Barbara Heller
Vancouver tapestry artist and weaver Barbara Heller is the winner of the Robert Jekyll Award for Leadership in Craft, the Canadian Crafts Federation has announced.
The award comes with $1,000 donated by Jekyll, a stained glass artist and the federation's founding president, and celebrates those who advance the respect and recognition for craft in Canada.
Heller was singled out for her exceptional work, which has gained national and international attention over the last five decades, as well as her activities as a volunteer in the craft sector.
She founded the B.C. Society of Tapestry Artists in 1993 and the Canadian Tapestry Network in 1995, and has served on many boards, including the American Tapestry Alliance and the Craft Council of British Columbia.
"She is invaluable to the greater Canadian craft community as a mentor and inspiration for generations of artists," the federation said in its announcement.
This year's shortlist included Amy Gogarty, a Vancouver-based ceramic artist and author who writes occasionally for Galleries West magazine, and Denis Longchamps, the executive director of the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery in Waterloo, Ont.
Source: Canadian Crafts Federation