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Fact Sheet |
Peer Assessment Committee Statement
The Selection Committee is pleased to confer the 2002 Prix Saidye Bronfman Award to Kai Chan and to add his name to a list of distinguished individuals who have made a major contribution to Canadian culture through their craft.
In bestowing this important and prestigious award, the Committee wishes to recognize Kai Chan's outstanding practice and career as an internationally acclaimed artist. Although primarily associated with the field of textiles, his work straddles many craft genres and has links to jewellery, basketry, fashion, and toys. But whatever the medium, Chan's work distinguishes itself through the minimal use of unexpected and modest materials that, while lyrical and wonderfully imaginative, are masterfully manipulated into inventive pieces that echo the meditative aesthetic of his cultural heritage. Kai Chan's work, constantly evolving and exploring new territories, remains uniquely personal.
The Committee further wishes to recognize that Kai Chan, in addition to maintaining his rigorous studio practice, is widely known for his total commitment to the craft community and for generously sharing his knowledge through lectures and in workshops, as well as serving as volunteer and working as a successful designer of exhibitions.
The Committee is grateful to the generosity of The Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation for providing it with the opportunity to recognize and honour Kai Chan's career and contribution to the development of fine crafts in Canada.
Peer Assessment Committee Members
Dr. Sandra Alfoldy
Halifax
Craft Historian
Paul Leathers
Red Deer
Silversmith
Marcel Marois
Quebec City
Tapestry Artist
1998 Saidye Bronfman Award Recipient
Naoko Takenouchi
Vancouver
Glass Artist
Jim Thomson
Ottawa
Ceramist
Saidye Bronfman Award Recipients 1977-2002 | Saidye Bronfman Award
Kai Chan - Statement | Kai Chan - Profile | Communiqué
