Silvia Tagusagawa | Alyson Chasse |
LOCATIONS: Leslie Grove Gallery 1158 Queen St East, Toronto -and- Gagné Contemporary Gallery 136 Brooklyn Ave., Toronto FUSION received a record number of submissions for Breakthrough PLUS 2022. Featuring work by students, emerging and established clay and glass artists, juror John Gagné selected pieces to be exhibited at Gagné Contemporary and Leslie Grove Gallery in Toronto's Leslieville neighbourhood. Both galleries are within 10 minutes of each other and we encourage those who visit Breakthrough PLUS to hop between both gallery locations. "It’s an honor to have been asked to jury the show this year. I found looking at the entries for the first time VERY exciting – the impressions and vitality and surprises are fresh! Particularly this year, after so many of us have been under wraps for too long, the exuberance and material force of many of the pieces are so gratifying. As are the quieter, gentler works. There’s a notion that society gets the art it deserves. I believe that’s true here in the best sense. The work in Breakthrough PLUS 2022 feels necessary." - John Gagné, Juror Gagné Contemporary works with artists across Toronto, Canada and New York City, USA. Part of an art advisory that includes gallery shows, studio visits, artist representation and a curatorial practice. What began in NYC as a side hustle – leading art walks through Lower East Side and Chelsea galleries, volunteering with Brooklyn arts organizations, conducting studio visits with artists and collectors – soon became THE hustle and a fully viable business. Warmly embraced by the arts community, I began curating exhibitions in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Returning to Toronto in 2020, I established Gagné Contemporary in a former stable in the Leslieville neighbourhood where I’ve been presenting solo and group shows. I also manage two websites that allow me to sell and ship artwork internationally, as well as support the gallery shows. AWARDS Awards will be given to clay and glass artists:
TIMELINE April 20: Submission deadline at 5 p.m. April 27: Applicants will be informed of the juror's decision via email May 16-17: Accepted works need to be delivered or shipped to Gagné Contemporary Gallery in Toronto. May 19: Exhibition opening May 28: Reception for FUSION conference delegates from 5-8 p.m. and Awards Ceremony June 5: Exhibition closes June 6-7: Work to be retrieved from gallery spaces or shipping arrangements made. All City of Toronto COVID-19 protocols in place at the time of the exhibition will be followed. HISTORY OF BREAKTHROUGHFUSION was pleased to host our inaugural emerging artist exhibition: BREAKTHROUGH in June, 2018. We were astounded by the response from our call for entry. Forty eight artists from across Canada submitted 126 pieces for consideration. All are either currently students, or within five years if their training. The result was an exhibition from 28 artists that was vibrant, varied and engaging. The exhibition was a wonderful survey of sculptural and functional work from the next generation of glass and clay artists. Using a multitude of materials and construction methods within their respective disciplines, these artists are breaking new ground.Congratulations to all the past participating Breakthrough artists and these award winners: |
Best in Show: Daumante Stirbyte Best in Glass: Jennifer Glasser | Best in Clay: Joon Hee Kim Craft Ontario Affiliate Award: Zara Gardner |
2018 Participating Artists:
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