Online Profile of Hands on History Tile for Archives of Ontario

Tara Lynne Franco, Bertram's Legacy

I was so pleased to see a great profile of the tile commission I completed for the Archives of Ontario on their online database. My tile, Bertram's Legacy was inspired by the Bertram family of Dundas who was an important family in Dundas' history. This tile, along with 7 other fantastic large-scale tiles by Canadian ceramacists Keith Campbell, Ying-Yeuh Chuang, Nicole DeBrabandere, Hugh Douglas-Murray, Richard Gill, Thomas Aitken and Kate Hyde, and Robin Tieu will be installed on the first floor of the Archives of Ontario's new building on the York University Campus. Here are a few of the other tiles. For details on these and the other tiles please visit the website at http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/ENGLISH/exhibits/hands-on-history/index.html

Robin Tieu, Urban Archaeology

Ying-Yueh Chuang, Memories of Osgoode Hall

Thomas Aitken and Kate Hyde, Material Memories, Peterborough County

The deadline approaches ....

I have been working away on my Hands on History tile and now have all 8 "frames" (plus a second set of 8 back-ups) built and drying. I made patterns for each of the frames using roofing paper to allow me to build them from wet slabs of clay as opposed to waiting for the clay to become leather-hard. This photo shows the roofing paper on top of a large slab waiting to to be cut and assembled and the second photo shows an assembled frame as well as some sides of a frame mitre cut and ready to be assembled. Today I will shift my focus towards continuing to make all of the "parts" - those elements inspired by the holdings of the Archives on the Bertram family. These textures and images will complete the final pieces. It has been an interesting and educational journey, from the research, the testing and finally the making. I am looking forward to seeing the final product and how this idea is ultimately transformed in the kiln.