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Sunday December 12, 2010 | by Andrew Page

AWARDS: A roundup of recent Canadian glass prizes

FILED UNDER: Award, New Work

Rachel Wong, Blue Affect, 2009.

The 2010 RBC Glass Prize — juried this year by Laura Donefer, David James, and Francis Muscat — went to recent Alfred MFA grad Rachel Wong. The Royal Bank of Canada Award for Glass includes a $7,000 (Canadian) prize, which is administered by the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery. The award was announced during the CCGC’s annual awards dinner in November 2010. An installation artist, Wong is currently a resident in glass and flameworking at the Living Arts Centre and participated in the 2009 Cheongju International Craft Biennale in South Korea. The RBC Award is designed to facilitate a period of research and studio investigation.

A native of Argentina, stained-glass artist Guillermo Raynie (with award) has resided in Quebec since 2003.

Argentinian-born stained-glass artist Guillermo Raynié was one of ten winners of the 2010 Prix des métiers d’art – 2010 des Prix Arts Excellence, an award that celebrates the culture of the Mauritian region of Quebec that is awarded during a ceremony at the Quebec Museum of Folk Culture in Trois Rivieres. A Canadian resident since 2003, Raynié has set up a studio named Devidrio in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, an hour and a half north of Montreal, where, working with his wife, Alejandra Basañes, he devotes himself to stained glass restoration and creating new work.

Karina Guevin, Coeurs (French for "Hearts"). Blown glass, silverleaf, borosilicate.

Karina Guévin was recently awarded the François-Houdé Award for her glass jewelry and sculpture. This award given by the City of Montreal highlights “excellence in new craftsmanship” and comes with an $5,000 (Canadian) award and an exhibition at the CRÉA Gallery. In addition, one of the award winner’s artworks is acquired by the City of Montreal. Guevin studied glass at the UQTR (Québec University in Trois-Rivières) and Espace VERRE in Montreal. She has a long-standing working relationship with Laura Donefer, and she teaches flameworking at Espace Verre and at Red Deer College in Alberta. The François-Houdé Award is named for one of Espace VERRE’s founders and glass artist and sculptor who died in 1993.

Glass: The UrbanGlass Quarterly, a glossy art magazine published four times a year by UrbanGlass has provided a critical context to the most important artwork being done in the medium of glass for more than 40 years.