Craftsperson of the Year Award, sponsored by Lexus Canada
Celebrating the Hands That Shape Our Culture
The Craftsperson of the Year Award, sponsored by Lexus Canada, aims to spotlight the mastery, dedication, innovation, and passion of an experienced craftsperson who has played a meaningful role in the Canadian craft sector. Members of the Canadian Crafts Federation (CCF/FCMA) can nominate candidates for this distinguished $10,000 CAD award.
By honouring a Craftsperson of the Year, we celebrate individual craft mastery and reinforce the importance of craft in our national culture, all while echoing the commitment Lexus makes towards excellence and innovation. The financial support this award provides acknowledges the recipient’s distinguished contributions, empowers them to pass on their knowledge to future generations, and contributes to the ongoing vitality of the craft community.
Shortlist
Jennine Krauchi (Manitoba)
Jennine Krauchi is an internationally recognized Métis artist and designer based in Winnipeg whose work has played an important role in the revitalization and advancement of Métis beadwork in the 21st century. Working across beadwork, quillwork, and clothing design, she creates works that connect traditional Métis artistic practices to contemporary conversations around identity, history, and resilience. Krauchi has received commissions from the Canadian Museum of History, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Manitoba Museum, and Parks Canada, among other institutions. Her work has been featured in exhibitions including Radical Stitch (Mackenzie Art Gallery) and Kwaata-nihtaawakihk (Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq). In 2022, she was commissioned by the Royal Canadian Mint to design a commemorative silver coin honouring the Métis Nation.
Julie Moon (Ontario)
Toronto-based ceramicist Julie Moon is recognized for her innovative approach to clay and her significant contributions to contemporary ceramics in Canada. Her practice explores relationships between nature and culture, the real and imagined, and form and surface, often bridging ceramics, textiles, sculpture, and design. Moon earned her BFA from OCAD University in 2005 and her MFA from Alfred University in 2010. Her work has been exhibited at the Gardiner Museum, The Clay Studio Philadelphia, Cooper Cole Gallery, and ART Toronto. Alongside her exhibition career, she is a dedicated educator and mentor and has participated in residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation and the Center for Ceramics Berlin, with a residency scheduled this summer at MenLo Studio in Jingdezhen, China.