Susan Hanrahan, the executive director of Craft Nova Scotia, is the 2021 laureate for the Robert Jekyll award for leadership in craft from the Candian Crafts Federation.
“The entire community has benefited immensely from her commitment to craft and by granting this award, may it express a bit of our appreciation and admiration for her dedication, energy, generosity and superb leadership,” says Halifax artist-jeweller Pamela Ritchie.
Hanrahan has spent 33 years with Craft Nova Scotia, and also leads the Centre for Craft Nova Scotia, which includes the craft-focused Mary E. Black Gallery.
She served on the inaugral board of Arts Nova Scotia, was a founding board member of the Craft Alliance Atlantic Association and has been involved with many other arts policy organizations, including the Canadian Crafts Federation.
The other two shortlisted candidates were B.C.-based Amy Gogarty, an artist, writer and Galleries West contributor, and Quebec-based Claire Kusy, a lawyer, craftsperson and former executive director of the Centre des métiers du cuir de Montréal.
The Robert Jekyll award – named after the founding president of the Canadian Crafts Federation – was created in 2006 to celebrate outstanding contributions to craft in Canada.
Source: Canadian Crafts Federation