Hands on History - Let the Testing Begin

While spending the summer at outdoor art venues thoughout Ontario, my mind and my sketchbook have been filling with ideas on how my vision for my tile for "Hands on History" was to be realized. I am one of 8 artists selected to create a ceramic "tile" influenced and inspired by the holdings of the Archives of Ontario. After conducting research at the Dundas Museum and Archives, I decided to select a number of archival documents and artifacts from the Bertram family to use as an an inspiration for this piece that will be on permanent installation at the Archives at York University. The history of this family is etched into the history of the Dundas and this idea of etching is an important metaphor that I will incorporate into the final design. In these photos I am testing out clays and slips to make the frame of the tile that will resemble a Hollinger box - a special archival box used to store papers, maps and small items. I am already seeing how this creative testing will find its way into my regular work .... stay tuned.