Master luthier Robert Anderson is committed to hand-building musical instruments that are objects of beauty. Constructed with the highest level of craft, Robert’s stringed instruments are designed to be sensitive to the player’s intent, with a sonority which can only be achieved by hand-building.
Robert follows the traditions of the old masters, using carefully selected and aged woods, hide glue and dovetail neck joints. For the best tone, he then French polishes each instrument. Over 25 years of instrument making has deepened his understanding of materials, acoustic design and hand-building methods, resulting in subtle, incremental changes which improve tone, volume and ergonomics.
In an age when cheap, factory-made instruments are overwhelming the market, Robert also instructs and mentors aspiring instrument builders in the tradition of luthiery, keeping alive the spirit of inquiry and skill development fundamental to the craft.
Robert feels fortunate to work in a field where he can create the tools that enable musicians to fully give expression to their art.
In recognition of his extraordinary and sustained accomplishments in Applied Art + Design in BC, Robert was selected to receive the Award of Distinction in 2022 as his achievements exemplify committed vision, innovative enterprise, passionate talent and are an inspiration to the artistic community and province.
UK born Louise Perrone never intended to become a jeweller or a Canadian. However, three years after visiting Canada she graduated from Alberta College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jewellery and Metals and was awarded the Governor General of Canada’s Academic Medal.
Now, twenty years later, her textile jewellery explores issues of gender, labour, and sustainability by combining goldsmithing traditions with hand-sewing. Using materials derived from domestic and industrial textile and plastic waste, Louise’s work involves altering plastic objects and enveloping them in fabric, inviting a consideration of what jewelry can conceal and reveal about the maker, the wearer, and ourselves.
Louise’s work has been shown in numerous local, national, and international exhibitions, including solo and two-person shows at the Craft Council of BC, and group exhibitions featured in New York City Jewelry Week, JOYA Barcelona, and Athens Jewellery Week.
Louise is passionate about teaching her skills to others and works as an instructor in the Jewellery programs at LaSalle College Vancouver and Vancouver Community College. She’s also motivated to create opportunities for artists to thrive and has given back to her community by serving in leadership positions with various artist and craft organizations.
Cathy Terepocki is a ceramicist whose practice is driven by innovation, process and material. She is interested in unconventional processes and crossing boundaries between different industries and artistic practices and so she is consistently researching, developing glazes and new techniques.
Practicing in Fraser Valley, Cathy has immersed herself in the community making connections and creating work that is strongly rooted and reflective of her natural surroundings. Her Chilliwack River Clay series was harvested with shovels and buckets from the local river and her current project includes making tiles from wild clay.
Cathy has had a diverse practice exhibiting, teaching, designing, and producing multiple collections of work, and she has exhibited internationally. The local clay research has opened up opportunities for community engagement and has allowed this ceramicist to create meaningful work and, in turn, contribute to the culture of the place she calls home.
Lighting designer Caine Heintzman has always been curious about the materiality and fabrication of the objects and equipment that allow him to enjoy the natural environment as an outdoors enthusiast. He found himself naturally inclined to industrial design as he’s inspired by ritual and everyday useful objects that help improve people’s lives.
Having studied and trained at Emily Carr University of Art and Design and Kunsthochschule Berlin Weissensee, lighting became one of his very early interests. Caine is now one of three co-founders of ANDlight, a decorative luminaire design studio and manufacturer. He applies rigorous material research, technical know-how and an understanding of lighting technology to an artful practice.
Caine’s lighting designs communicate how functional art objects can become economic commodities as well as affective agents in the circulation and amplification of ideas imbued with cultural meaning.
Borrowing from a philosophy of “design as art,” Caine’s designs enrich the landscape of creative expression emerging from British Columbia.
In 2022, the Judson Beaumont Emerging Artist designation, named in honour of the late BC-based furniture designer, was presented to Caine Heintzman, co-founder of ANDlight, a decorative luminaire design studio and manufacturer.
Latham Mack has been practicing his Nuxalk nation’s art since he a was a child. Growing up in Bella Coola surrounded by artistic family members and attending Acwsalcta School exposed him to culture and art at a very young age. As a youth artist he would sell his painted plaques to travellers waiting at the BC Ferries terminal. He learned carving from his late grandfather, hereditary chief Lawrence Mack, and by grade 10 he helped carve a 20-foot totem pole with Tony Speers. At Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art, Latham was mentored by world-renowned artists Stan Bevan, Ken McNeil and Dempsey Bob. Latham was apprenticed under Dempsey Bob for five years following graduation. Now, as an established artist, Latham’s works are found in collections around the world, from UBC’s Museum of Anthropology to the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle, Washington and many private collections in-between. As a Nuxalk artist Latham has stayed faithful to the traditional forms, bending them to form his own contemporary style.
Kwakwaka’wakw artist, Jamie Gentry grew up immersed in culture and surrounded by talented artists. From a young age she was drawn to working with her hands, whether it was sewing, beading or weaving. For the last eight years, Jamie has been making custom moccasins for clients – each pair is cut, beaded, sewn and carved by hand. Her goal is to make meaningful connections through moccasin making, contributing a purposeful product to the world, building connections and sharing culture. Her belief is that by making a connection with the maker and the product, we are more likely to hold that product closer to us, and it is less likely for that product to end up in a landfill. Jamie’s focus is on style, comfort and durability with an emphasis on sustainability.
Jamie was selected by the independent jury as the 2022 Crabtree McLennan Emerging Artist.
The Crabtree McLennan Emerging Artist designation was established in 2019. Named in honour of Brenda Crabtree, Director, Aboriginal Programs, Emily Carr University and the late Bill McLennan (1948-2020), Curator Emeritus, UBC Museum of Anthropology, this recognition aims to highlight and support emerging talent.
Born in Victoria, Qwul’thilum Dylan Thomas is a Coast Salish artist and member of the Lyackson First Nation of Valdes Island, through his grandfather, Clifford Thomas. Although Dylan grew up in the urban setting of Victoria, he was introduced to Coast Salish art at a young age which ignited a lifelong passion for the art form – and, eventually, led him to seek guidance from established artists. Dylan received training in jewellery techniques from the late Seletze (Delmar Johnnie) and studied under Rande Cook in various mediums of Northwest Coast art. Over the past four years, Dylan has shifted his focus towards wood and stone carving and is now mainly focused on exploring Coast Salish sculpture. In 2019, Dylan was selected by the City of Victoria as the Indigenous Artist in Residence where he aimed to “create work that meaningfully honours the local Indigenous people – past, present, and future”.
Reg Davidson is a master Haida Artist recognized for his numerous and significant contributions to protecting and advancing Haida culture. He is known for producing significant traditional ceremonial objects such as masks, bentwood drums and dance regalia. Reg, an accomplished dancer, has mentored and taught two generations of Haida children the importance of Haida language and traditional song and dance. As an avid fisherman, he has provided his elders with food while participating in ecological protection projects that help safeguard the abundance of sea life in Haida Gwaii. Reg’s carvings have been commissioned locally and internationally, and many can be viewed right in BC, including a large sculpture grouping of the Blind Halibut Fisherman at Vancouver International Airport. Over many decades of committed artistry, Reg at his studio, has trained, taught and employed many artists who live in and off Haida Gwaii. With no art schools in Haida Gwaii, Reg has become a necessary agent of artistic education for younger local artists. Reg’s most recent project is a memorial pole in dedication to the life of his nephew Ben Davidson.
In recognition of his extraordinary and sustained accomplishment in First Nations Art in BC, Reg was selected to receive the 2022 Award of Distinction. The award is presented to an individual who has helped ensure that BC is a place filled with astonishing craft, with unique and immensely expressive power and continuous wonder.
Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd. (CCR) is a joint venture company owned by the Tŝideldel First Nation and the Tl’etinqox Government. The company was originally designed as a vehicle to source funding and coordinate projects, relying on established local contractors to deliver the work, thus strengthening business relationships within the Chilcotin. The company’s vision is to promote First Nations involvement in the forest management of their traditional territories, rehabilitating damaged forest stands, and enhancing long-term health of forests for future generations. Through CCR, the two First Nations are focusing on achieving their mission to coordinate and implement large-scale programs and forest initiatives within their traditional territories, while generating employment for locals, and supporting the local economy.
The company first received funding from Forest Enhancement Society of BC to reduce wildfire risk and rehabilitate mountain pine beetle forests near Alexis Creek. CCR is now working on projects with Natural Resource Canada and the ‘2 Billion Trees’ program, as well as a Shell Canada Carbon Initiative project. CCR is also negotiating long-term silviculture contracts with local forest companies and is involved in the upcoming Landscape Planning initiative with the Province of B.C. Today, CCR is recognized as an innovative and collaborative organization, a catalyst for creating new economic opportunities and as a leader that has proven its reliability in carrying out large-scale forest rehabilitation work.
Operated by the Sc’ianew First Nation, M’i nuw’ilum DBA Cheanuh Marina has two distinct narratives that are united by a commitment to community building. Since the 1970’s the marina has been at the heart of the Beecher Bay community. As the region’s population grew, the marina expanded to include 365 berths, a gas bar, convenience store, and restaurant. The operation continues to be an important revenue-generating enterprise that provides jobs in the community while acting as a gathering place for locals and tourists alike.
The second chapter of the marina’s story emerges from Sc’ianew First Nations urgent mission to protect the marine resources that have nourished coastal peoples since time immemorial. Part proactive business development, part conservation, and part reconciliation, the Nation has taken the lead on several partnerships to enhance marine shipping safety in the Salish Sea and establish a spill response base at Beecher Bay. Early construction commenced in 2020 with a spill response base that will significantly lower spill response times for the local area. Continued partnerships bring a fleet of spill response vessels, including tugs used for escort towage that have been honoured with the names of two elders of the Sc’ianew community.
