The Victoria Arts Council has made a name for itself in recent years as the cornerstone of collaboration in our city, and their Fall 2026 exhibition is another example of Executive Director, Kegan McFadden’s approach.
On view at Emily Carr House National Historic site is the first posthumous exhibition of ceramics by the late Cree/Metis artist Judy Cranmer.
This exhibit is co-produced with University of Victoria Legacy Art Collection and is co-curated by McFadden and Lorilee Wastasecoot, UVic Legacy Galleries Curator of Indigenous Art and Engagement with dedicated funding from Victoria Foundation, CRD Arts Services, BC Arts Council, and the Province of BC’s Community Gaming Fund.
Over the past 18 months McFadden and Wastasecoot have been researching this artist’s work and were thanked by her family and friends for not letting this under-acknowledged artist slip further into obscurity.
“I wanted to see a dedicated display of ceramics shown at Carr House as a direct reflection on Emily Carr’s adoption of Klee Wyck as a persona.” says McFadden of the choice to highlight Cranmer’s work.
Judy Cranmer Tweedie (1935-2009) exhibited across Canada and the United States, including the University of British Columbia’s Museum of Anthropology and the National Museum of the American Indian. Her work is represented in widespread private collections, but only now, after her death, are museums and institutions taking notice of her impressive output. Most recently Judy Cranmer’s work was included in the Vancouver Art Gallery’s Modern in the Making exhibition (2020), and the Museum of Anthropology opened The Judy Cranmer Ceramics Research Laboratory (2015); both important steps towards ensuring her legacy.
Cranmer’s studio practice had two distinct outputs: one that ‘paid the mortgage’ (as her daughter, Betsy Cranmer, has clarified) and consisted of tableware and other more functional ceramics such as mugs, plates, lamps, and various containers. The other, which is highlighted in the selection on view in this exhibition, was aligned with ceremonial inspired vessels such as feast dishes and bentwood boxes, as well as objects that spoke to traditional ways of life she learned through her partner, Kwakwaka’wakw carver as well as a ‘Namgis chief, Doug Cranmer. All of Cranmer’s output was handpainted, and applied through a free form style without the use of stencils.
Please note, the location of this exhibit and related programming is Carr House National Historic Site at 207 Government Street from 3 September to 24 October. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 10am – 4PM (admission by donation).
Free public programs as part of JUDY CRANMER: CERAMICS:
Curator’s tour with Kegan McFadden, Saturday 26 September @ 2PM as part of the annual Canadian Art Hop.
Panel Discussion with Lou-ann Neel and Vickie Jensen, moderated by Lorilee Wastasecoot, Saturday 24 October @ 2PM.
