Martha Sturdy
Martha Sturdy has been appointed to the Order of British Columbia, according to a news release this week.
“Martha Sturdy is a pioneering Canadian artist whose six-decade career has made a lasting impact on the global creative landscape. A 1978 graduate of the Vancouver School of Art, now Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECUAD), she first gained international acclaim for her bold, wearable sculptures featured in Vogue and on major fashion runways,” according to the news release.
“Her practice spans large-scale sculpture created in resin, steel, brass, aluminum and salvaged cedar, and has been showcased in leading publications worldwide. Despite global success, she remained rooted in B.C., mentoring artists and supporting her community.”
Her many awards include the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, induction into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and an honorary doctorate from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Now in her 80s, she has served on myriad boards, too, including the Audain Art Museum and committees including the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. Her work has been shown around the world, including galleries in South Korea, Japan, China, California and, a little closer to home, Liquidity Winery in B.C.'s Okanagan Valley,
“I make what I make, it’s what’s in me,” she has said.
“My inspiration comes from many sources. I spend a lot of time in nature which comes through in my practice. There is both a fundamental simplicity and a fundamental monumentality within the natural world that captivates me. My sculpture is also based in positivity, potential, and connection – connection to the environment and to one another.”
Source: Government of British Columbia, marthasturdy.com
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