2020-2024 Mather Award Recipients

John & Barbara Mather Award for Lifetime Achievement

John Mather was the founding treasurer of the Ontario Crafts Council, now Craft Ontario, and in 1972, was President of the Ontario Crafts Foundation. Prior to the Foundation's amalgamation with the Canadian Guild of Crafts, he foresaw the need for a common voice for craft in the province and believed that, "A single organization acting on behalf of craftspeople could exert considerable influence". As president of Indusmin Limited, John Mather established the company's unique collection of craft. After his death in 1977, Indusmin Ltd. honoured John Mather through the establishment of the John Mather Fund, which is administered by the Executive Committee of Craft Ontario.

Throughout the last thirty-three years, Barbara Mather, John's widow, has continued to support the award as an important marker of distinction. With her passing in March of 2013, the Mather family has again committed to the future of the award. Our deepest thanks to the Mather family for their dedication to recognising exceptional achievement in support of the craft community. As of 2014, we are pleased to announce that the award will be officially continued under the name of the John and Barbara Mather Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Award Recipients are truly outstanding in their fields and have displayed exceptional commitment to the further development of craft in Ontario and throughout Canada. On behalf of Ontario's craft community, and through the generous support of Barbara Mather, we are pleased to recognize and celebrate them with this great honour. The Award has been celebrating distinguished contributors to craft since 1981, and it is one of the highest markers of exceptional commitment to the development of craft in Ontario.

2024 Recipient

GORD THOMPSON

Gord has devoted his life to the pursuit and advancement of craft in Canada and has become a symbol of inspiration and excellence for countless artisans, students, and educators both at Sheridan and in the broader community. His expertise spans a knowledge of and appreciation for a wide range of craft disciplines, including furniture, glass, and the textile arts in addition to his own area of expertise and focus, ceramics. He is a professor, a speaker and a published author.

Throughout his career, Gord has worked actively in the craft community, having served as President of the Board of Directors of Craft Ontario (2012-2014), and an advisor to the Craft & Design Studio at Harbourfront Centre (ongoing). He sat on the Exhibition and Education Committee of the Gardiner Museum and was the Senior Editor and Chair of the editorial committee for STUDIO, a national magazine of Craft and Design in Canada. He also sits on the Advocacy Committee of the Canadian Craft Federation. Additionally, Gord continues to serve on numerous exhibition and awards juries. He publishes regularly in discipline specific periodicals.

Gord has made significant contributions to the craft community through teaching and mentoring aspiring makers. He has taught ceramics, craft history, and other Craft and Design courses at Sheridan College and the Ontario College of Art & Design University (OCADU) since 2003. He was a Technician in the Ceramics Studio at OCADU from 2002-2011. As a potter making functional vessels, he has exhibited internationally and participated in significant artist residencies.

In conclusion, Gord’s lifelong dedication to the craft sector has left an indelible mark on the practice and on the people. His commitment to excellence, preservation of traditional techniques of making, innovation, and community involvement make him a truly deserving candidate for the Mather Award for lifetime achievement. He has inspired and influenced countless individuals and continues to shape craft education in the post-secondary sector in Canada.  

2023 Recipient

RACHEL MACHENRY

Rachel MacHenry has been a tireless leader in textile arts, craft, and design in Ontario, in Canada, and internationally. As an artist, designer, curator, teacher, researcher and community leader, her work spans over thirty three years. She recieved an MA in TextileAs an artist, designer, curator, teacher, researcher and community leader, her work spans over thirty-three years. She received an MA in Textile from Central Saint Martin's in 1998 and was an artist-in-residence at Harbourfront Centre. Her work is part of the permanent collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum (London, UK), and she has exhibited internationally (most recently the BAAG: GARDEN embroidery installations with the Indus Heritage Trust for UNESCO, Pakistan) and nationally at venues such as Harbourfront Centre (1994, 1995, 1999 2005, 2014 and 2018), the Toronto Offsite Design Festival (2014, 2016, 2017), Ontario Craft (2015), and the Royal Ontario Museum (1997).

Her textile design practice focuses on sustainable and innovative processes, and she has worked extensively with community-based co-operatives in South Asia and South America to develop functional textiles using local materials for oversea markets, with clients including catalogue companies, museum shops and high-end retailers. Her textile lines have been featured in the New York Times Magazine and Selvedge magazine. Currently, her Botanica Tinctoria line provides naturally dyed cloth and embroidery threads from India to the North American public. In her collaboration with Munira Amin through Handwork Studio, she works with weavers, traditional block printers and dyers in Pakistan to develop naturally dyed block-printed home textiles. In her design projects with 7Weaves in Assam, India, she works with local female textile makers using locally produced Eri silk and natural dyes to create high- end textiles. In the recent past, she has worked with local and indigenous textile communities in Peru, Chile, Rwanda, and Nepal.

Rachel's textile design and production work intertwines environmental care, social development and social justice. She works tirelessly to make it possible for textile communities to achieve economic gains and stability by fostering ways to reinvent traditionally produced textiles through contemporary collaborative design processes, enabling the strengthening of communities as they showcase to the rest of the world their traditional techniques and sustainable practices of working with local materials. Rachel's work is therefore profoundly engaged in decolonization, engaging with fair trade practices as well as the valorization of traditional textile knowledges as central to addressing the immense damages of the mainstream global textile industry. Her collaborative artistic work in that regard has turned to focus on collaborative, community-engaged design processes, most recently through a series of Ontario Arts Council-funded collaborative embroidery projects with embroiders in Pakistan and from the Middle East and South Asian diaspora in Toronto that will be shown at the Daniels Launchpad and at Harbourfront Centre in the fall of 2023. Rachel's vision for creating networks and communities that are both local and global is unique in its commitment to breaking down invisible barriers that typically prevent craft-makers from being fully recognized in the creative process.

Rachel's curatorial work focuses on showcasing artists working with natural dyes, local materials and fabric upcycling and recycling. She curated the exhibition for the Natural Dyes in Northeast America Conference in 2020 (moved online due to the pandemic) and the Chromatic Geography: Natural Dyes in the 21st Century at the Craft Ontario Gallery (Toronto, summer 2017). She has published her research into natural dyes, sustainability and fair trade collaborations in Cocoa and Jasmine Magazine and Selvedge, and presented it in professional (Botanical Colors, Toronto Offsite Design Festival) and artistic venues (Royal Ontario Museum, Harbourfront Centre).

Rachel has been tirelessly teaching the textile community about sustainable textile production practices throughout her career. She has taught for many years at OCADU and was Studio Head -Textiles for the Craft & Design Program at Sheridan College. She has also created curriculum for textile workshops with the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees in 2019. She has taught many classes for textile artists, professionals, enthusiasts and the general public. Notably, she was one of the founding members of the Contemporary Textile Studio Co-op in 2006 and has been its president for over ten years. The Contemporary Textile Studio Co-op has established itself as a hub for both established and emerging textile artists, engaging in textile arts, craft, and design creation; teaching and community outreach; and research and innovation. Under her leadership, CTS has become a place for both textile artists and the general public to gain affordable in-depth textile knowledge and practice. Its programming has seen many local and international artists (e.g. Sandra Brownlee, Dorothy Caldwell, Rowland Ricketts) teaching workshops over the years. Rachel's expertise has been central to developing CTS' vision, organization, and curriculum, particularly regarding mentoring and supporting emerging artists, fostering a diverse community, innovating on sustainable textile processes, and promoting traditional and indigenous textile practices from across the world.

2022 Recipient

SUSAN CARD

Susan Card is an accomplished and internationally recognized artist in her own right, and a driving force in the clay community since she embarked upon her career in 1989.

After her initial education (B.F.A., University of Manitoba; Sheridan College, B.H.Ec; Metchosin International Summer School for the Arts-Glaze Chemistry), Card worked as part-time faculty at Sheridan College (1996-2003), while also teaching pottery classes for the City of Toronto and Cedar Ridge Creative Centre (1994-2005).

Susan's range of ceramic work reflects her interest in art history: exploring forms, motifs and processes, from functional domestic pieces to expressive abstract sculptures. Her ceramic work has been recognized with awards from the Potters Guild of Hamilton and Region and the Art Gallery of Burlington. She has created numerous private commissions and her work can be found in many permanent collections.

Susan has participated in, curated, or acted as a juror for over 150 exhibitions. She is also a prolific writer, with numerous articles that can be found in a wide range of publications. She works tirelessly: writing grants and applications in support of the clay community, advocating for funds or support for exhibitions, facility development, artist recognition, and more.

In 2006 Susan Card opened "DISH GALLERY + Studio" in the Distillery Area of Toronto. This permanent location allows Susan to teach as well as serve as a crucial resource for retailing the work of many clay artists from across the province.

One of Susan's long-time volunteer commitments was to FUSION: The Ontario Clay and Glass Association, from 1989 to 2011. Her primary focus every year was to organize and deliver a conference where clay artists from around the world would come to demonstrate their technical skills and share their life stories and knowledge. Susan worked closely with guilds in various regions of Ontario, using facilities at Colleges and Universities throughout Ontario, in order to serve the larger population of ceramic artists throughout the province. These conferences were no small undertaking with demonstrations, exhibitions, vendor rooms, preconference workshops, as well as opportunities to socialize and network with artists from all over Ontario. Her volunteer work with FUSION was recognized with a Lifetime membership in 1998.

Her generosity and enthusiasm for teaching and mentorship, in addition to her community-building expertise, gave her the energy and commitment to establish a permanent facility for the Toronto Potters Association. In 2017 Susan spearheaded a group to locate a facility and set up a clay studio to serve as a ceramic community hub in the heart of downtown Toronto. Not only were the logistics demanding, but sourcing equipment, teachers and managing all of the financials were a colossal undertaking. When COVID hit, she did not back away from the challenges of keeping this enterprise financially sound. Today there is a waiting list for classes and the studio is a beehive of purposeful activity.

Susan continues to be an extremely active volunteer. She is the Director of Programming for both the Toronto Potters Association and the Burlington Potters Guild. She further coordinates a community booth at the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair to encourage and support individuals interested in learning more about the craft fair experience, including mentoring new artists. With her generosity of spirit, boundless energy, and dedication to creating enriching opportunities for the craft community, Susan can be counted on to make things happen. Her leadership and commitment to advancing the craft is widely respected in the ceramic's community, and she is a strong advocate for clay artists across Ontario.

2021 Recipient

JAYNE NEVINS

Jayne Nevins is an exceptional advocate and role model for the craft of rug hooking, and the community of rug hookers throughout the province.

When Jayne first took a rug hooking class and saw what the craft was all about, she was "hooked". After completing several pieces, she realized that she wanted to teach others, and enrolled in the Ontario Hooking Craft Guild Teachers Training program, graduating in 1999. She then attended the Southern McGowan Teachers' workshops in West Virginia and received U.S. accreditation in 2006. This experience was a watershed moment for Jayne. All the while, she was teaching workshops throughout Canada and the U.S. The more Jayne learned about rendering shapes, texture and colour within the media of wool fabric, yarn and other alternate materials, the more she became involved in the community and the promotion of rug hooking as a craft. To learn more about fibre arts, Jayne enrolled in the Fibre Arts program at St. Lawrence College and received her certificate in Fibre Arts - Rug Hooking in 2014. Jayne's leadership in the rug hooking craft community was quickly recognized when she joined the Ontario Hooking Craft Guild, ohcg.org, Board in 2006. Jayne has held every position on the Board over the last 14 years. She became President of the OHCG Teachers Branch in 2010, has been the Director of the Ontario Teacher Training program from 2012 to present, and in 2017 became Rug Hooking School Director and the OHCG Annual Advisor. Because Jayne has such a wealth of experience on the OHCG Board she mentors new Board members and helps them evolve successfully in their roles. Although Jayne retired from the Board in 2020, it did not take long for OHCG members to seek out her advice, knowledge and unlimited skill set. She is a true supporter of the craft of rug hooking and is continuing her extensive involvement in community projects. She deeply believes that it is important to be visible and share the craft of rug hooking with the general public. She has demonstrated in museums, libraries, schools and community centres, and as part of the OHCG 'Outreach' committee, she furthers the mandate to demonstrate the joys of rug hooking at fleece and yarn festivals throughout the province in order to entice and recruit more young people into the craft. In Jayne's own words: "It is important to educate everyone of the new possibilities in rug hooking and it is important to volunteer your time on the Board or on committees as well, to keep our rug hooking community together and growing!"

During this difficult past year when in-person gatherings were not permitted, Jayne again immediately stepped up and organized 48 very successful virtual workshops that were attended by 500 members from all over the continent and beyond. In addition, the Annual Rug School will be held virtually, and Jayne has volunteered to be on the organizing committee.

Not only does Jayne continue to teach extensively throughout North America, but she also continues to design and sell her own rug hooking work. Jayne continually shares her knowledge and skills with others and is always ready to provide mentorship to those who request it. Jayne is a consummate fibre artist who has earned great respect from the Rug Hooking community.

2020 Recipient

DENIS LONGCHAMPS

Dr. Denis Longchamps has been a supporter and collector of craft since his early 20's while working in the floral industry and retail management. Through his 20+ year career supporting and advocating for craft, Denis has been unwavering in his commitment. He earned a BA in Visual Arts at York University in Toronto, before moving home to Montreal in 1999 to complete first a master's in art history, followed by a Ph. D at Concordia University. Throughout his curatorial work, teaching, writing, advocating, and mentorship, he has made outstanding contributions to Ontario and Canada's craft scene, contributions that deserve significant recognition.

Denis started to work on curatorial and writing projects in 2000. The first solo craft exhibition he curated, Looks on the Future: a Retrospective of the François-Houdé Awards, was first presented in Brouage, France (2003), then Montréal (2004) before touring various venues until 2006. The previous year he curated the critical exhibition 50 years of the Salon des métiers d'art du Québec, which celebrated 50 years of craft in Québec with more than 250 objects from as many makers covering the period of 1955 to 2005. The exhibition first presented at Place Bonaventure, adjacent to the Salon, followed by an encore presentation at the Musée des maîtres et artisans du Québec until the end of March 2006.

Later that year, he co-curated Re-crafting Tradition with Elaine Cheasley Paterson, a recently appointed Craft historian faculty at Concordia. Together, they organized a symposium on the same subject for which they were hoping to publish the proceedings. Recognizing that there were not many avenues to publish on Canadian Craft, in 2007, he decided to launch Cahiers métiers d'art: Craft Journal, which he continued to publish until 2016.

Denis taught the history of ceramics at Concordia University and contemporary craft at York University (2015-2016). He writes and publishes extensively on craft for exhibition catalogues, books, magazines, journals, and web publications and presents at and chairs many conferences and symposiums throughout Canada and Europe.

In 2016, Denis co-founded the Canadian Craft Biennial that launched the following year. Developed in partnership between Craft Ontario and the Art Gallery of Burlington, the Biennial included makers and writers' residencies, four exhibitions (international, national, provincial and regional), a 2-day conference, a publication, as well as a workshop lead by Anton Reijnders, from the Netherlands. The opening of the national exhibition was presided over by The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. Through Denis's passion, the 2017 Canadian Craft Biennial was born, a national event that advanced public discourse and dialogue on craft in Canada.

In addition to Denis curatorial and educational work, he has sat on many juries, including the Saydie Bronfman award in 2018 and the Salt Spring National Award in 2017. He has also served the arts and cultural sector more broadly in a voluntary capacity as a member of many Boards and Committees including the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery (2008-2009), the Montreal Centre for Contemporary Textiles, the Centre de céramique Bonsecours, the Musée des maîtres et artisans du Québec, the Musée de Joliette, and Studio Magazine. He is a Research Fellow at NSCAD University and an Associate Member of the Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art at Concordia University.

From 2013 until 2018, Denis was Artistic Director and Chief Curator of the Art Gallery of Burlington, an institution that is home to seven guilds with studios mostly focused on craft mediums. During his tenure, Denis helped shape the strategic plan of a public art gallery with a strong focus on craft. In 2018 he became the Executive Director of the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery in Waterloo, Ontario and, over the past two years, has reinvigorated the organization, excelling its mandated focus as a center of excellence for glass, ceramic and enamel art on a national level.

Denis's generosity of spirit and his enthusiasm for craft are evident in equal measure through his leadership as a Museum Director, his prolific writing and speaking engagements, active mentorship of emerging makers and his voluntary services. He thrives in a rich cultural environment, an environment in many ways he has fostered throughout his career. As an active member of Ontario's dynamic craft community, his contributions are more deep-rooted than any list of achievements and awards can express.