Rachel Gotlieb
NEXT PRACTICE: a Professional Mentorship for Established Artists
with Independent Curator Rachel Gotlieb
Format: 8 sessions held between October 2026 - October 2027
Location: Swansea Town Hall, Toronto, ON
Participants: 8
Cost: $1500 for FUSION Members
Deadline to apply: September 15, 2026, 5:00 p.m.
Next Practice is a FUSION mentorship program for eight established artists working in clay or glass who are ready to take the next step in their practice.
This is your chance to pause, reflect, and push your work in new directions. Through sustained mentorship and critical dialogue, you will deepen the ideas driving your practice and develop a new body of work with greater clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Working from your own studio, you will meet regularly with curator, writer, and educator Rachel Gotlieb for group critiques, one-on-one mentoring, and discussions that connect contemporary practice to the broader histories of ceramics, glass, design, and material culture. Along the way, you will gain firsthand insight into curatorial thinking, exhibition development, and how ideas get shaped, communicated, and presented to the public.
Open to artists working across functional, sculptural, and installation practices, with an interest in narrative, personal, or socio-political themes, Next Practice offers a rigorous, supportive space where experimentation is encouraged and assumptions are challenged: an environment built to sharpen a creative voice.
What You Will Gain
-
A cohesive new body of work, grounded in strong conceptual thinking
-
A stronger artistic vision, shaped through critical discussion and honest feedback
-
New approaches to research, making, and experimentation
-
Individualized guidance on artist statements, biographies, exhibitions, and professional opportunities
-
A lasting network of accomplished peers committed to real dialogue and mutual support
The Outcome
The program culminates in a professionally documented group exhibition in Toronto, celebrating the work made throughout the mentorship and giving you high-quality images for future exhibitions, publications, and applications.
Whether you are at a pivotal moment in your career or simply seeking renewed direction, Next Practice offers the time, space, and critical engagement to transform your practice from the inside out.
Session Dates
This mentorship program will have in-person 4 hour group meetings at Swansea Town Hall in Toronto on the following Saturdays in 2026-2027:
-
October 17, 2026
-
November 28, 2026
-
January 23, 2027
-
February 27, 2027
-
May 1, 2027
-
June 5, 2027
-
September 11, 2027
-
October 30, 2027
Eligibility
Open to established artists working in clay or glass. FUSION considers established artists to be those with 8 or more years of dedicated practice in clay or glass. You may have participated in group or solo exhibitions, received grants or other arts funding, built a recognizable body of work, taught or mentored others in the field, or maintained a sustained presence in the arts community. There is no strict checklist. If your practice has matured beyond the emerging stage, we encourage you to submit an application.
You must be a FUSION member to apply.
Deadline to apply: September 15, 2026, 5:00 p.m.
Dr. Rachel Gotlieb is an independent curator, writer, and educator with deep expertise in ceramics, craft, design, and material culture. She has curated more than twenty exhibitions and published extensively on ceramics and Canadian design.
Rachel served as Chief Curator and Interim Executive Director of the Gardiner Museum in Toronto, where she curated landmark exhibitions including Piece by Piece, the first Canadian museum presentation of British ceramic artist Clare Twomey, True Nordic: How Scandinavia Influenced Design in Canada, and the major retrospective Steven Heinemann: Culture and Nature. She was later appointed the inaugural Ruth Rippon Curator of Ceramics at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California.
She was the founding curator of the Design Exchange in Toronto and co-author of the landmark book Design in Canada. In 2017 she held the Theodore Randall International Chair in Art and Design at Alfred University in New York. Rachel has taught design and craft history at Sheridan College, OCAD University, and Toronto Metropolitan University. She holds a BA in Art History from the University of Toronto, an MA in Design History from the Victoria and Albert Museum and Royal College of Art in London, and a PhD in Art History from Queen's University.
About Rachel Gotlieb
Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière
