Charley Farrero Honoured for His Contributions to Canadian Craft
The Canadian Crafts Federation (CCF/FCMA) is thrilled to announce Charley Farrero as the 2025 Laureate of the Robert Jekyll Award for Leadership in Craft. This prestigious award honours Mr. Farrero’s remarkable dedication to advancing Canadian craft through his involvement in the Saskatchewan craft community.
Since 1972, Charley Farrero has made significant contributions to the world of ceramics in Canada through his art practice and community engagements. Born in Paris, he pursued his studies in Fine Arts at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan. Farrero has since developed a well-rounded career as an artist based in Meacham, Saskatchewan. His career has been marked by international residencies, teaching, a curatorial practice, and countless exhibitions. His practice reflects his sustained engagement with ceramics as both material inquiry and cultural expression, informed by a deep attention to place, process, and community. Notably, his exhibition series, Un certain détour (2021 to 2023), articulated a central concern of his work, the French concept of terroir, understood by the artist as a lived relationship between land, material, and human experience.
Charley Farrero, MUSCOWEQUAN, 2022
Over the course of more than five decades, Farrero’s practice has garnered significant recognition both in Canada and abroad. His ceramics are held in numerous public and private collections, including the MacKenzie Art Gallery, the Saskatchewan Arts Board Collection, the Claridge Collection (Bronfman), and the New Canadian Ceramics Museum FLICAM in Fuping, China. His works have also been acquired by the MJMAG Richard Spafford Collection, the Art Gallery of Regina, the Art Gallery of Prince Albert, and the Uriarte Foundation in Puebla, Mexico. These acquisitions reflect the enduring impact of his artistic practice and his contribution to the advancement of contemporary ceramics across local, national, and international contexts.
“An eclectic group of ceramic artists created a potent mix of creativity – the more traditional European aesthetic of form and function was rocked by the impact of California funk, the exploration of the grotesque and the celebration of folk art to create the beginnings of a unique, Saskatchewan aesthetic. Farrero immersed himself in this creative ferment. He contributed to the creative outpouring in ceramics with incredible energy, precision from his mathematical training, a passionate commitment to the community, and an ironic view of the world that comes from jumping from the streets of Paris to the back roads of Saskatchewan.”
– Mark Stobbe, past Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Craft Council
In 2008, Charley Farrero was the honoured recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Arts Award. Now, his remarkable contributions are being recognized once again with the Robert Jekyll Award for Leadership in Craft. This award celebrates individuals who have made lasting contributions to the craft sector, and Charley Farrero is a truly deserving recipient.
The CCF/FCMA extends its heartfelt congratulations to Charley Farrero for his exceptional work and lasting impact on the craft community in Canada. We also congratulate all of this year’s nominees for their outstanding contributions, including the 2025 Robert Jekyll Award shortlist: Brigitte Clavette and Melanie Egan.