ALEXANDRA MCCURDY (1944 - ) COVERED JAR clay, height 7.25" -- 18.4 cm., diameter 5.25" -- 13.3 cm., painted signature in black, circa 1987 Provenance: Purchased directly from the artist Note: ALEXANDRA MCCURDY (1944 - ) "My work has long been inspired by textile patterns and motifs drawn from the intricate quill and needlework of indigenous Mi'kmaq and women's textiles, by my research into Western textile history and the central role played in it by women, and by my mother's personal involvement in the British textile industry earlier this century." - Alexandra McCurdy - Born in 1944 in Worcestershire, England, Alexandra McCurdy trained as a ceramist at the age of 35 under John Reeve, Homer Lord, and Walter Ostrom at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1980. It was while attending a winter session at the Banff Centre that she met Leoppold Foulem, who encouraged her to get her Masters degree. Although she was accepted into the Royal College of Art, another instructor, Richard Slee, suggested she attend the Cardiff Institute of Higher Education, Wales for the quality of teaching. Her MFA thesis was on Women in Craft and included research into suffragette symbolism. The resulting convergence of fibre and clay, and of representation and symbol, have been constant, conscious directions ever since. Over the years, McCurdy has been an active member of Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council, serving currently as a Director, and was the Ceramics Curator at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. She has exhibited widely across Canada, and in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, Tokyo, Japan, Faenza, Italy, and Florida, USA. Her ceramics are included in numerous public collections, including the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza, Italy, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Nova Scotia McCurdy lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Selected Corporate, Private and Public Collections Mar Art Bank of Nova Scotia Art Gallery of Nova Scotia Art Gallery of Victoria, BC Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, NB Burlington Arts Centre, ON Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Waterloo, ON Canadiana Fund Claridge Collection, Montreal, QC International Museum of Ceramics at Faenza, Italy Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council Nova Scotia Museum Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON Saint Mary's University Art Gallery, Halifax, NS Selected Group Exhibitions 2013 Fireworks 2013, two year juried traveling exhibition organized by the Canadian Clay and Glass Association, opening at Sheridan Art Gallery, Oakville, ON Change Ahead, Mary E.Black Gallery, Halifax, NS Carrying it Forward, Mary E.Black Gallery, Halifax, NS 2012 Connections, Focus Gallery, Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, ON 2011 Inaugural Naples International Contemporary Crafts Exhibition, Longstreth-Goldberg Art Gallery, Naples, Florida, 2011 Fireworks, juried exhibition organized by the Canadian Clay and Glass Association, opening at the Ontario Crafts Council Gallery in Toronto, Ontario and traveling for two years 2009 Boundless Possibilities,The Von Leibig Art Centre, Naples, Florida, USA 2008 5x5x5, juried, Target Gallery, Alexandria, Virginia, USA 2006 World Women on the Horizon, juried, Baltimore Clay Works, Baltimore, USA 2010 Florida Contemporary, juried exhibition, The von Leibig Art Centre, Naples, Florida, U.S.A. Selected Solo Exhibitions 2012 The Fabric of Clay: Alexandra McCurdy, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, NB; Saint Mary's Art Gallery, Halifax, NS 2011 The Fabric of Clay: Alexandra McCurdy, Burlington Arts Centre, Lee-Chin Family Gallery, Burlington, ON 2008 A Stitch in Time, Ross Creek Art Centre, Canning, Nova Scotia 2006 Common Thread, Second Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia 2005 The Ties that Bind, Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario 2004 Mothers/Daughters, Mary Black Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Traveling to the Acadia University Art Gallery, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and Cambridge Galleries, Cambridge, Ontario 2013 The Fabric of Clay, traveling retrospective, Burlington Art Centre, Ontario, Saint Mary's University Art Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, New Brunswick Selected Group Exhibitions 2011 Connections: Canadian and British Studio Ceramics, Gardiner Museum, Toronto, ON 2002 "Art Encounter 2002"; Von Leibig Art Centre, Naples, Florida. 2002 "FIRE+EARTH: Contemporary Canadian Ceramics"; Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario. 2001 "Games Needles Play" (juried exhibition); Museum London, London, Ontario. 2001 "FIRE+EARTH: Contemporary Canadian Ceramics"; The Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan. 20001 "52nd International Ceramic Art Exhibition" (juried exhibition); International Museum of Ceramic Art, Faenza, Italy. 2000 "Voyage: 9th National Biennial of Ceramics"; Trois-Rivières, Québec. 2000 "Recent Acquisitions"; Burlington Art Centre. 2000 "FIRE+EARTH: Contemporary Canadian Ceramics"; Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. 1999 Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia (solo exhibition touring to Confederation Centre for the Arts, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Burlington Art Centre). 1998 "FIRE+EARTH: Contemporary Canadian Ceramics"; Itabashi Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan. 1997 "FIRE+EARTH: Contemporary Canadian Ceramics"; Burlington Art Centre. 1995 The George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, Ontario. 1994 "Recent Acquisitions '93"; Burlington Art Centre, Burlington, Ontario. 1994 "XIV International Biennial of Ceramic Arts" (juried exhibition); Castel Museum, Vallauris, France. 1993 "Breaking the Mold"; Gallery Gabor, Toronto, Ontario. 1992 Gallery 1667, Halifax, Nova Scotia. 1992 Ashton's Gallery, Toronto, Ontario. 1992 "From Beneath the Covers"; Mount Saint Vincent Art Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia. 1989 "Ten Artists: Ten Provinces" (juried exhibition); York Quay Gallery, Harbourfront, Toronto, Ontario. 1987 "Second World Triennial Exhibition of Small Ceramics" (juried exhibition); Zagreb, Yugoslavia. 1987 Gallery 1667, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Selected Awards 2011 Fusion Fireworks Best in Design Award, Fusion (Ontario Clay and Glass Association) Fireworks juried exhibition, opening at Ontario Crafts Council Gallery in Toronto, Ontario, and traveling throughout Ontario 2009 Award for Technical Achievement from the Von Leibig Art Centre, Naples, Florida, USA 2002 Nominee for Bronfman Award 1993 Nominee for Joan Chalmers Award 1989 Nominee for Bronfman Award Selected Links amccurdyceramics.ca Studio Ceramics Canada National Gallery of Canada Magazine - Alexandra McCurdy: The Fabric of Clay Alexandra McCurdy Fabric of Clay Part 1 Youtube video Alexandra McCurdy Fabric of Clay Part 2 Youtube video
ALEXANDRA MCCURDY (1944 - ) MICMAC INDIAN porcelain, .75" x 14.5" x 10.25" -- 1.9 x 36.8 x 26 cm., incised signature, circa 1988 Provenance: Purchased directly from the artist Note: ALEXANDRA MCCURDY (1944 - ) "My work has long been inspired by textile patterns and motifs drawn from the intricate quill and needlework of indigenous Mi'kmaq and women's textiles, by my research into Western textile history and the central role played in it by women, and by my mother's personal involvement in the British textile industry earlier this century." - Alexandra McCurdy - Born in 1944 in Worcestershire, England, Alexandra McCurdy trained as a ceramist at the age of 35 under John Reeve, Homer Lord, and Walter Ostrom at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1980. It was while attending a winter session at the Banff Centre that she met Leoppold Foulem, who encouraged her to get her Masters degree. Although she was accepted into the Royal College of Art, another instructor, Richard Slee, suggested she attend the Cardiff Institute of Higher Education, Wales for the quality of teaching. Her MFA thesis was on Women in Craft and included research into suffragette symbolism. The resulting convergence of fibre and clay, and of representation and symbol, have been constant, conscious directions ever since. Over the years, McCurdy has been an active member of Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council, serving currently as a Director, and was the Ceramics Curator at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. She has exhibited widely across Canada, and in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, Tokyo, Japan, Faenza, Italy, and Florida, USA. Her ceramics are included in numerous public collections, including the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza, Italy, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Nova Scotia McCurdy lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Selected Corporate, Private and Public Collections Mar Art Bank of Nova Scotia Art Gallery of Nova Scotia Art Gallery of Victoria, BC Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, NB Burlington Arts Centre, ON Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Waterloo, ON Canadiana Fund Claridge Collection, Montreal, QC International Museum of Ceramics at Faenza, Italy Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council Nova Scotia Museum Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON Saint Mary's University Art Gallery, Halifax, NS Selected Group Exhibitions 2013 Fireworks 2013, two year juried traveling exhibition organized by the Canadian Clay and Glass Association, opening at Sheridan Art Gallery, Oakville, ON Change Ahead, Mary E.Black Gallery, Halifax, NS Carrying it Forward, Mary E.Black Gallery, Halifax, NS 2012 Connections, Focus Gallery, Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, ON 2011 Inaugural Naples International Contemporary Crafts Exhibition, Longstreth-Goldberg Art Gallery, Naples, Florida, 2011 Fireworks, juried exhibition organized by the Canadian Clay and Glass Association, opening at the Ontario Crafts Council Gallery in Toronto, Ontario and traveling for two years 2009 Boundless Possibilities,The Von Leibig Art Centre, Naples, Florida, USA 2008 5x5x5, juried, Target Gallery, Alexandria, Virginia, USA 2006 World Women on the Horizon, juried, Baltimore Clay Works, Baltimore, USA 2010 Florida Contemporary, juried exhibition, The von Leibig Art Centre, Naples, Florida, U.S.A. Selected Solo Exhibitions 2012 The Fabric of Clay: Alexandra McCurdy, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, NB; Saint Mary's Art Gallery, Halifax, NS 2011 The Fabric of Clay: Alexandra McCurdy, Burlington Arts Centre, Lee-Chin Family Gallery, Burlington, ON 2008 A Stitch in Time, Ross Creek Art Centre, Canning, Nova Scotia 2006 Common Thread, Second Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia 2005 The Ties that Bind, Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario 2004 Mothers/Daughters, Mary Black Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Traveling to the Acadia University Art Gallery, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and Cambridge Galleries, Cambridge, Ontario 2013 The Fabric of Clay, traveling retrospective, Burlington Art Centre, Ontario, Saint Mary's University Art Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, New Brunswick Selected Group Exhibitions 2011 Connections: Canadian and British Studio Ceramics, Gardiner Museum, Toronto, ON 2002 "Art Encounter 2002"; Von Leibig Art Centre, Naples, Florida. 2002 "FIRE+EARTH: Contemporary Canadian Ceramics"; Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario. 2001 "Games Needles Play" (juried exhibition); Museum London, London, Ontario. 2001 "FIRE+EARTH: Contemporary Canadian Ceramics"; The Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan. 20001 "52nd International Ceramic Art Exhibition" (juried exhibition); International Museum of Ceramic Art, Faenza, Italy. 2000 "Voyage: 9th National Biennial of Ceramics"; Trois-Rivières, Québec. 2000 "Recent Acquisitions"; Burlington Art Centre. 2000 "FIRE+EARTH: Contemporary Canadian Ceramics"; Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. 1999 Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia (solo exhibition touring to Confederation Centre for the Arts, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Burlington Art Centre). 1998 "FIRE+EARTH: Contemporary Canadian Ceramics"; Itabashi Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan. 1997 "FIRE+EARTH: Contemporary Canadian Ceramics"; Burlington Art Centre. 1995 The George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, Ontario. 1994 "Recent Acquisitions '93"; Burlington Art Centre, Burlington, Ontario. 1994 "XIV International Biennial of Ceramic Arts" (juried exhibition); Castel Museum, Vallauris, France. 1993 "Breaking the Mold"; Gallery Gabor, Toronto, Ontario. 1992 Gallery 1667, Halifax, Nova Scotia. 1992 Ashton's Gallery, Toronto, Ontario. 1992 "From Beneath the Covers"; Mount Saint Vincent Art Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia. 1989 "Ten Artists: Ten Provinces" (juried exhibition); York Quay Gallery, Harbourfront, Toronto, Ontario. 1987 "Second World Triennial Exhibition of Small Ceramics" (juried exhibition); Zagreb, Yugoslavia. 1987 Gallery 1667, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Selected Awards 2011 Fusion Fireworks Best in Design Award, Fusion (Ontario Clay and Glass Association) Fireworks juried exhibition, opening at Ontario Crafts Council Gallery in Toronto, Ontario, and traveling throughout Ontario 2009 Award for Technical Achievement from the Von Leibig Art Centre, Naples, Florida, USA 2002 Nominee for Bronfman Award 1993 Nominee for Joan Chalmers Award 1989 Nominee for Bronfman Award Selected Links amccurdyceramics.ca Studio Ceramics Canada National Gallery of Canada Magazine - Alexandra McCurdy: The Fabric of Clay Alexandra McCurdy Fabric of Clay Part 1 Youtube video Alexandra McCurdy Fabric of Clay Part 2 Youtube video
