Gifts Galore From Home-Based Canadian Artisans
by PJ Wade
Canadians who want their gift-buying loonies and twonies to do more than feed corporate coffers should search out previously-overlooked shopping opportunities in their own neighbourhood. For gifts that are a bit different, strikingly unusual or that are one-of-a-kind wonders, local home-based artisan businesses and studios are the answer. Across Canada, home-based woodturners, potters, leatherworkers, jewellers, weavers, knitters and artistic designers of everything from furniture to textiles offer wares to please every wallet and even the hardest to buy for. Spend locally and you'll keep your neighbourhood strong while supporting its cultural richness. These next-door entrepreneurs also contribute to the security of the area as their lives revolve around their real estate. To track down home-based artisans, check neighbourhood publications, design shops, websites and bulletin boards. Craft shows and associations can also connect you with local and area crafts people. At the 31st annual Circle Craft Christmas Market -- Western Canada's largest one-of-a-kind gift fair -- held in November at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, 242 artisans from across Canada presented handmade crafts in a dazzling variety of colours and shapes -- from weaving and puppetry to jellies and jewellery and much more.... - From a Cortes Island home-based studio overlooking B.C.'s dramatic Desolution Sound, wood worker Ron Bazar transforms wood from B.C.'s distinctive Arbutus tree into useful culinary art.
- In wooded seclusion on Denman Island, potter extraordinare Gordon Hutchens produces a variety of works from museum-grade sculptures to functional art using an exciting range of sophisticated techniques, special kilns and exotic materials, including iron rich clay from his own property.
The Circle Craft call has already gone out for the November 2005 show. Jurying will begin at the end of February and continue until the show is full, which usually means early Spring. Circle Craft Co-Operative, reportedly one of the most successful organizations of its kind in North America, also operates a Granville Island store and gallery across from Vancouver's Granville Island Market which is also accessible online. The work of more than 200 British Columbian artisans who create fine contemporary and traditional crafts in clay, glass, fibre, wood, metal and mixed media is featured. This non-profit, self-sustaining Co-operative was founded in 1972 by a group of Victoria artisans and continues "to promote the development, recognition and success of members and their work." Any B.C. resident whose work has been accepted by Circle Craft's jury may become a member. For Your Home-based Business If your 2005 New Year's resolutions include starting your own home-based business, craft-centred or otherwise, the federal government may have a gift for you -- a Canada Business Service Centre (CBSC). For example, the Calgary Business Information Centre (CBIC), a CBSC funded by all three levels of government, is a first-stop resource, established to provide free access to useful and authoritative information for launching a home-based or small business in the Calgary region. The CBSC initiative is a cooperative arrangement among 43 federal business departments, provincial/territorial governments and, in some cases, the private sector, associations, academic and research communities. Currently, there are 13 CBSCs across Canada. Participants and federal managing partners responsible for CBSCs vary from province to province: Working from home can save time and money and give you the freedom to be in control of your life and your income. The CBSC in your province can provide information on and access to government programs and services, business training courses, relevant periodicals and books and other resources to get your venture off to a good start even if you're not a budding artisan. |
