Bio

 

Head of Jewellery/Metal Arts and instructor at the New Brunswick College of Craft & Design from 1985 to 2017, Brigitte Clavette currently teaches part-time and devotes herself to her artistic practice. She is the 2022 winner of the Saidye Bronfman Award for excellence in fine crafts (one of the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts) and a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts. She has received the Excellence Award and The Strathbutler Award from the province of New Brunswick. Her work is included in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON), Canadian Museum of History (Gatineau, QC), Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, ON), Victoria & Albert Museum (London, UK), Beaverbrook Art Gallery (Fredericton, NB), New Brunswick Museum (Saint John, NB) as well as the Art Gallery of Guelph (ON) contemporary silversmithing collection.

Over the years, Brigitte has given workshops and taught at the New Brunswick Community College (Dieppe, NB), Nunavut Arctic College (Iqaluit, NU), Haliburton School of the Arts (ON), Nova Scotia College of Art and Design – NSCAD (Halifax, NS) and at the Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Center (Saint Andrews, NB).

Brigitte Clavette’s current work challenges functionality. Gradually broadening her technical palette has enabled her to explore a world of emotions, atmospheres and personal rituals.  Often eschewing the untouchable, more precious mirror finish of earlier years, these new pieces are presented in conversation with various castings and painterly surfaces, either on a table or on a wall.

Brigitte Clavette a été professeure et directrice du département de joaillerie et métaux du  New Brunswick College of Craft & Design de 1985 à 2017.  Elle y enseigne maintenant à temps partiel tout en continuant à approfondir sa pratique artistique. Gagnante en 2022 du prix Saidye-Bronfman pour l’excellence en métiers d’art (un des Prix du Gouverneur général en arts visuels et arts médiatiques), elle est aussi membre de l'Académie royale des arts du Canada. Elle a reçu le prix d'excellence et le prix Strathbutler de la province du Nouveau-Brunswick. Ses œuvres se retrouvent dans les collections de grandes institutions telles le Musée des beaux-arts du Canada (Ottawa, ON), le Musée canadien de l’histoire (Gatineau, QC), le Musée royal de l’Ontario (Toronto, ON), le Victoria & Albert Museum (Londres, RU), le Musée des beaux-arts Beaverbrook (Fredericton, NB), le Musée du Nouveau-Brunswick et la collection d’orfèvrerie contemporaine de la Art Gallery of Guelph (ON).

Au fil des années, elle a donné des ateliers et enseigné au Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (Dieppe,NB), Nunavut Arctic College (Iqaluit, NU), Haliburton School of the Arts (ON), Nova Scotia College of Art and Design – NSCAD (Halifax, NS) et au Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Center (Saint Andrews, NB).

Les récentes œuvres de Brigitte Clavette défient la simple fonctionnalité.  Elle y explorer un monde d’émotions, d’atmosphères et de rituels personnels par le biais d’un éventail élargi d’approches techniques.  Rompant souvent avec la finition hautement polie, plus précieuse, des pièces antérieures, ces nouvelles œuvres sont présentées en conversation avec divers moulages et surfaces peintes, sur une table ou encore au mur.

curriculum vitae

 

  • 2015 Master of Education, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB

    1992 Certificate in Adult Education, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB

    1980 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD), Halifax, NS

  • Art Gallery of Guelph, Contemporary Canadian Silver Collection, Guelph, ON.

    Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, NB.

    Canadian Museum of History, Ottawa, ON.

    Benton Seymour Rabinovitch Collection, Seattle, Washington, USA Collection

    Collection ArtsNB (formerly The New Brunswick Art Bank) NB.

    National Capital Commission, Ottawa, ON.

    New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, NB

    Royal Ontario Museum, Decorative Arts Collection, Toronto, ON.

    Victoria and Albert Museum, Silver Collection, London, England.

  • 2023 Andrew and Laura McCain Gallery, Florenceville-Bristol, NB. The Mysterious Soul of Objects.

    2022 Galerie Centre Communautaire Sainte-Anne, Fredericton, NB. L’âme mystérieuse des objets.

    2015 New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, NB. Futile Abundance. Manu Forti.

    2011 Harbinger Gallery, Waterloo, ON. Drawing the Myth.

    2009 Gallery 78, Fredericton, NB. Drawing the Myth.

    2009 Jonathon Bancroft Snell Gallery, London, ON. In Memoria.

    2004-05 New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, NB. Memoria.
    Touring: Fredericton, Moncton, Campbellton, NB.

    1996 Gallery 78, Fredericton, NB. Vascella.

    1993 Galerie Colline, Edmundston, NB. Ex-Voto.

    1992 Gallery 78, Fredericton, NB. Vessel/ Forms.

    1991 Anna Leonowens Gallery, NSCAD University, Halifax, NS. Vestigium.

    1991 Lewton-Brain/Fontans Centre Gallery, Calgary, AB. Vestigium.

  • 2024 Somerset House, London, UK. COLLECT 2024

    2023 AX - Arts & Culture Centre, Sussex, NB and Gallery 78, Fredericton, NB. Pinned by Metal Six.

    2022-23 National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, ON. Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts

    2022-23 Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, NB. Resisting Constraints (Brigitte Clavette - Anna Torma)

    2022 Mary E. Black Gallery, Halifax, NS. Quoloqui. Touring/International: UK and Canada.

    2022 Centre Materia, Quebec City, QC Vessel forms (working title) with Kye Yeon Son.

    2021 Sunbury Shores Arts & Nature Centre, Saint Andrews, NB. Shoreline by Metal Six.

    2020-21 Beaverbrook Art Gallery (with Atlantic Ballet), Fredericton, NB. Human Threads.

    2020 Deschambault-Grondines, QC Developed by Curator Carole Baillargeon. Volonté de fer.

    2019 Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, NB. Materiality and Perception.

    2019 Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, NB. Her Metal.

    2019 Art Gallery of Burlington, Burlington, ON. Territories in Metal.

    2018 The George Fry Gallery- NBCCD, Fredericton, NB. Metal Six.

    2018-20 Illumination. Developed by Curator Laura Brandon. Touring/National: Boarding House Gallery, Guelph, ON; UNB Arts Centre, Fredericton, NB; Mary E. Black Gallery, Halifax, NS; Craft Ontario Gallery, Toronto, ON; RiverBrink Art Museum, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON.

    2017 Art Gallery of Burlington, Burlington, ON. Can Craft? Craft Can. (National exhibition for the Canadian Craft Biennale)

    2017 NB College of Craft and Design Gallery, Fredericton and City of Saint John Gallery, NB. Pride of Place."

    2016 Sunbury Shores Arts & Nature Centre, Saint Andrews and Government House, Fredericton, NB. Spectrum.

    2015 Saint John Arts Centre, Saint John, NB. The Space in Between.

    2015 Biennale, NB Craft Council, Fredericton, NB. The Thing that Happened.

    2015 Centre Communautaire Sainte-Anne, Fredericton, NB. Exposition parallele (Hors Eloizes).

    2014 Jonathon Bancroft Snell Gallery, London, ON. New Brunswick Travels.

    2013 A Table. Developed by the Metal Collective. Touring/National: Government House, Fredericton, NB; Mary E. Black Gallery, Halifax, NS; Centre Materia, Quebec City, QC; Design Exchange, Toronto, ON; Affinity Gallery, Saskatoon, SK; MacDonald Stewart Art Centre, Guelph, ON.

    2013 Gallery 78, Fredericton, NB. Nails: Community Strength.

    2013 ShopAGO, Toronto, ON. Moving Metal. (On the occasion of the Society of North American Goldsmith, SNAG, conference)

    2013 Ontario Crafts Council Gallery, Toronto, ON. Unsheathed. (On the occasion of the SNAG conference)

    2013 Zilberschmuck Gallery, Toronto, ON. Three Elements. (On the occasion of the SNAG conference)

    2013 NB Crafts Council, Biennale, Moncton and Fredericton, NB.

    2013 NB College of Craft and Design (NBCCD) Gallery, Fredericton, NB. Confluence. Touring: Saint John Art Center, Saint John, NB; UNB Art Center, Fredericton, NB.

    2012 Mary E. Black Gallery, Halifax, NS. Stimulare- The Whispering Project.

    2010 Museum of Vancouver, Vancouver, BC. Unity and Diversity. (Selection from the 2009 exhibition in South Korea)

    2009 Cheongju Craft Biennale, Cheongju, South Korea. Unity and Diversity. (Canada was the guest country)

    2009 New Brunswick Craft Council Gallery, Fredericton, NB. Architectural Details.

    2009 MacDonald Stewart Art Centre, Guelph, ON. Contemporary Silver.

    2008-09 New Brunswick Art Bank, NB. Celebrating 40 Years: New Brunswick Art Bank Anniversary Exhibition. Touring: Saint John, Moncton, Caraquet, Campbellton, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, NB."

    2008 Jonathon Bancroft-Snell, London, ON. Celebration: The Legacy of Lois Etherington Betteridge.

    2008 Saint John Art Centre, NB. Beyond Words. Touring: NBCCD Gallery, Fredericton; Galerie d'art Universite de Moncton, NB.

    2007 Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, NB. Leap of Faith.

    2007 Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, NB. Materialize: Contemporary Craft in New Brunswick.

    2007 Government House, Fredericton, NB. NBCC Faculty Exhibition.

    2007 Lafreniere & Pai Gallery, Ottawa, ON. Hard & Soft: Metal and Fibres Now.

    2006 *new* gallery, Toronto, ON. Bowling.

    2004-05 In Service. Developed by the Metal Collective. Touring/National: Anna Leonowens Gallery, NSCAD, Halifax, NS; MacDonald Stewart Art Centre, Guelph, ON; Government House, Fredericton, NB; Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Calgary, AB."

    2004 Government House, Fredericton, NB. NBCC Faculty Exhibition.

    2003 Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, ON. Uncommon Objects.

    2002 Haliburton School of the Arts, Haliburton, ON. Faculty Exhibition.

    2002 Gallery 78, Fredericton, NB. Full Frontal.

    2001 Gallery 78, Fredericton, NB. Women's Work.

    2000 New Brunswick Craft Council, Fredericton, NB. Y2K Dysfunctional Ware.

    2000 MacDonald Stewart Art Centre, Guelph, ON and Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, NS. Tribute to Lois Betteridge.

    1998 Harbinger Gallery, Waterloo, ON. Mettle with Metal.

    1994 Emily Carr College, BC. Canada Applied Arts Exhibition. Touring International: China, Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea; Congres Mondial Acadien, Bouctouche, NB. Retrospective visuelle.

    1994 Musee acadien de l'universite de Moncton and New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, NB. Hale-toi une buche.

    1993 Harbinger Gallery, Waterloo, ON. Canadian Jewellery Invitational.

    1992-95 Canadian Craft Museum, Vancouver, BC. A Treasury of Canadian Craft- Richesse des Metiers d'Art Canadiens. Touring International: Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan; Canadian Embassy, Tokyo, Japan; Chicago Cultural Centre, USA; Koffler Gallery, North York, ON.

    1990 Galerie Jocelyne Gobeil, Montrea I, QC. Exposition internationale de bagues.

    1989 Salon des metiers d'art du Quebec, MontreaI, QC. Artistes francophone du Nouveau-Brunswick au Quebec.

    1984 Metal Arts Guild, Toronto, ON. A Closer Look.

  • City of Fredericton. Centennial Survey Globe, Chancery Place, Fredericton, NB. 2015 City of Fredericton. Salmon Run Sculpture, Fredericton, NB. 2009

    City of Fredericton. Confluence/Emergence, collaboration: Martin Aitkens (Aitkens Pewter) Fredericton, NB. 2009 Festival international du cinema francophone en Acadie. Commission: Marine Atlantic, La Vague.

    Conseil de la promotion et diffusion de la culture au Nouveau-Brunswick. Plaque presented to Antonine Maillet on the occasion of her receiving the Prix Goncourt of France.

    Manu Fortis-Strathbutler Award for the Sheila Hugh Mackay Foundation, Saint John, NB.

    Alumni Award for the New Brunswick Community College (ongoing, yearly)

    Lifetime achievement awards for the Atlantic Ballet, Moncton, NB.

    Pins to recipients of Excellence Awards (2005-07), ArtsNB, Fredericton, NB.

    Pins to recipients of Lifetime Achievement in the Arts (2008-2016), Lieutenant Governor of NB. Gift for Erin Andersen on behalf of Canadian Cancer Society, NB.

    Gift to Adrienne Clarkson, Governor Genera I of Canada, on behalf of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, NB. Gift to Pamela Whalen, on behalf of Canadian Cancer society, NB.

    Gift to Brazilian Delegation to New Brunswick, on behalf of NBCCD, Fredericton, NB. Gift to the wife of the President of Mali on behalf of the Province of New Brunswick. Giftto the President ofBurkina Faso on behalfof the Province of New Brunswick.

    Gift to His Excellence and Mrs. Boutros-Boutros Ghali on behalf of the Province of New Brunswick.

  • 2015 With Chantal Gilbert, Quebec City, QC. Work on Le Ratelier, major private commission.

    2005 With Beth Biggs, Fredericton, NB. Work on The Clarkson Cup for Women's hockey.

    2000 "With Shane Perley-Dutcher (Wolastoq, Maliseet). Gift to Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, on behalf of the province of New Brunswick."

  • 2019 one-on-one. The George Fry Gallery- NBCCD, Fredericton, NB. Selective pairings of instructors and students.

    2018 Metal Six. The George Fry Gallery- NBCCD, Fredericton, NB. Jewellery and Metal Arts collective.

    2016 Animal Muse. The George Fry Gallery- NBCCD, Fredericton, NB. Teena Dickerson, Shane Perley-Dutcher, Claude Roussel.

    2009 Flow/Fleuve: Members of the NB Crafts Council Respond to the Provincial Capital. Government House Gallery, Fredericton, NB.

    Designed numerous exhibitions for the NB Crafts Council, the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design (NBCCD) and the Metal Collective over the last thirty years.

  • 2022 Saidye Bronfman Award

    2020 ArtsNB. Creation grant.

    2018 Canada Council for the Arts. Concept to Realization Grant.

    2018 Kollaboration. Creation Residency, Kamouraska, QC.

    2017 Fredericton Arts Achievement Award (inaugural recipient).

    2016 Sunbury Shores. Artist in Residence, Saint Andrews, NB.

    2015 ArtsNB. Creative Residency, Quebec/New Brunswick. Chantal Gilbert Studio, Quebec City, QC.

    2015 Awarded NB Craft Council lifetime membership at a celebration of New Brunswick Craft Heroes.

    2014 Atelier Fourwinds. Artist Residency, Aureille, France.

    2011 ArtsNB. Career development: Arts by Invitation.

    2008 ArtsNB, Travel Grant. (Ireland)

    2006 Strathbutler Award, Sheila Hugh MacKay Foundation Inc.

    2005 ArtsNB. Creation Grant.

    2002 Kjeld and Erica Deichmann Award for Excellence in Craft, Province of New Brunswick.

    2002 Canada Council for the Arts. Mid-Career Creation Grant.

    2000 Elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

    1994 NB Municipalities Culture and Housing - Arts Branch. Creation Grant.

    1993 NB Arts Boards. Solo Exhibition Grant.

    1991 Haystack Mountain School of Craft - Student Scholarship, Deer Isle, Maine, USA

    1991 New Brunswick Arts Branch. Travel Grant. (Maine, USA)

  • 2021 Futile Abundance. New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, NB. (Available November 2021)

    2019 Materiality and Perception. Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, NB.

    2019 Her Metal. Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, NB.

    2019 Territories in Metal. Art Gallery of Burlington, Burlington, ON.

    2018-21 Illumination. Published by Curator Laura Brandon.

    2017 Can Craft? Craft Can. Art Gallery of Burlington, Burlington, ON.

    2013 A Table. Published by the Metal Collective.

    2013 Three Elements. Zilberschmuck Gallery, Toronto, ON.

    2012 Stimulare- The Whispering Project. Mary E. Black Gallery, Halifax, NS.

    2009 Unity and Diversity. Cheongju Craft Biennale, Cheongju, South Korea.

    2008-09 Celebrating 40 Years.· New Brunswick Art Bank Anniversary Exhibition. Goose Lane Editions.

    2008 Beyond words. Saint John Arts Centre, Saint John, NB.

    2008 Celebration: The Legacy of Lois Etherington Betteridge. Jonathon Brancroft-SnelI Gallery, London, ON.

    2007 Leap ofFaith. Co-published by the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design.

    2007 Materialize: Contemporary Craft in New Brunswick. Published by the New Brunswick Crafts Council

    2004-05 Memoria. New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, NB.

    2004 In Service, Anna Leonowens Gallery, NSCAD University.

    1993 Selected Treasures of Canadian Crafts, Taipei Fine Arts Museum.

    1992 A Treasury of Canadian Craft- Richesse des Metiers d'Art Canadiens, The Canadian Craft Museum, Vancouver, BC.

  • 2019 Denis Longchamps, PhD. Created Here, Issue #8, Winter/Spring.

    2018 CBC- Exhibitionists, Video by Matt Brown

    2017 Karen Pinchen, Maclean's 2017 Colleges Guide, The Alchemy of metal arts.

    2015 Canadian Art Magazine, Full-page ad for New Brunswick College of Craft and Design.

    2015 Bell Aliant Video by Matt Brown: Bell Aliant Studio series.

    2015 Victoria Dekker, Salon, The Telegraph Salon, 21 March 2015, There's always a story.

    2014 Daniel Goulet (www.infoweekend.ca) 30 April 2014. Un atelier de la Joailliere-orfevre, Brigitte Clavette.

    2014 Thiviere, Philippe, L'Action, London, ON. 28 February 2014. La galerie Jonathon expose des oeuvres d'artistes du Nouveau- Brunswick.

    2014 UNB, Accommodating students with disabilities. Interview.

    2013 Toronto International Jewellery Festival. Video for Unsheathed Exhibition, Toronto. https://vimeo.com/90056113

    2013 ArtsNB, L'art c'est moi.

    2013 LaFerriere, Michele. Le Soleii, Quebec, Mars 2013. Materia accueille la creme des orfevres canadiens.

    2010 Studio Project, Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts. 2011 Fredericton, Cultural Capital 2009, Catalogue 2010.

    2009 Flow/Fleuve, catalogue essay, Goose Lane Editions.

    2006 Tableau, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, fall edition, According to Brigitte.

    2006 Contemporary Silver Part II: Recent Commissions, Benton Seymour Rabinovitch. Distributed through the V&A­. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England.

    2006 Telegraph journal, April 22, Grant Kerr, Rescu/pting Strathbutler.

    2000 Daily Gleaner, Jan 15, Fredericton, Ray Cronin, Metalsmith building bridge between art and craft.

    1999 CBC Television, Maritimes, Artspots, with Mary Elizabeth Luka.

    1997 Ornament and Object: Canadian Jewellery and Metal Art, Anne Barros, Stoddard Publisher.

    1994 Daily Gleaner, March 26, Christina Sabatt, Fabricating Metal with Brigitte Clavette.

    1993 Arts Atlantic, No.47, Lynn Saintonge, Brigitte Clavette "EX-VOTO".

    1993 Canadian Metal Arts Guild Newsletter, fall edition, Camille Anderson, cover+ article.

    1992 A Way of Communicating, Jewellery/Metalwork Survey #2, David and Shereen Laplants.

    1991 Conversations 91 (Conference) Metal Arts Program, State University of New York at New Paltz, USA. The Inside of Art (published papers)

    1991 Metal Arts Guild Newsletter, Martha Glenny, Brigitte Clavette and Hyewon Lee, Vestigium.

    1990 Arts Atlantic, No.37, Astrid Brunner, Algorithms, Time and Metal Textures.

    1990 The Landscape of Craft, Goose Lane Edition, George Fry.

    1989 Arts Atlantic, No.34, Astrid Brunner, Identity without Frills, NBC's 5.

  • 2017-ongoing New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, Fredericton. Senior Instructor/Mentor, Advance Studio Practice. Part time instructor, Jewellery/Metal Arts.

    1985-2017 New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, Fredericton. Instructor and Head of Jewellery/Metal Arts.

    2016- ongoing Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre, Saint Andrews, NB. Developed jewellery studio. Summer workshops.

    2000-03 Halliburton School of the Arts, Halliburton, ON. Summer Silversmithing course."

    2001 Nunavut Arctic College, Iqaluit, NU. Visiting artist. Summer Silversmithing course.

    1998 Nunavut Arctic College, Iqaluit, NU. Visiting artist. Summer Silversmithing course.

    1998 College communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, Dieppe Campus, NB. Jewellery workshop.

    1989-90 Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD), Halifax, NS. Acting Studio Head and Instructor, Jewellery/Metal.

    1988-89 College communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, Dieppe Campus, NB. (Francophone college) Contributed to curriculum development. Provided initial set-up of the jewellery studio and instructed students for inaugural year.

    1983 Iqaluit Adult Education Centre. Adult Ed instructor.

  • 2022 L’embarras du choix, ICI Radio Canada Télé, one hour television program.

    2020 Material Sampling: A Making+ Thinking Symposium. Guest panelist for the Material and Embodied Learning session. International conference. Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, ON.

    2017 Public lecture. L'orfevrerie pour le quotidien et pour !es ceremonies. Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, NB.

    2018 Jury member. Prix Jean-Marie Gauvreau (Highest achievement in craft) Conseil des metiers d'art du Quebec.

    2017 Jury member, Fine Craft grants. Canada Council for the Arts, Ottawa, ON.

    2016-ongoing Board of Directors, Sheila Hugh McKay Foundation, Saint John, NB.

    2015 Guest speaker. Canadian Society of Decorative Arts. Fredericton, NB.

    2014 Prize presenter. Gala des Eloizes. The Playhouse, Fredericton, NB.

    2007 Jury member, Fine Craft grants. Canada Council for the Arts, Ottawa, ON.

    2004-08 Board of Directors, Visual Arts & Craft Representative. Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC), Ottawa, ON.

    1992 Guest speaker. Opening of the Canadian Craft Museum, Vancouver, BC.

    1984 Guest speaker. A Closer Look. Metal Arts Guild, Toronto, ON. Conference.

    Participation in numerous juries over the years for ArtsNB and NBCraft.

  • AAAPNB - Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick Canadian Society of Education Through Art

    Craft NB - New Brunswick Crafts Council Royal Academy of the Arts

    Silver Society of Canada

    Society of North American Goldsmiths

    Royal Canadian Academy of Art

    Canadian Society for Education through Art