Where it all began

Many people’s first question when they meet Maya and I is how we met. I’m revealing our age when I say that we met more than 20 years ago – at art school in Vancouver…. We were both in Emily Carr’s ceramics program, when the campus was still on Granville Island, nestled between the farmers market, the silos, and the ocean. Maya had come from Istanbul to study, and I had come from Vancouver Island. We crossed paths in our final year, working in the same studio. Maya was making little ceramic underwater creatures and I was slip casting take out food containers. Maya was involved in student politics and knew most people at the school. I was the quieter type, working away in the studio but also organizing projects that would bring the work out into the larger world.

Upon graduation I received public art funding and invited Maya to join me on the project. We collaborated on this project, and then another, and then another. We took for granted how easy it was to work together. After a few years Maya returned to Istanbul. We kept in touch, occasionally visiting and writing letters, not really even wondering if our paths in creative life would cross again.

Fast forward to 2009 when Maya and I both found ourselves in Montreal for different artistic pursuits. Maya was working on a residency at the NFB and I was starting a master’s degree. Not only did we find ourselves in the same city, but in the same neighbourhood, only a few blocks from one another. What we shared now was a longing to get our hands back into clay. It was not long before we had rented the smallest starter-studio we could find…a 200 square foot space on Aird Street in Hochelaga. And this is where the story of begins….

Limited edition

There is so much playfulness and experimentation that happens behind the scenes at Atelier Make! Only a fraction of what we do it is shared with the public. Here is the first in a series of limited-edition pieces from our personal studios. Throughout the year we’ll share small-batch gems and tell you about the ideas behind them.

Feature 1: Mini Masks by Maya

Porcelain. Quantity: 10 one-of-a-kind heads!

Maya has been making these little creatures for years. Each one is unique, and full of personality. This is the kind of little treasure that you’ll find on our boutique shelves, peeking out from behind a mug or vase, but which rarely make an appearance online. Collectors beware…they are addictive!! Once you have one, you just want more…any everyone you know will want one too.