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KIDICK, Tess (Tessa)

Born
Hull, Quebec, 1915
Died
Toronto, Ontario, 2002
Biography synopsis
While serving with the WRENS (Womens Royal Naval Service) in Moncton, New Brunswick during World War II, Kidick studied with local well-known ceramic artists Kjeld and Erica Deichmann. Following the war, she returned to Ontario where she attended the Ontario College of Art to study commercial art; she left the college after a year to pursue her interest in pottery. In addition to producing pots, she created wall panels representing landscapes inspired by the rock formations of the local region. She eventually established a studio in Jordan (Niagara region) near Brantford. In the early 1960s she taught pottery in a number of college and government programs, including the Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve near Brantford and the Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology, Hamilton. Her work was accepted at juried art shows including the Art Gallery of Toronto's Golden Jubilee celebration in 1950. Beginning in 1955, Kidick exhibited at biennial exhibitions of the Canadian Guild of Potters as well as international exhibitions in conjunction with the Guild, and the Canadian National Exhibition where she won a number of prizes. She participated in the show "Women in Clay," an exhibition held in 1975 at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto during International Woman's Year. Her work is held in the Musee nationale des Beaux-Arts du Quebec.
Media used
Pottery
Education
Ontario College of Art & Design (formerly Ontario School of Art), 1945 - ?
File & Archive locations
National Gallery of Canada, ON - Library and Archives
University of British Columbia - Fine Arts Library
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Writings about
"A Handshake Marathon." The Globe and Mail. 16 Nov. 1956: 19
"Canadian Hands shaped this Clay." The Ottawa Citizen 13 Oct. 1965:11
"Potters for Italy." The Globe and Mail. 10 Mar. 1962
"Work of Pottery Guild is Travelling Far Afield." The Globe and Mail. 18 Dec. 1956: 17
Abrahamson, Una. Crafts Canada: The Useful Arts Toronto: Clark Irwin, 1974
Alfoldy, Sandra. Crafting Identity: The Development of Professional Fine Craft in Canada Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2005
Crawford, Gail. A Fine Line: Studio Crafts in Ontario from 1930 to the Present Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1998
Green, Henry Gordon. A Heritage of Canadian Handicrafts McClelland and Stewart, 1967
MacDonald, Colin S. The Dictionary of Canadian Artists. (Volumes 1-8 by Colin S. MacDonald, and volume 9 by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker) Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 2009
Mawhinney, Janice. "All Fired Up: Mohawk Ceramic Artists Create Pots and Vases using Modern Techniques and Ancient Designs from the Iroquois." Toronto Star 23 Jun 2002: F07
Phillips, Joan. "From Clay into Things of Beauty." St. Catharines Standard 9 May 1969
Surette, Susan. Landscape Imagery in Canadian Ceramic Vessels Montreal, Quebec: Concordia University (MA), 2003

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