WESTERN FRONT – Toque Craft Fair

Description:

Toque Craft Fair is an annual community event and fundraiser hosted by Western Front. It showcases a curated selection of British Columbia-based artists, craftspeople, and designers who make textiles, ceramics, jewellery, prints, accessories, apothecary, and homeware.

Toque is all about goodwill, community, and fostering sustainability for artists and artist-run culture in Vancouver. The participating artists, craftspeople, and designers generously donated 30% of all sales to support Western Front’s artistic program.

Expanding across both floors and into the downstairs office of Western Front, Toque kicked off with a Friday night opening party that featured a cocktail bar by The Woods Spirit Co., drinks by 33 Acres Brewing Company, Oddity Kombucha, and St Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate Winery, food by Indish, and music by DJ Niña Mendoza.

A weekend cafe featured Estratto Coffee and Subo Bakes.

Participating vendors included Ami Sangha, AxeWood Inc., Boy Forge, Chuck’s Art Emporium, Cloth Tone, Cora Hall, Cracher Dans La Soupe Parfum, Daryn Wright, Domestic Intervention Co., Draw Me A Lion, Dunbar Pottery, DW Leatherworks, Erin Templeton, fancypop, Fortiv, Hank Bull, Hazel Meyer, Heike Royer, Henderson Dry Goods, If Ceramics, Julia Chirka, Kajola Morewood, Katherine Cross, Kerria Gray, Knitbone Ceramics, Louise Reimer, LUPA Ceramics, Made by Elliot, MDW Jewelry, Mona Lisa Ali Ceramics, Moniker Press, Moonseed Herbals, Mother Snake, Nhyira Gems, Olive Rose Studio, Paige Jung, Paperbacknote, push pull press, reassembly, Rootine Studio, Setareh Yasan, Stooludio, Taylor Moon Ceramics, The Batik Library, The Woods Spirit Co., Tony Dubroy, tuk + milo, Valérie d. Walker, WarmAndDrift, and Zesterdays.

Presented with the support of Beem Credit Union, Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Area, The Woods Spirit Co., 33 Acres Brewing Company, Oddity Kombucha, St Hubertus Estate Winery, Estratto Coffee, Subo Bakes, and Indish.

Mona Lisa Ali stands behind a wooden table covered with earth toned teapots and bowls. She smiles looking downwards. Two people across the table join her gaze, both looking and leaning towards the collection of ceramics.

Ruby Lewis from push pull press sits behind a table covered by a white floral tablecloth displaying publications. She looks upwards with a tight smile at a person wearing a long padded jacket standing across the table.

Cora Hall wears a green sweater and fully extends her right arm at an upwards angle. A customer she faces mirrors her gesture, holding a piece of stained glass in the shape of a quarter circle up to the light.

Martin Peters and Ron Vallis look out from behind a pottery covered table towards a person holding a coffee cup in one hand and gesturing outwards with the other. A banner reading Dunbar Pottery is hung against a white wall behind them.

A Toque vendor purses their lips and makes eye contact with a customer they face. The vendor wears a blue linen shirt and gently pinches a piece of fabric lying on the table situated between the two people. To their side, another person studies the tabletop.

Artist Setareh Yasan listens to a person wearing a quilted blue jacket. The two stand in front of warm toned wood panelling illuminated by a lamp. A table beside them displays a wooden game board, interconnecting wooden slabs, and a wooden structure holding an incandescent light bulb.

A child sits with their hands on their knees behind a table displaying brightly coloured fabric dolls, bows, and beaded keychains. A customer leaning down towards the table grabs the ring of a keychain with a grin. Artist Justine Leavers is to their side looking downwards while holding a brown object resembling a cardboard container.

A Toque vendor smiles from behind a table displaying candles, perfume bottles, and other packaged objects. The vendor sits with their hands interlocked and elbows resting on the tabletop looking at a customer bringing a round paper covered object up to their face.

A Toque vendor wearing white and grey sweater and grey toque leans down towards a child with a piece of cardboard in hand. The child wears white fluffy earmuffs and a red jacket while holding a yellow book and a postcard. Beside them are books propped up with text reading C.S. LEWIS THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, colazione, and Charlottes Web.

Kristine Aguilar looks up with a wide smile from behind a display of ceramics towards a customer wearing a black leather jacket. The customer grabs the knob handle of a small ceramic pitcher with one hand.

Artist Erin Templeton points with her hand tucked next to her face while looking at a person across from her. Behind her, large leather bags coloured black, brown, and bright blue hang from a wooden stand. Leather pouches and wallets rest in front of her.

Michelle Larsen from Fortiv stands in front of a full clothing rack with her hands resting together near her waist. She wears a denim top over a striped grey turtleneck. She gazes at two people opposite her with grey hair, both of whom wear glasses and black puffer jackets.

Jody Lentz rests his hands near his waist in anticipation as he looks upwards at a wooden cube held up to the light by a person across from him. Each face of the cube has a five by five pattern of circular holes carved out of its surface, matching the other cubes displayed on the table between them. A tag hangs from the cube that reads AxeWood Inc.

Artist Megan Hepburn curls her index finger in a gesture resembling the pump of a perfume bottle while standing opposite two people. One of the people she faces holds their arm out towards the other while looking back at Hepburn. This gesture reveals their wrist to the second person who brings their nose towards the skin and appears to smell it.

Toque Craft Fair is written in a burgundy font on an orange background. Red illustrations of a tipping flower vase, a cup, and teapot line the bottom of the image.

Related People

Niña Mendoza (Musician)

Captions:

Mona Lisa Ali at Toque Craft Fair, Nov 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
push pull press at Toque Craft Fair, Nov 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Cora Hall at Toque Craft Fair, Nov 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Dunbar Pottery at Toque Craft Fair, Nov 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Cloth Tone at Toque Craft Fair, Nov 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Setareh Yasan at Toque Craft Fair, Nov 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
tuk + milo at Toque Craft Fair, Nov 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
reassembly at Toque Craft Fair, Nov 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Paperbacknote at Toque Craft Fair, Nov 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
LUPA Ceramics at Toque Craft Fair, Nov 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Erin Templeton at Toque Craft Fair, Nov 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Fortiv at Toque Craft Fair, Nov 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
AxeWood Inc. at Toque Craft Fair, Nov 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Cracher Dans La Soupe Parfum at Toque Craft Fair, Nov 30, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Toque Craft Fair postcard (2024). Design by Line-Gry Hørup.

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Western Front is a non-profit artist-run centre in Vancouver.

We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.