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In the Spotlight: Roberta Murray
I don’t know if it really inspires me or not, but I still knit daily. I also like to cook, garden, and I enjoy bird and nature watching.
Inspiration isn’t really a problem for me. It comes from just living life and seeing the beauty that exists around every corner. I can take a drive
and see hundreds of photos waiting to be made around every corner. If you asked my husband he would probably tell you that it can be frustrating to
travel with me because we have to stop so often (and I let a lot of potential photos go by so as not to frustrate him too much!). Also at least
once a month I travel to take pictures. Sometimes it’s just a day trip, or a day spent somewhere local, or I might go for a couple days. More and
more I am planning and making trips for a specific purpose, like a couple months ago I went to photograph the migrating Snow Geese at their staging
grounds. Or last month when I went to photograph the cattle branding. Like the imagery she creates, Roberta Murray’s past and present shifted and
aligned itself to come full circle – and we are so glad it did! See Roberta Murray’s work in her iCraft.ca Exhibit.
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The American Crafts Council
The American Crafts Council is a national, non-profit educational organization founded in 1943 by crafts pioneer Aileen Osborn Webb. Webb had a
vision of contributing to world peace by uniting the craftspeople of the world. What a great thought! The mission of the Council is to promote
understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft. Their primary goal is to explore how to be the bridge, linking and connecting Webb’s
original beliefs and sharing those views and ways of thinking to larger audiences. Programs include the bi-monthly magazine ‘American Craft’,
annual juried shows presenting artists and their work, a 2006 leadership conference on craft, the ‘Aileen Osborn Webb Awards’ honouring excellence,
a specialized library, workshops and many seminars. I had a chance to speak with Monica Hampton, the Director of Education at the ACC, who had many
insightful thoughts on the future of Craft. What does your role involve at the American Crafts Council? What kind of people do you interact with on
a daily basis? In the office, I interact pretty closely with our Magazine staff for ideas to shape programs around…and on the phone and through
email, I interact with a really varied group of people from heads of craft programs to individual makers, looking for information on resources for
grants, etc… Do you do any making yourself? Not in any official capacity. I do have a background in fine arts, but I don’t really make much these
days except for the odd craft project with my daughter. Recently I’ve been into sewing with felt and doing appliqués to her clothes. What do you
think makes American Crafts stand out? Their relationship to a long tradition of the medium that they represent. The attention to detail. The
uniqueness. The materials and the passion and choice to make something ...
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Brilliant Beads: A Lesson on Lampworking
Lampworking has given me more freedom and flexibility in my jewelry designing than I ever thought possible….colors, patterns, and shapes can be
created for custom designs, as focal pieces, or accents. As much as I love designing jewelry with my own lampwork beads, I also love to see what
other jewelry designers create with the beads I sell as components. iCraft has so many talented jewelry artisans and I would encourage everyone
to check out this section if you haven’t already.
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The Crafts Council of England
The Crafts Council is an independent body funded by the Arts Council of England. Established in 1971 as the national agency for crafts, it was
granted a Royal Charter in 1982 (this is a Royal seal of approval and grants the institution special privileges for its excellent contribution to
the country). The Council is like a pioneer for crafts; promoting the teaching and studying of contemporary crafts within Britain’s schools,
nurturing and supporting makers and craft professionals throughout their careers, changing stereotypes and spreading the word to collectors,
museums, businesses and the general public. The most wonderful thing about the Crafts Council is its schemes which provide economic support to
crafters, by creating opportunities for exhibiting and selling their work and also by helping a number of new makers each year to set up in
business through the ‘Crafts Council Setting Up Scheme’. What an amazing opportunity if you are lucky enough to be supported! Some past recipients
of Crafts Council Awards/Schemes include the likes of Tom Dixon, Alison Britton, Thomas Heatherwick and, more recently, Helen Murray, Donna Wilson,
Tanya Gomez and Joseph Harrington. Amongst other things, the Crafts Council publishes ‘Crafts’, its own beautifully presented magazine, six times a
year which covers all craft forms, from studio work to public commissions, from modern experimental work to traditional and historic design. The
Council also organises the inspirational ‘Origin Craft Fair‘ held every year in the beautiful courtyard of Somerset House in London, showcasing
some of the best of British and international contemporary craft. ‘Collect’ is a slightly more exclusive affair, an exhibition usually held at the
Victoria & Albert Museum, but this year will be held at its new venue the Saatchi Galleries. The exhibition brings together work from craft
galleries across the world, which is an excellent education in ...
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iCraft Spotlight: Christen Largent's Style Has A Silver Lining
Christen Largent may have deeper roots in silver than she realizes. The metal smith and proud owner of the iCraft
Exhibit, icraft.ca/christen_largent has a perfect last name for a creator whose line predominately features silver. L'argent is the
French for "silver"! Although no longwinded tales of toiling silversmith ancestors began our interview, Christen did explain her personal route
into design and artistry. "I don't know if you could say I ever really 'started' (as an artist). I grew up in a house where creativity was always
encouraged and expressed. My grandmother taught me the love of making things with my hands at a very early age and my parents were always very
"hands on" as well!" The early interest in creative pursuits gave Christen the open-mindedness for finding alternate ways to acquire interesting
pieces of jewelry. Plus, being able to literally create the pieces she was working with was a huge point of interest, as she explains, "I began
metalsmithing several years ago when I became disgruntled with putting jewelry together from the same findings as everyone else! I wanted my
jewelry to be a piece of me and I just couldn't find that creative expression without being able to alter the metal itself." "I do not 'sit' well…"
Lightning Round LP: If you could provide accessories for any celebrity, who would it be (and why)? CL: Jennifer Garner. She's a pretty recent mom
(I do a lot of mom's jewelry) and her roots are in West Virginia, which is where one side of my family is from, and she seems pretty down-to-earth!
LP: What is your dream creation? (Any idea you are working on or toward achieving) CL: I am literally drooling to get started making new, matching
wedding bands for my husband and I. We have been married for ...
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