January 3, 2023 – Island residents have the unique opportunity to win a specially curated piece through an exclusive art lottery.

The Friends of the Confederation Centre of the Arts are hosting Art Lotto, a fundraiser to support arts education programs at the Centre as well as Island artists. Starting January 3, a unique piece from an Island artist will be raffled off each month via a limited number of $20 tickets. The artists and pieces will be revealed at the beginning of the month, and tickets will be available immediately.

“After a successful Art Lotto last year, we decided to bring it back to continue supporting local artists,” says Linda Dunning, chair of the Friends’ Art Lotto committee. “Art Lotto promotes the incredible talent we have on the Island while funding arts education for the next generation.”

The artworks selected by Kevin Rice, director of the Confederation Centre Art Gallery, were purchased at regular retail price to support the artists and will be on display inside the Centre’s Richmond Street entrance off Victoria Row.

“This project is a great opportunity to highlight work by Island-based artists,” says Rice. “I think patrons and supporters will find the diverse range of pieces compelling.”

Featured in January is a pair of Neriage vases by Isako Suzuki of Hermann-Suzuki Pottery in Cornwall, PE. Growing up with a ceramicist father in Japan, Suzuki spent much of her childhood in her father’s ceramic studio where he trained her in wheel-throwing. Over the years, she refined her technique and eventually dedicated her time exclusively to Neriage pottery. Recently, her Neriage works have been selected to be included in juried exhibitions in Japan.

“Neriage is a technique that combines two or more different types of clays in a very specific manner that will lead to desired patterns when the piece is thrown on the wheel,” says Suzuki. “My fascination with Neriage has always been the creation of illusory effects of tonal gradation on three-dimensional pottery surfaces.” Suzuki usually achieves this by mixing dark coloured stoneware clay with white clay to give an appearance of texture.

Lottery tickets for this month are on sale January 3 – 31, or while supplies last. Future draws will open on the first of the month (i.e., February 1). There are 100 tickets available each month. Tickets can be purchased online, via phone at 1-800-565-0278, or in person at the Centre’s box office while supplies last.

For more details and terms and conditions of the lottery, visit confederationcentre.com/whats-on/art-lotto-neriage-vases/

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Photo cutline:  Isako Suzuki, Neriage Vases, 2022, stoneware, ceramic stain, the taller vase is 37.5 cm high and the other is 28 cm high.