Abstract

This thesis examines the interconnected relationships among Canadian ceramic vessels, Canadian landscape imagery, the definition of "professional" within the craft community, and Canadian national identity from the early-nineteenth century until the late-twentieth century. The story of nineteenth-century Euro-Canadian ceramics was extensively documented in the decades after WWII; by the last decade of the twentieth century, craft historians were recording craft practices of the early decades of the century. As these histories were written, current ceramic practice was flourishing in a post WWII Canada, and craft writers concerned with critically evaluating the current production entered into a dialogue with ceramists. I suggest that an examination of landscape imagery in Canadian ceramic vessels reveals that the production, consumption, and consecration of these objects is articulated upon changing definitions of Canada, as well as who is Canadian, definitions dependent upon international and national policies ranging from colonial to environmental concerns, and embracing such issues as gender equality and multiculturalism. This thesis seeks to investigate the mechanics of these interactions by analysing selected productions of the period within the context of current and historical literature relevant to craft discourse. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)