Categories ArchivesVancouver Maker Spotlight

Designer Matthew Lowell has always designed with diversity in mind, and has played a key role in many successful global accessibility and community projects. His current endeavour, Cyclehack, now in it’s second year, looks to empower individuals, organizations and governments to collaborate, share skills and prototype new ideas around cycling. Hi Matthew! Can you tell us a bit about who you are and what you do? Hello! I grew up in the countryside just north of Glasgow in Scotland, where with three older brothers we were always taking things apart, putting them back together again and generally building stuff. When I was eighteen I moved into Glasgow to study Product Design at The Glasgow School of Art. This course formed the foundation ...

We love the ever-expanding creative scene in Vancouver, especially the awesome adult/kid learning zone Collage Collage. The owner, Erin Boniferro, has nurtured a strong connection between fine arts, craft, and maker culture to form a uniquely creative space. The result is a haven for both seasoned and first-time creators to unlock their creative potential. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background for those who may not be familiar? I’m Erin Boniferro, an artist and educator who graduated from Emily Carr in 2002. After working for several galleries + artist run centres over the years I opened Collage Collage. While I enjoyed programming for galleries, I really wanted a space of my own to serve as gallery, workshop, and ...

We are fascinated by Rachael Ashe’s hand cut paper creations, the meticulous details of which are often mistaken for something machine made. This week Rachel is showing at Cityscape Community Art Space and doing a paper cutting demo at the North Vancouver Art Crawl. We caught up with her to find out more about her process. Can you tell us a bit about yourself/background? I am a self taught artist creating intricate hand cut paper work, and modular installations made from paper. I came to Vancouver almost eleven years ago from Toronto without a plan, a support system or connections and managed to create a good life for myself. I feel surrounded by an exciting community of inspiring and creative individuals in this city. I’ve ...

We’re proud to feature our first Vancouver maker, a very intriguing lady by the name of Meaghan Kennedy. She makes piñatas, mostly one’s that are miniature doppelgangers with an eerie resemblance to people the world over. These piñatas have gotten some serious press over the last year, with features in GQ, Cleo and on the Ellen Show, to name a few. We have a funny feeling that the coming year will be even bigger and better for this bubbly redhead and her surprisingly large nails. We’ve heard it told you were working in a clothing store and then decided to take the leap into the piñatas business. What was the genesis of this genius idea? I worked retail for 15 ...