and potential. Coming from an artistic family that began with the renowned Pitseolak Ashoona, he was taught at a young age to carve by his grandparents Qaqaq and Mayureak Ashoona while living at their outpost camp Satuqhituu. He continues to honour them and consciously chooses to carve the deeply rooted themes they taught him yet with a fresh vision that is all his own. Technically proficient in diverse materials, Kuzy creates sculptures of arctic wildlife with astonishing life-like precision and grace. As an artist, he constantly challenges himself to represent his subjects naturalistically while creating striking and balanced compositions.

KV Lindell, originally from Arviat, Nunavut, moved to Iqaluit, Nunavut in 2005. There, he started making earrings in November of 2014 as a hobby, and just kept getting more orders as time went on. KV makes simple yet elegant earrings from walrus ivory, bowhead whale baleen, musk ox horn, and caribou antler.

Karen Wolfrey is a Nunatsiavut member from Happy Valley-Goose Bay in Labrador. Karen loves to create things by hand, such as earrings, pins, ornaments, and pictures made with sealskin and fox fur. She has been crafting for most of her adult life, making coats, mitts, slippers, and more. Karen takes a lot of pride in her crafts, which are handmade from the heart and are often available through her Facebook group, KW Handcrafted. Karen also enjoys participating in local craft fairs/sales, online craft sales, and flea markets.

From street markets to pop-ups, the Lennard Taylor brand has grown over the years. After years of momentum, his hard work birthed his flagship boutique where the designer continues to grow his label. The brand’s popularity has grown further and further as he travels across North America showing his one of-a-kind-designs and artworks. Lennard continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible while garnering international recognition for his outstanding design, exquisite paintings, and inspirational words. Lennard Taylor is truly a modern-day renaissance man who works hard to live up to his life’s purpose – to make others smile and feel good. 

Growing up in Fort Smith in a family of well-known carvers, Levi made his first carving when he was about five years old. Years passed and in 2016, Levi’s grandfather gave him a walrus tusk as a gift, which inspired him to start carving once again. Like his father and grandfather, Levi carves with natural materials readily available in the NWT, such as moose antler, muskox horn, and buffalo hooves, but also loves to work with walrus and mammoth tusk ivory. He creates smaller jewelry pieces like rings, pendants and brooches, but also larger art pieces of northern animals.

Little Wing Odd Birds are small bird sculptures made of wool, wire and winter nights in Winnipeg. They are created to celebrate both the beauty of yarn and the charm of birds. Many are purely imaginary species and some are interpretations of birds found in nature. All are whimsical, playful and odd. Materials are thoughtfully selected from a wide range of sources including leftovers from knitter’s stash and fibre that is produced at local Manitoba farms.

Drawing on memories of family & self, Louis wrestles with the fragility of the human mind. Using found textiles & the cyanotype process, Louis presents a patchwork collection brought together through a string of coincidences.

On the Court. At the Lake. In the Office. Off the Grid. Canadian designer, Graham Epp has offered the world the look, feel, and fit of his own original Lounge Lakers. Stemming from a career in couture fashion, Graham has launched a line of athletic loungewear made from natural and sustainable fibres. In addition to the flagship design of classic shorts and polo shirts, Graham constructs one-of-a-kind pieces using printed fabric created by his own silk screen technique. With a vision of a uniform for a brave new world, these are not merely shorts but a way of life. 

Born and raised near Kenora in Northwestern Ontario, Sheila Cailleau is the founder and owner of Magpie Chiq in Winnipeg. Inspired by nature and her Métis roots, Sheila works with leather and fur to create beautiful, luxurious and functional items: boots, mitts, shoes and bags. Each handcrafted, hand sewn item captures the authenticity of our northern land as we live it today, in a coffee shop, at a hockey rink, a summer festival, on a frozen lake, wherever your spirit takes you. Thank you for celebrating her designs.

Mercedes grew up surrounded by art, music, and culture in the magnetic city of Buenos Aires. She obtained degrees both in Fashion Design and Textile Design from the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urbanism of Universidad de Buenos Aires. Currently she is the creative mind and designer of her own brand, Maison Corazon. She creates handmade capsule collections with a strong narrative, encouraging wearers to express themselves through clothing and style. The collections are designed with obsessive details, impeccable craftmanship and studied volumes and silhouettes. Her inspiration comes from eclectic sources, like film, art currents, places, people, humour, and the past.

Marlene Tutcho was born and raised in Délı̨nę. She works full-time with the Government of the Northwest Territories but during her evenings and weekends, she is busy in the sewing room that her husband built for her. Marlene has been sewing since she was very young, carrying on traditions that were passed down by her mother and grandmother. Marlene’s commitment to her Dene culture and traditions are showcased through her work. Her Facebook page, Marlene’s Creations Bead Work, showcases the beauty of beadwork, and traditional arts and crafts.

MaryJane comes from a large family of traditional artists. Her mother taught her to sew traditional art at a young age but is a self-taught beader who enjoys trying new techniques and styles of beading. MaryJane makes beaded earrings, dangles with hearts, ulus and butterflies, and has been selling her artwork through her Facebook page, MJ’s Northern Earrings, since 2011. MaryJane’s focus right now is fish skin tanning and creating jewelry with it. She has always been fascinated with fish skin and is excited to be incorporating it into her jewelry.

Lourdes Still is the founder of Masagana Flower Farm & Studio, a seasonal flower farm & dye studio in Southeast Manitoba. She grows seasonal blooms and dye plants to make handmade, small-batch, naturally dyed textile goods. She started as a self-taught flower farmer and natural dyer, but has since trained on small-scale, high intensity cut flower production through Floret and Maiwa’s School of Textiles. She created TINTA, a three-hour dye-your-own wearable art experience where people can engage with botanicals and create them through eco-printing and indigo dyeing. Classes are offered year-round at her studio-in-the-woods. 

May-Lain Siusangnark is a married mother of three who lives in Naujaat, Nunavut. She started learning sewing at the age of 12 and her first project was a pair of mitts using old clothing. May-Lain has studied and instructed sewing classes. She has always liked fashionable clothing and despite the odds, has persevered and now makes clothes for other people. May-Lain sites her mother as a role model and is proud to say that some community members admire her work. Her desire is to teach other people so that they can engage in sewing projects and have a better future. 

For over two decades David has worked exclusively with locally harvested materials in his ceramics after completing a BFA at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Everything that goes into David’s pots is dug by hand in Manitoba. Clays and sands are carefully researched, harvested, and processed before being thrown on his kick wheel. The glazes come from wood ash and rocks that are crushed by hand. Finally, David fires the pots in his wood burning kiln. David takes pride in creating truly local, functional pottery. 

Meg creates dynamic original works in her home studio in Winnipeg. Her F/W 2023 collection will be an extension on previous works. This season she will be revisiting coloured clay works and will be adding a textural element with glazes and finishes. She will also be bringing sculptural works and her much loved accessories. Meg is a former student of the WAG clay studio and works part time as a professional commercial artist – her works are sold across the country in stores and galleries and have been published in the Globe and Mail, British Vogue and Elle Quebec to name a few.

Melanie is the mother of two girls and works full time as a health care professional. Although, she has a busy life, with work and family, she takes time each day of the week to sew. Initially taught the basics of sewing from her mom, Melanie now has over 10 years of experience in sewing. Through years of experience, she is capable and happy to sew all sizes in various styles for men, women, and children. Melanie takes pride in her skills and techniques, and it is something that she is constantly learning and gaining knowledge in. 

Melanie Wesley’s creative pursuits stem from a childhood passion and joy for dolls, textiles, and making things. She has enjoyed a long and varied creative career that has afforded many opportunities for her to refine her skills. For the past ten years, Melanie’s focus has been creating heirloom quality dolls, beloved and collected around the world. Inspired by handmade rag dolls from the early 20th century, childhood woolgathering and the natural & antique materials she sources. Melanie’s choice in materials, along with an intentionally slow process, reflects her desire to live in a world gentler and more playful.  

Eric Au is a multi-disciplinary industrial designer and maker. He’s been cutting his fingers crafting things since he could barely hold a saw. He works closely with new manufacturing technologies and melds them with modern materials to produce unique interpretations of common objects. Inspired by strong graphic design, bold contrast and functional aesthetics, he strives to produce work that can enhance everyday life. The result is a hand finished, high quality, pragmatic product that seeks out a lifetime of weathering.

Michael Astill has been living and creating in Manitoba for nearly 25 years. The past 18 years he has made Ile des Chenes his home. Most of the work he makes is fired in a kiln he built in 2006. A creator of functional ceramics, Michael places the importance of use as highly as the aesthetic of the work. He has spent his career utilizing the atmosphere in woodfired kilns to create work with a subtle beauty that encourages handling and contemplation.

Aimée-Mihkokwaniy McGillis (She/They) ᒥᐦᑯᑲᐧᓂᕀ is pitoteyihtam (neurodivergent), queer, Michif who is a citizen of the Red River Métis Nation (MMF). Each piece is handcrafted in their ancestral homelands, Treaty One territory just outside of Maskotéwi Onikapik (Portage La Prairie). Their work emerges through relationship with the land, which is translated in organic cast jewellery pieces that reflect the interconnectedness of all life and natural law.  Aimée also creates through drawing, painting, beading, sculpture, gardening, and ceremonial tools. Aimée is a farmer and seed keeper who along with their children and partner owns and operates a regenerative style farm that centres relationship with the land and community. 

Miriam Delos Santos is the designer and owner of Hello Darling Co., a local small business specializing in inclusive women’s accessories and fashion. Proudly a second-generation Filipina from immigrant parents who started their own entrepreneurial business back in the 1980s and paved the path. From the careful curation of textiles, mostly deadstock and remnant fabrics, to the design and production, the process is done in studio in Winnipeg Manitoba. Miriam also participates with local student internships, panels empowering BIPOC women in business, fashion school lectures and believes in community support, the power of mentorship, visibility and dedication to ones craft.  

Angela Graham is a ceramic artist living in rural Manitoba. She is fascinated by the idea of highly decorated tools, and the inherent personality in hand built ceramics. The pieces are an exploration in joy. The decoration is based on the plants and flowers that thrive on the prairies, and takes inspiration from the exuberance of nature and a wild Manitoba garden. This work is meant to be part of a celebration of daily activities; an honouring of the labour involved in daily life.

Kristina and Samantha are sisters who love to share their Indigenous culture and craft through intricate, hand-beaded jewelry and accessories. They were born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba with Carrier Dene roots from Stellat’en First Nation. One of their most sought-after items is handwoven poppies, made in honour of their grandpa, who fought bravely in WWII. All items are made with hand sourced products – ranging from animal hides, furs, and shells to delicate vintage beads. Much effort is spent weaving good energy into each item, and the sisters hope that as pieces find their homes, the owners recognize that. 

Blanche Chief, the artist behind Nimis creations, comes from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She was led to traditional beadwork and art through her journey of self- discovery as a proud First Nations woman. Blanche’s aim is to collaborate in an Indigenous movement that brings traditional knowledge and creative practices to the forefront. She has a diploma in Child and Youth Care from Red River College and is currently in her second year of Indigenous studies at the University of Winnipeg.  

Cathie Harper is a basket-maker who creates baskets and non-traditional woven forms using natural and commercial materials. After moving North, she began using wild willow to create baskets. 25 years later, she still uses willow, but her work has gone through an evolution, and she now uses a variety of materials in her own designs. When Cathie starts, she may have a general concept but never knows what the final result will be. She lets the materials speak to her, guided by the freedom of creation. A true ‘basket case’, she has yet to find material that she can’t weave. Cathie operates her studio, Northern Willow Studio, in Yellowknife. 

Nukariit creations is a small, Inuit owned business created in 2021 by a mother and two daughters from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Nukariit means sisters in Innuinaqtun. They create contemporary tops and vests called Kalikuk and are worn as a soft-shell cover, or as fashionable wear. Kalikuk is  known as a traditional piece, and respectfully, Nukariit creations adds its own modern touch to them. Each piece is unique with mainly floral patterns and colourful designs. This business is run part time on Instagram and has been very successful. 

Alan has had a passion for wood-fired pottery for more than 40 years. He makes most of his work on an old foot-powered potter’s wheel and makes his glazes using various crushed rock and wood ashes. He mixes most of his own custom clays. Using natural materials and processes helps him reflect upon how amazing our world really is. Alan has worked and exhibited locally, nationally, and internationally. Within a career spanning almost fifty years, Alan has exhibited, worked and represented Canada in the U.S.A., Australia, China, South Korea, Thailand, Cambodia, and Croatia.

Catherine Blondin is from Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ (Fort Simpson). She is a teacher by trade, a nature-enthusiast and talented Dene artist. Through her art, Catherine is sharing and reclaiming her culture, whether by offering pieces for fundraising purposes whenever possible or by teaching beading classes to kids in school. She is particularly inspired by the resurgence of Indigenous artists coming forward with new mediums, new techniques, and new materials. Catherine sells her pieces online through her social media accounts under her company’s name @OnteSews, which is based on her traditional Dene name. 

Marc Liss, of Origin Handcrafted Goods, believes the materials he uses to make his pieces are as important as the pieces themselves. By salvaging quality steel from antique sawmill blades, wood from whiskey barrels and barn beams, and incorporating deer antler, bison horn, and Manitoba maple in his work, Marc believes the materials possess a uniquely Canadian quality. Beauty is found in the utility of a tool and each curve and line of Marc’s knives is determined by function rather than flare. The result: simple and straightforward knives, possessing a rich history, and a lifetime of utility. 

Originally from a small town in Manitoba, Terry Hildebrand graduated with an MFA in Ceramics from the University of Minnesota in May 2014. He received a BFA Honours degree from the University of Manitoba in 2007. From 2009 to 2011, he worked as studio technician in the ceramics department at the University of Manitoba. In the years after his MFA he taught at Medicine Hat College and has participated in multiple residencies at Medalta and the Banff Center while exhibiting nationally and internationally. Terry and his partner Miriam Rudolph are full time artists based in Winnipeg, MB.

Toluwalope Toludare is a Nigerian ceramist with a doctorate in ceramics studio research from the Federal University of Technology Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. He currently resides in Winnipeg, where he teaches and makes art. He loves solving mysteries and finding creative solutions within the ceramic field. He has also mastered advanced throwing with interest in making large forms on the potter’s wheel, a skill set he eagerly shares with his students. He draws inspiration from his intimate knowledge of various African artistic practices and his extensive study of Asian large-scale pottery.

Rachael Kroeker is a full–time ceramic artist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba where she has been creating functional tableware for the past 13 years. She specializes in a technique called slip casting, where liquid clay is poured into plaster molds creating unique, one-of-a-kind pieces with her signature style of marbling. Rachael also explores bold colour and pattern combinations, along with line movement and repetition in her newest sculptural series of lichen inspired wall tiles and vessels. With a modern, contemporary feel and exquisite craftsmanship, her pieces are designed to beautify life and enrich daily routines. 

Originally a Makeup Artist for film and television by trade, beading and clay work were hobbies of healing for Beth Ann McIvor that she shared with her sister for over a decade. This along with her love of ceremony and medicine picking, evolved to become Red Earth Ceramic Jewelry. By pressing beadwork she has done or found and various plant medicines in clay and kiln firing, Beth-Ann creates wearable designs that are a modern reflection of traditional Metis beadwork and depict the memories of our sacred medicines. In 2022 Beth Ann was a featured Artist on APTN’s Indigenous Day Lives’ national broadcast and Toronto’s Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival as a Manitoba Spotlight artist.

Scott Senior of Rewildwoodworks creates one–of–a–kind, hand carved bowls and utensils using traditional tools and techniques. Scott draws inspiration from nature’s beauty and is influenced by various carving traditions from Scandinavia and Japan.

Naila Janzen of Rox Creative is a self-taught quilter and designer in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She started quilting while recovering from Breast Cancer treatments. Quilting focused her mind and hands and inspired her to explore her creativity. Naila (Rox) participated in her first urban market in 2018. Since then, she has collaborated locally with Hut-K, the WAG gift shop, and Freshair Boutique. Her work is currently displayed on the walls of local Winnipeg businesses Parcel Pizza and Refill Market. Naila has formerly served as a board member of MCC. She was also a contributing artist in the Collections Agency Exhibit by the MCML in 2022. 

Modern, sustainable clothing made with natural and sustainable exquisite fabric. Bamboo, silk, hemp, cotton, linen, and eco-friendly textiles are used in creating minimalistic and contemporary silhouettes that are timeless. Sarah creates items that are wearable pieces of art. She creates small batch collections that focus on slow fashion and includes Zero-Waste items, hand-dyed pieces, and one-of-a-kind pieces. She creates boxy cardigans, flowy tunics and tops that focus on being inclusive in sizing to look fabulous on all women. Sizes XS – 5X. All made in Winnipeg!

Karyn Astleford is a fashion designer, geologist, yoga teacher, fashion instructor, and full-time student of economics and finance. She was raised on an oilseed farm in the Interlake, and now resides in Winnipeg, MB. Her inspiration is the convergence of the many hats she has worn throughout her life. She designs clothing to be worn in all seasons, to coordinate with whatever is already in your closet and elevate any outfit. Karyn’s process begins with inspiration – from her upbringing on the farm, the functionality of workwear, and being outdoors in all seasons. Mixed with her fascination with couture – clothing that is necessarily functional by design but undeniably beautiful, wearable art. This juxtaposition is the core of her design process.
 

Michelle Maynard is a Manitoba resident and uses textiles as a medium to create artful, well-crafted fashion that will last for generations. Her studio is located on Treaty 1  Territory where she designs and produces each garment by hand. Michelle studied fashion at the University of Manitoba and Ryerson University and has been practicing the art of fashion under her label, Simone’s Rose for over ten years. She focuses on producing thoughtful, made-to-order garments using natural fibers, vintage, and deadstock textiles. Inspired by the environment, zero-waste methods, sustainable sourcing, and production are at the forefront of each collection.

Lia Karras is a textile artist living and working in Winnipeg. She studied interior design and furniture-making in Toronto before opening she launched her textile studio in 2020. Here she focuses on creating work that is beautiful, meaningful, minimalist, and tactile.  She believes in an art practice where beauty, quality, and sustainability are in balance and often works with found or reclaimed materials in an effort to create without taking. From large scale wall art to useful household textiles, Lia thoughtfully reimagines materials to make use of existing resources and to use materiality as a form of storytelling. She strives to create work that is honest, timeless, and lasting.

Studio OCTAV is home to the embracive collection of textile art by Canadian born artist, Graham Epp. Specializing in basketry, clothing, and silk screen graphic design, Graham has made a profession in the arts since 2003. In addition to textile arts, Graham is a composer and touring musician, having released ten albums and sharing the stage with notable acts. The baskets and vessels of studio OCTAV are designed and sewn by Graham using 100% Canadian sourced materials and home-made plant-based dyes. Every vessel is one-of-a-kind and sewn into a functional sculpture for everyday living.

Delia Cepoi holds a Master’s degree in Architecture and has a career spanning three decades. She began making contemporary art in 2010, and since then, she has sold over 5,000 items around the globe. Her art has won several international competitions and is featured in many galleries as well as the Museum of Beadwork in Portland. She loves to create daring, statement jewelry, and unusual décor bringing her art borderline to haute-couture, fine art, and craft.
 

Tricia Wasney’s jewellery is made mainly from recycled sterling silver that she hammers and treats with fire and oxidation processes to create texture and colour. Reclaimed and thrifted items are combined with metal smithing techniques to create unique pieces that are each hand-crafted in her studio in Winnipeg. History, geology, plants, and cartography are constant inspirations in her work, much of which is intentionally warped and distressed.

Valerie Metcalfe is a studio potter and teacher living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Her specialty is wheel thrown porcelain, a clay which naturally lends itself to the delicacy and refinement that is the trademark of both her functional and decorative pieces. Valerie graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1974 with a BFA Honours degree. In 1978 she co-founded The Stoneware Gallery, a co-operative retail organization and The Stoneware Studio, a working and teaching studio. She continues to actively work, show, and teach. Her pieces are in public and private collections around the world and images of her work can be found in numerous Ceramic books and publications.

Winifred Nungak is one of few Inuit from Nunavik with a diploma in Fashion Design. The graduate of Lasalle College in 2013 has been designing and sewing clothing since she was a young girl. Her parents, Zebedee and Jeannie Nungak raised her in Kangirsuk, Nunavik (Quebec). She established Winifred Designs in 2013; her signature designs are colourful, feminine, Inuit-traditional inspired contemporary looks that are eye-catching. Her menswear is masculine and equally stunning. She also designs clothing for children. Winifred Designs are in high demand throughout Arctic Canada.
 

Roy Liang was born in Gimli, Manitoba and is a child of the 70’s. Roy is inspired by vintage fabrics and reviving images from the past. He prints, cuts, and sews fabric into fun household goods and accessories. He has been sewing much of his life, and after taking art classes at Martha Street Studio, he found a way to personalize his designs. Roy’s motto is “making things out of the mundane”, such as road signs, abandoned buildings, and odd pieces of history. Expect items such as pillows, tea towels, coin purses, wood ornaments, and wall hangings.