The Canadian Crafts Federation (CCF/FCMA) is pleased to announce the shortlists for two national craft awards presented in partnership with Lexus Canada: the Craftsperson of the Year Award and the Emerging Craftsperson Award.
Sponsored by Lexus Canada, these awards each provide $10,000 in financial support to artists at different stages of their careers. The awards recognize both established leaders in the field and emerging voices shaping the future of craft.
Craftsperson of the Year Award, sponsored by Lexus
The Craftsperson of the Year Award honours an established craftsperson whose body of work demonstrates exceptional skill. The shortlisted artists have made lasting contributions to Canadian craft through dedication to material exploration, technical excellence, and artistic vision.
The shortlisted artists for the Craftsperson of the Year Award are:
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.
Photo credit: Indspire Awards
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.
Photo credit: May Truong
Emerging Craftsperson Award, sponsored by Lexus
The Emerging Craftsperson Award celebrates an artist whose unique creative voice and fresh perspective are helping to transform the Canadian craft landscape. These emerging artists bring new ideas, innovative materials, and bold experimentation to the field of contemporary craft.
The shortlisted artists for the Emerging Craftsperson Award are:
Vi Houssin (Manitoba)
Vi Houssin is a Two-Spirit transgender beadwork artist based in Winnipeg, on Treaty 1 territory, where she was born and raised. Her family is of white settler and Red River Métis ancestry. Drawing on traditional Métis techniques and extensive mentorship, Houssin creates works that honour her cultural traditions while engaging with urgent contemporary issues, including environmental change, identity, grief, and resilience. Her work has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Photo credit: Mikaela MacKenzie
Charlie Larouche-Potvin (Quebec)
Charlie Larouche-Potvin is a Montreal-based glassblower and artist-designer trained in Murano, Italy, under Maestro Davide Fuin. His practice reinterprets Venetian glassmaking techniques through a contemporary lens. A graduate of Espace VERRE in 2020, he received both the Prix François-Houdé from the City of Montréal and the RBC Glass Award from the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery in 2024. His work has been presented at the Révélations Biennial in Paris and Contemporània in Barcelona. Drawing on his expertise in Venetian glassmaking techniques, he is regularly invited to share his knowledge through residencies, demonstrations, and educational programs in Canada and abroad. He has been an artist-in-residence at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre since 2023.
Photo credit: Michael Kazik
Gordon Sparks (New Brunswick)
Gordon Sparks is a Mi’kmaw artist from Pabineau First Nation, now living in Rough Waters, New Brunswick. Gordon harvests wood and animal materials through ceremony, carving masks that embody Mi’kmaw stories, traditions, and teachings. Guided by the tree itself, each mask reflects a personal journey and comes to life through collaborations with dancers, drummers, and regalia makers. Also a skin artist, Gordon fuses tattoo design and carving to preserve and share cultural teachings. His work has been exhibited across Atlantic Canada and internationally, including at London’s Collect Art Fair. Committed to mentorship and cultural preservation, Gordon continues to guide and inspire Indigenous artists and communities across Mi’kma’ki.
Photo credit: Toonasa Jordana Luggi
The recipients of the Craftsperson of the Year Award and the Emerging Craftsperson Award will be announced in the coming months.