ONTARIO.- Laurie Rolland started out as a functional vessel maker but over the years, while never totally abandoning the vessel form, she has progressively explored the relationship between form and meaning. Starting out from natural forms such as seed pods and fruits, her sculptural pieces have combined natural forms with the idea of the vessel both as a boat and as a bearer of life. This exhibition take Rolland a step further, exhibiting not only a selection of solo pieces but also expanding this project to include a large scale installation of multiple pieces.
Laurie Rolland is a Canadian living in Sechelt/Davis Bay, British Columbia. She graduated with honours from Sheridan College School of Crafts and Design, Mississauga Ontario, in 1978.
Laurie has received numerous awards and grants from 1979 to 2005, including a 1999 Canada Council Crafts Creation/Production Project "B" Grant to research materials and techniques for her series of boat forms; a 1999 Canada Council Travel Grant for the purpose of receiving a Purchase Award at the Ceramics Monthly International Competition at NCECA in Columbus, Ohio; a Canada Council Travel Grant in 2001 to speak at the "Earthworks" Symposium at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto, Ontario; and a Canada Council Travel Grant to participate in the panel discussion for "West Coast Potters", Burlington, Ontario, 2002. She received another Canada Council Travel Grant to attend “The Third World Ceramic Biennale” 2005 Icheon, Korea.
Laurie has taught and lectured in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. She has exhibited constantly in Canada and in the USA, in solo, invitational, and juried shows. Her work was included in the Canadian Department of External Affairs touring exhibition "Old Fields, New Frontiers" which travelled to Australia, Japan, and the USA. She was also included in "Voyage", the Trois Rivieres Juried Travelling Show 2000, "Earthworks", the Gardiner Museum's exhibition of Canadian contemporary ceramics shown at Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany, and the “Sixth Taiwan Golden Ceramics Awards” (2000-2001) in Taipei, Taiwan. She was invited to exhibit in the "21st Century Ceramics" Exhibition in Columbus, Ohio, 2003 and was part of “The Third World Ceramic Biennale” 2005 Korea. In 2007 her work was part of “The 5th Cheongju International Craft Competition” in Cheongju Korea. In 2008 it will be seen in the “The 2008 Sidney Myer Fund International Ceramics Award” in Shepparton Australia.
Laurie Rolland has functioned as a juror for various potters' guilds in Ontario and BC, and also for the Ontario Arts Council for their "Grants to Individual Craftsmen" and for the "Artists In The Schools" grants. In 2006 she was co-juror for the prestigious "Winnifred Shantz Award for Ceramics". Laurie was one of the "Guest Artists in Residence" for the 2001 Medalta International Artists-In-Residence Program for the Ceramic Arts, in Medicine Hat, Alberta. She was a presenter for the "Canadian Clay" Symposium 2000 in Burnaby, BC. and the Earthworks Symposium in Toronto, Ont. in 2001.
Her work is in private, corporate, and public collections, including the Canadian High Commisioner’s Residence in London, The Canadian Embassy in Rome and The World Exposition Foundation in Icheon Korea. It has been seen in over 50 different publications since 1978, with reviews and articles about her work in many of these, including the November 2000 issue of Ceramics Monthly and the May/June 2003 issue of Clay Times. It is featured in sixteen books on ceramics, one of which was printed entirely in Chinese.
Laurie was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 2004. The RCA recognizes Canadian visual artists who have demonstrated excellence, and honours their achievements.
