Samantha Dickie. Photo credit Cathie Ferguson
After a nearly two-year hiatus due to Covid-19, the North-West Ceramics Foundation is thrilled to be able again to present our free, public Speaker Series. Unfortunately, conditions do not yet allow us to meet in person, but, like millions of others, we have been mastering the art of Zoom, and are pleased to be bringing our next speaker, Samantha Dickie, to you via that platform. Samantha Dickie will be presenting on her work on Thursday, November 25, at 7:30 pm. All are welcome, but registration is required. Please see here or below to register for this exciting talk.
Samantha Dickie received her BA in Women’s and Native Studies from Trent University, in Peterborough, ON, and her Diploma of Craft and Design, majoring in Ceramics, from the Kootenay School of the Arts, in Nelson, BC. Known for her minimalist abstract sculpture and architecturally-scaled, multi-component installations, Dickie has been the recipient of numerous national and provincial grants and awards. She has and attended residencies at the Sculpture Factory in Jingdezhen, China; the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture in Dawson City, YT; the Banff Centre for the Arts in Banff, AB, and Red Deer College in Red Deer, AB. Her work has been exhibited extensively in solo and group shows across Canada, and she has been the subject of numerous articles and interviews. Her work can be found in permanent collections across North America, at select commercial galleries, and at her studio in Victoria BC.
Samantha Dickie, All We Can Do Is Keep Breathing. Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery. 1350 components. 8ft x 8ft x 11ft. Porcelain and filament. 2018. Photo credit: Karl Gritthis-Fulton
Dickie’s process of working with clay reflects her process of thinking about the world and the conditions that define our humanity. Combining her theoretical degree in women’s studies with interests in philosophy and psychology, she equates the visceral nature of rough and intentionally imprecise clay with the rejection of social pressures, often placed with particular weight on women, to strive for unattainable perfection. Reflecting a natural world in a constant state of growth, decay, and fragility, her organic aesthetic invites an immersive, sensory, experience of her work.
Samantha Dickie, A Moment in Time. Victoria BC. 4000 components. 2021 Photo credit: Cathie Ferguson
In her talk, Dickie will bring together the many threads that weave through her 20 years of working in clay. She will discuss sources of her aesthetic focus, investigate materiality as it relates to large sculptural projects, and trace the development of her conceptual intentions. In particular, she will discuss the planning involved in executing and installing commissions and large-scale public gallery project comprising many thousands of components, such as her most recent installation, A Moment in Time, at the Victoria Art Council Gallery.
To register for the talk Thursday, November 25, at 7:30 pm. , please click here.
For more on Samantha Dickie, please see her website here.
To view this talk on YouTube, please see here.
