Award Category: Applied Art and Design Award

Jill Allan explores repetition of form, pattern and the impact of light in her glass objects and unique jewelry. Her work is quiet, based in the craft tradition of vessel making and influenced by Scandinavian design. Jill is a graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design and recently completed an artists’ residency at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York State. She has received numerous awards including the Young Contemporaries Millennium Award 2001 and the Gold Medal for Excellence in Craft at the 2005 Circle Craft Christmas Market.

An avid kayaker, Rachelle Chinnery draws her inspiration from the water and sands of B.C.’s coastal beaches. Each of her porcelain pieces is hand-carved, creating a tactile object that evokes the seascape. Her work is fully functional and is made to complement and enhance a life style that is contemplative and appreciative of a natural pristine environment. Rachelle’s work has been exhibited at the International Ceramic and Bronze Exhibition in Jamaica, the Sydney Meyer International Ceramics Fund in Sydney and at the Biennial World Ceramics Competition in Korea – the world’s largest ceramics competition.

Renata Crowe combines torchworked and cast glass with silver to create custom jewelry. Best known as a milliner, she has successfully made the transition from working with felt, straw and textiles to glass and metal. Creating a harmonious balance between glass and metal is the focus of her work and symbolizes the patience and balance of the natural world. In December 2006, Renata was one of two artists to participate in the first ever glass jewelry show at the renowned Vetri International Glass in Seattle, where her work explored the theme of society and urban violence.

Patricia Fieldwalker has been designing deluxe lingerie for more than 25 years. She is the five-time winner of the Matinee Fashion Foundation Award for Excellence and the Rubans de Madame Figaro award at the Salon International de la Lingerie in Paris. Her designs have been featured in numerous films and magazines and her lingerie is retailed in specialty boutiques in Europe, Asia, Australia and throughout Canada and the United States. Twelve full time employees in her Strathcona factory work with silk, cotton, velvet and lace creating the Patricia Fieldwalker Adagio Collection. Patricia is a leader in the fashion community in Vancouver and contributes generously to local charities.

Teale Merkeley is an emerging designer distinguished by his work in high-quality furniture and household objects. Concerned with formal efficiency and material quality, Teale’s work is bare, pragmatic and healthy. He seeks to create an enduring relationship with objects through a synthesis of structure, proportion, function and beauty. Teale is a graduate of the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design where he also studied abroad at the Ingvar Kamprad Design Centrum in Sweden. He has exhibited in Milan, London, Malmo, Vancouver and most recently, as a contributor to the BARK Design Collective’s ‘All Terrain Cabin’ exhibit.

Toni Cavelti is a world-renowned master craftsman and artist. Swiss-born, Cavelti opened his first jewellery design and retail operation in Vancouver over 50 years ago. He is consistently lauded for his compelling modernist designs and the dynamism captured in his art. His spectacular jewellery has received international acclaim, from a necklace designed for Queen Elizabeth to four Diamonds International Awards. Now, a signature designer for Birks, Toni continues to inspire contemporary designs that are coveted across the country and around the world. He has served on the Boards of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design and the Vancouver Opera.

Joanna Staniszkis is a Professor Emerita of Design, Landscape Architecture Program at the University of British Columbia. Joanna is the recipient of many awards including the Saidye Bronfman Award for Excellence in Crafts (1981). Joanna was inducted to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1980. Joanna is recognized internationally for her work in the textile medium. She is especially well known for large-scale architectural commissions on display at prominent buildings around the world. Since the late 1960’s, Staniszkis has worked with a wide variety of natural fibres and dyes, often including cross-cultural references. She involves herself in all aspects of textile production and expresses her vision through the use of unconventional materials and techniques. The Silk Project boutique is a showcase of her exquisite art-to-wear clothing.

Improving the quality of lives through sustainable design exemplifies Niki Dun’s work. Niki designed the bicycle ambulance to transport patients from village to clinic in rural Africa. A 2003 graduate of the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design, Niki is the active founder of Design for Development, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging Canadian designers to use their design skills to address problems in less fortunate areas of the world. Niki’s work has been part of the Massive Change exhibit in Vancouver and Toronto and she has been to the US and Israel to assist others in designing for developing communities.

Roger Goldammer’s skill and passion for designing and building custom motorcycles has turned a hobby into a business as a premier bike builder in the custom motorcycle community. Founder of Goldammer Cycle Works, Roger received his formal training from BC Institute of Technology and the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Pheonix. Building most of the bike parts himself, Roger combines functionality with innovation to create unique designs that compete successfully at an international level. Roger’s latest bikes, the boardtrack racer BTR3 and Trouble, were awarded 1st place in successive years at the World Championship of Custom Bike Building.