Urban Carrot Hot Glass "ACK!" Exhibition and Art Talk

Todd Safronovich & Kathy Bateman
ACK (Art Craft Kitsch)
in the Naess Gallery at The Paint Spot 10032 81 Avenue
Runs from October 6 – November 21, 2022

Artist’s Statement 2022 – ACK
“For “ACK”, we wanted to play around with some of the differences associated with ‘Art’, ‘Craft’ and ‘Kitsch’. For example, if you remove the functionality of a piece (by placing a cloche over it) has it moved from being craft to art? Could you elevate the display shelves so that they are part of the ‘art’? And at what point does something move from being ‘art’ or ‘craft’ into being ‘kitsch’ (or when have we gone too far? and, more importantly, is too far a bad thing or a fun thing?)?"

The pair borrow ideas from other crafts, like quilting, elevating bits and pieces that are often discarded. “We kept offcuts and salvaged leftover bits and included those ‘scraps’ as decorative elements in the final pieces.”

“We also wanted to highlight a few of the steps involved in creating glass-blown objects.” Some steps are captured in photographs and incorporated into their pieces.

Bio
Originally interested in pursuing a career in furniture design, Todd attended the School of Crafts and Design at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. It was there that he was introduced to working with hot glass. After graduating from the school’s glass program in 1997, he returned to Alberta and worked in several studios throughout the province as well as in British Columbia and Colorado. His work is frequently inspired by the compatibility of glass with different media and materials.

Kathy also attended the School of Crafts and Design at Sheridan College. She is interested in upcycling and finding ways to use discarded bits in new ways. Todd and Kathy built their studio in 2011, where they currently enjoy creating mostly functional craft glassware (and sometimes art and sometimes kitsch).

We would like to thank our photographer Sarah Bourque as well as Carlos Cruz, Irina Demko, Jill Allen, and the Paint Spot Crew for all of their help!

CHAPTERS
00:00 Video starts with a demonstration of glass blowing
01:53 Introduction to the artists at the Naess Gallery
02:52 So, why glass?
04:50 The studio setup
07:25 Let's talk about the show, Art Craft Kitsch
08:50 A look at the show
09:40 What do Kathy and Todd hope viewers will take away from the exhibition
10:45 They made a dog dish for The Paint Spot
11:58 The story of the Venitian rod and the glasses
13:35 The mobiles
15:10 What's with the wood in the display? Is there a story?
16:25 What's the message behind the Poloroids encased in glass?
18:19 Kim calls the pair award-winning award designers
19:05 Kathy talks about the sounds that occurs in the glass studio