Nurielle Stern, Unswept Floor (Tesserae), 2019. Glazed and unglazed ceramic, found glass and ceramic mosaic tiles, wood.
Artist Nurielle Stern has won the 2019 Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics.
This national $10,000 award, led by the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery in Waterloo, allows early-career ceramic artists to undertake a period of independent research—or other activities that advance their artistic and professional practice.
Stern, who is based in Toronto, is a ceramic sculpture and installation artist and a graduate of Alfred University’s MFA program in ceramic art. She has also studied ceramics at Sheridan College and holds a BFA in sculpture and installation from OCAD University.
Stern’s most recent exhibition, “Unswept Floor (Tesserae),” was commissioned by the Gardiner Museum in response to “Ai Weiwei: Unbroken.” Stern’s collaborative work with Nicholas Crombach, Whale Fall, is at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery right now, featuring an assemblage of furniture and ceramic components alluding to a decaying whale carcass. Stern is also working on a large-scale commission for the Gardiner Museum this fall.
Nurielle Stern was one of several finalists for the 2019 award. The other finalists included Trevor Baird of Montreal, Naomi Clement of London, Grace Han of Winnipeg, Joon Hee Kim of Oakville, Jocelyn Reid of Calgary and Zane Wilcox of Regina.
A group exhibition of the winner’s and finalists’ works goes on view at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery from September 21 to November 17. As part of her project, Stern will produce large-scale ceramic sculptures, beginning with her participation in a residency at the California State University Long Beach Center for Contemporary Ceramics.
The 2019 Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics was juried by artist Pascale Girardin of Montreal, Nickle Galleries curator Michele Hardy of Calgary, and NSCAD University associate professor Rory MacDonald of Halifax.
Past recipients of the Winifred Shantz Award include Lindsay Montgomery (2018), Amélie Proulx (2016), Brendan Tang (2010), Laurent Craste (2002) and Susan Collett (2001).
