Loup Garou & Moccasins: Nathalie Bertin (April 29 - June 17, 2023)

April 29 - June 17, 2023
Reception: Sunday, April 30 from 1-4pm
Craft Ontario Gallery, 1106 Queen Street West, Toronto

Nathalie Bertin is a multidisciplinary visual artist from Toronto of French, Metis & Algonquin heritage. She currently lives near the shores of Lake Nosbonsing. After taking courses in animation, film and new media, Nathalie worked as a graphic designer in print, publishing and advertising for over 20 years. She went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in Adult Education with distinction before deciding to pursue her true love of creating art in 2009. However, not content with just one medium, she delves into painting, illustration, photography and a variety of traditional crafts to express herself.

Nathalie has had ten illustrations struck on collector coins for the Royal Canadian Mint and has illustrated several children's books for Nelson Education. She has self-published her first book of traditional stories with images of her beaded cushions which she was able to create with a grant from the Ontario Arts Council. She has presented her work in several solo and group exhibitions, has curated exhibitions and is the co-creator of 'Breathe: A Collection of Traditional Masks Demonstrating Resilience in the Face of the 21st Century Pandemic' to help artists work through the emotions of the pandemic. This project has since gained international recognition.

Nathalie Bertin's work is included in the collections of the Government of Canada, the provinces of Manitoba and Alberta, the Royal Ontario Museum, and private collectors in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Nathalie's work and artistic practice have also been featured by CBC/Radio-Canada and TFO.

www.nathaliebertin.com

Speak for Me: Katie Lemieux (June 24 - August 12, 2023)

June 24 - August 12, 2023
Reception: Sunday, June 25 from 2-5pm
Craft Ontario Gallery, 1106 Queen Street West, Toronto

Katie Lemieux was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario. She holds an Honors in Fine Arts in ceramics from Lakehead University in 2016 and a Masters in Fine Arts from the Peck School of the Arts in Wisconsin, Milwaukee (2019). Katie has been able to travel with her figurative sculpture-work to China, where she completed a 6 week residency at the renowned Jingdhezhen facility in the province of Sanbao. She was later accepted into a show in Croatia, EU, where she met the head of the Graduate program at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Since her Masters, Katie has moved back home to Thunder Bay, continuing her research in the para-verbal and is currently showing her first local solo exhibition: 'Ending Up' at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. She was recently awarded a Mid-Career Fellowship and was accepted into Medalta's Artist In Residency Program for the month of September in Medicine Hat, Alberta. In April 2023, Katie will be attending a 5-week clay residency in Skopelos, Greece.

Katie currently works as an artist and a ceramic and sculptural technician, additionally she works as a Personal Support Worker with young adults. Her social work continues to drive her artistic narrative as she works in her at-home studio. It is the process of establishing non-verbal communication that influences Katie’s aesthetic.

studiolemieux.com

Mengnan Qu (August 19 - September 30, 2023)

August 19 - September 30, 2023
Reception: TBA
Craft Ontario Gallery, 1106 Queen Street West, Toronto

Mengnan Qu received a BFA in Jewellery Design and Metalsmithing from NSCAD and then completed her MFA degree at the State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz. Mengnan is always a perceptual person with a sensitive eye and mind. Her mixed cultural and educational background provides her with a unique outlook on the world. Mengnan has taught in both the West and the East at SUNY New Paltz, NSCAD University, Capital Normal University Beijing, and Yunnan College of Art and Design. Mengnan's work has been exhibited and published in Canada, China, the United States, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom. Mengnan was awarded the Enamellist Society Juror's Choice Award in 2012, a 2012 and 2016 Niche Award. She was nominated for a Saul Bell Award in 2013, and a finalist for the Talente Award in 2017. In 2021, she presented her art practice during the Society of North American Goldsmith's Virtual Symposium Tides and Waves. As a scholar, Mengnan and Tim McCreight, the author of the well-known book the Complete Metalsmith, are writing a new version based on the industrial environment in China. This year, she has been invited as a board member of Integrity Innovation - Beijing International Contemporary Enamel Art exhibition in Beijing World Art Museum.

mengnanqu.com