Meet Elycia SFA Winner of Best of Craft and Design

We are happily busy with the Call for Artists open, and we believe that sharing stories of inspiring artists from TOAF is a wonderful motivation for those of you preparing your applications for the 2020 Fair. 

We are captivated by Elycia SFA's meticulous textile work and woven imagery of familiar life moments. Anyone who has seen her work in person knows how it draws you in with a sense of beautiful nostalgia. Winning the Best of Craft & Design award, generously supported by Extrudex Aluminum (a longtime supporter of TOAF), was well-deserved recognition for Elycia. We can't wait to see her new creations in July. Take some time to get to know her work a bit more below. 

Before we say goodbye, we would like to invite you to save the date for Scenic Route: Emerging Perspectives at Propeller Gallery, a showcase of the 2019 Emerging Artists by Emerging Curator award winners. The TOAF reception is on Saturday, January 11, 2–5 pm. More details about the show to come before the end of the year! 

Warm regards, 

anahita 
Executive & Creative Director 

Meet the Artist

About Elycia SFA, textile artist

Elycia SFA is a textile artist based in Toronto. Her work explores personal narrative and the de/reconstruction of memory, nostalgia, and loss, by portraying these concepts in the form of handwoven cloth. She attended OCAD U for Material Art and Design: Textiles, and graduated in 2015. She was accepted into Harbourfront Centre’s Artist-In-Residence program and awarded a scholarship in 2016. She was a recipient of the Helen Frances Gregor Award in 2017, and was awarded Best of Craft and Design at TOAF in 2019.

On Winning the Award

"It was truly an honour to win Best of Craft and Design this past year. This was my third consecutive year exhibiting at TOAF, and it was great to meet so many new artists and individuals visiting the show, as well as reconnecting with returning clients from previous years. Thank you again to the amazing staff and volunteers who make TOAF happen, as well as the donors who support the awards program!"

– Elycia SFA

What the Judges had to say 

"Elycia SFA's textile work shows a seamless integration of ideas and technique. With great skill, sensitivity, and a bit of humour, captures intimate details of everyday life-past and present." 
– Meghan Price, Artist and Instructor, OCAD U

While considering weaving as a tool for image making, she incorporates woven inlay and embroidery which allow her to draw with thread and create representational imagery within the body of the cloth.