Meet the Makers of Peterborough & the Kawarthas

THE IDEA: When you enter a community rich in artistic and cultural expression, you are sharing in the collective heart and soul of the people within it.

Meet some of Peterborough & the Kawarthas’ Makers – passionate and creative people who help to define this region, and it’s connection with the world. Hear their stories, gain a better understanding of who they are, and why they are so passionate about their craft.

In Peterborough & the Kawarthas, we understand that travel is an important and rewarding part of life. We hope that this series inspires you to share some of your time with us. Meet our makers, take part in hands-on experiences and workshops, and take home a piece of Peterborough & the Kawarthas, made by our makers, or better yet, made by you.

Here is sneak peek at six teaser clips from our Meet the Makers of Peterborough & the Kawarthas series.

Bill Reddick

As a self-taught, renowned ceramic artist and potter, Bill gained meaningful ceramics experience while a student at Lakefield College School in the mid 1970’s. He found inspiration in the classical ceramic tradition of the Song Dynasty (960-1160 AD) of China where he toured in 1998. Through his contemporary expression of this ancient tradition, he has developed original techniques, a fluency of form. and thus, the creation of beauty. All works are individually handmade by the artist in his studio in Peterborough, Ontario where he enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for his work while showing visitors his studio and gallery. He is the creator of Canada’s official state dinnerware, which resides at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

To learn more about his work, and to participate in pottery classes, visit www.billreddick.com

Brianna Gosselin

Brianna Gosselin is an artist possessing the unique ability to paint the world as few of us see it. Densely layered, her work captures the spirit and light of nature, radiating back to viewers with an energy felt more than seen. A graduate of Peterborough Collegiate Vocational School  — celebrated for it’s art programs — Brianna continues to expand beyond her preferred medium of acrylics, drawing a harmonious balance between texture, form and colour. In 2015, Brianna was named as one of the Top 30-Under-30 artists by Gary Michael Dault, and had the opportunity to showcase her work at the John B. Aird Gallery in Toronto.

In addition to her own work, Brianna passes on her love of art as an instructor at her studio and at the Art School of Peterborough where she inspires students to find and express their own artistic voice. She also offers intuitive soul portrait sessions, where she captures the reflection of an individual or a couple in a abstract, colourful impression created through the artists eyes.

Currently, Brianna’s work is on display at the Art School of Peterborough with works being shown at LAUNCH Gallery on a rotating basis.

To learn more about her work, or to participate in a class or intuitive portrait session, visit www.briannagosselin.com

The Canadian Canoe Museum

The Canadian Canoe Museum is a unique national heritage centre that explores the canoe’s enduring significance to the peoples of Canada, through the world’s largest collection of canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft, founded on a collection of the late Professor Kirk Wipper, and established in Peterborough, Ontario, in 1997. Together they span the country from coast to coast to coast and represent many of the major watercraft traditions of Canada. As family-friendly museum, visitors can enjoy interactive, hands-on galleries, a scavenger hunt, model canoe building and puppet theatre for children. Through inclusive, memorable and engaging exhibits and programs they share the art, culture, heritage and spirit of paddled watercraft with our communities.

Spend a day, or two, learning traditional skills, meeting interesting people and working with your hands in a relaxed setting with experienced, supportive, knowledgeable instructors, like Russ Parker –  a Canoe Museum volunteer and supporter who retired to the Peterborough area. Not only is Russ a fabulous teacher, he is an immensely skillful and talented woodworker who also volunteers his time building skin-on-frame kayaks at the Canoe Museum on top of teaching all of their paddle carving courses. Participants leave their workshops feeling positive, proud of their finished product, and inspired from a day of using their hands and learning about the history of the craft.

To learn more about the museum, and the wide variety of hands-on workshops they offer, visit www.canoemuseum.ca

To view the full length video, and to learn more visit Besttrip.tv

Lang Pioneer Village Museum

Lang Pioneer Village Museum was established by the County of Peterborough in 1967 to celebrate and preserve the rural history of the area. Each year, tens of thousands of visitors from around the world take a trip back in time to discover how the pioneers lived. Nestled along the banks of the historic Indian River, Lang Pioneer Village Museum features over twenty-five restored and furnished buildings constructed between 1825 and 1899. The Village is complete with lanes and pathways, farm animals, rail and stump fences, vegetable and herb gardens, as well as other authentic details of a 19th-century hamlet. Villagers of all ages, dressed in authentic historical costume, go about their daily chores contributing to the authenticity of this living history experience. Sparks fly from the anvil in the blacksmith shop, handbills are printed on the old press in the Register Print Shop and the gentle smell of wood smoke fills the air. Chat with the Village carpenter at his treadle lathe or the spinner at her wheel and visit the 14-room Keene Hotel for lemonade or afternoon tea.

The newest addition to the Village is the S.W. Lowry Weaver Shop and Jacquard Loom Interpretive Centre, home to two of only a handful of authentic Jacquard looms that can be viewed in North America. The Interpretive Centre serves as an exhibit and educational area and features a fully-operational loom and demonstrate the step-by-step process of how fleece from a sheep becomes a woven fabric.

To learn more about the Village, Weaver shop and Jacquard Loom Interpretive Centre, visit www.langpioneervillage.ca

To view the full length video, and to learn more visit Bestrip.tv

Michael Fortune

Designer/maker, teacher and mentor Michael C. Fortune is one of Canada’s most respected and creative contemporary furniture masters. Since his career began 33 years ago, Fortune has become acclaimed for his innovative, but resolved, designs for one-of-a-kind objects in wood, commissioned residential furnishings and items in limited editions. His work has brought him an international clientele and reputation. Michael uses traditional woodworking and metal working techniques in combination with innovative forming processes that have been adapted from the aerospace and boat-building industries.

In 1993 Fortune received the prestigious Prix Saidye Bronfman, Canada’s highest award in the crafts. Juried by his peers, He was the first woodworker to receive this award. Michael Fortune has a clear vision of how fine craft can positively effect the culture and economy of Canada and the world beyond. Visitors to Peterborough, Ontario can find one of Michael’s unqiue public installations on the shore of Little Lake, entitled “Slingshot Benches (pair)”.

To learn more about Michael’s work, visit www.michaelfortune.com