as published by The BUZZ - May 2008
Different views of the fused glassware by Marcela & Sergio Golod of Royal Glass Design which was presented to a prize winner at the Northern Lights Awards in Los Angeles.
PEI was selected once again to provide awards to the Canadian Tourism Commission. The Northern Lights Awards are annual media awards provided by the Commission to international writers and photographers.
In February,PEI artisans and visual artists entered their submissions, each having an individual value ranging from $250 for third place items to $750 for first place items. The submissions were juried by three local judges and the final decisions were made by the Canadian Tourism Commission. The artists of the winning submissions were then commissioned to produce items that were presented to the winners of the 2008 Northern Lights Awards.
The first place prize was awarded to Marcela & Sergio Golod of Royal Glass Design in Stratford, for an exquisite bowl created to incorporate waves into the pattern. This commission on the heels of several recent international recognitions for Marcela & Sergio, has shown that being located in Prince Edward Island has not been a disadvantage for top work to find a international audience among art glass collectors. Their recently updated website shows the importance that strong web design has to ensuring that customers see the true colours of the work they are buying.
The second place prizes were shared this year between two artisans. Jacques Gaudreau for his applewood and cherry box and jeweller Gail Hodder, who created silver magnifying glasses to be enclosed within the boxes. The box construction included wood from an aged apple tree that once grew on the Green Gables site. Gaudreau was once employed as a guide by Parks Canada and obtained the wood when the trunk was being discarded from the site. Seasoned well in his studio, the applewood was awaiting an opportunity to be incorporated into a special piece. 2008 being the 100th anniversary of Anne of Green Gables seems to have been good timing. Jacques and his wife Diane, who operate Gaudreau Fine Woodworking Artisans in Oyster Bed Bridge, were also successful in the 2007 Northern Lights Awards competition, with unique designs created for the event. As designers and artisans their studio continues to show the significance that an eye for design makes in the creation of fine craft.
Gail Hodder’s sterling silver magnifying glass shows the ability of a skilled artisan to create a unique variation on a functional item. While small magnifying glasses have been worn as jewellery in the Victorian era, more recently they tend to be larger desk items. Gail’s sense of new possibilities combined fine metals to bring to life an object that will be sure to be a treasured gift to use or simply enjoy. With her background as a NSCAD graduate, and now as jeweller with Walker Studios, on Victoria Row, Hodder is one of the new designers on the scene to watch.
Ayelet Stewart, Stratford silversmith and goldsmith, was once again commissioned to make the prizes for the third place winners. Her exquisite etched sterling silver bookmarks which in 2007 caught the eye of judges, once again won with an entry which was designed specifically for the competition. Internationally trained at both the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, and with a MFA from Kanazawa, Japan, Ayelet’s knowledge of design and her skill as a jeweller combined in the execution of fine work, that once again captivated the judges.
Additional pieces of Island visual art, were also purchased as thank you presents for those involved in judging the journalists and photographers entries this year.
Presented each year by the Canadian Tourism Commission to outstanding travel writers, editors and photographers, the 2008 presentations were held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills during Canada Media Marketplace ’08, in April.
