The word craft can mean many things. The Saskatchewan Craft Council's Dimensions exhibition, currently running at the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery, displays the many different things crafts can be, and also highlights the best of crafts in the province.
Don Stein, gallery director, says that it's a real assembly of the different things craft people can do in their chosen fields.
"It's very open, the world of craft. There's knitting, really elegantly made scarves, a handmade knife... The people making the craft are really pushing the boundaries of what can be incorporated into it, a little more creative but it comes from a functional place," Stein says.
The show is something which can appeal to everyone, Stein says, and the full range of crafts on display makes it one of the most popular shows that tours the province.
"Some of it's really esoteric and weird, and other stuff could not be more practical... There isn't abstract expressionist painting, but for someone who likes that kind of work, there's abstract expressionist clay that's really beautiful," Stein says.
This year's Dimensions has a large number of emerging artists in the show, something which Stein says is always valuable for the craft community.
"That's how people get known, if they get selected for a show like this it really helps them get their name out there," Stein says.
He says just being part of the craft council is an accomplishment on its own, and being selected as the best of the year gets people out there, build reputation and allows them to continue to pursue their career.
Coming up for the Gallery is the annual Landscape and Memory show, which gives local artists a chance to show their work at the gallery. Work must be submitted from May 22 to 24. This year, Stein says that youth from the Yorkton Regional High School will be taking part in a conservation research project, and their photos will be part of the Landscape and Memory show.
Dimensions runs until May 25. The Godfrey Dean also has new hours, open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 1 to 4 p.m. from Saturday to Sunday.
