Ilena Lee Cramer (1972, Canada)
Ilenaleepottery@gmail.com. 604-617-9152 http://www.Ilenaleepottery.com
Ilena (she/them)lives and creates on the unceded, ancestral, and occupied, traditional lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Səl̓ílwətaʔ, and Skwxwú7mesh Nations of the Coast Salish peoples (Vancouver, BC, Canada). A potter, teacher, writer, and theatre designer, she has been a lifelong student of ceramics and clay. Her current practice finds local landscape, environment and materials encountering myth, story and history.
Education:
University of Alaska – Fairbanks, Alaska, USA; theatre design, ceramics, 1996.
Capilano College – Vancouver, BC, Canada; Arts and Entertainment Management. 2001
Group Exhibitions:
2022 – Seattle Erotic Arts Festival, Seattle, WA
2021 – Queer Arts Festival, “Dispersed”, Vancouver BC
2021 – Rotunda Gallery, Richmond Arts Centre, “Instructors Exhibition”, Richmond, BC
2020 – Queer Arts Festival, “Wicked”, Vancouver BC
2020 – Clay Centre of New Orleans, “Geaux Cups III”, New Orleans, LA
2020 – Foyer Gallery, “Provocation: International Womens Day”, Squamish
2019 – Queer Arts Festival, “rEvolution”, Vancouver BC
2019 – Il Centro, Italian Cultural Centre, “Malleable: Changing Notions of Women”, Vancouver BC
2011 – Vancouver Art Gallery, “ FUSE: I Needle Vancouver, November Theatre
Galleries:
EWMA Gallery, Vancouver, BC
Scout & Co, Steveston BC
Viking Gallery, Vancouver BC (Closed)
Wyldewood Collective Gallery, New Westminster, BC (closed)
Teaching:
2020- Richmond Arts Centre, youth pottery classes, 2020
2019- EWMA, hand building pottery
2019- Kensington Community Centre, Pottery for Teens
2009-11 Playwrights theatre Centre, Self-production for Playwrights
Awards, Publications and Presentations:
2016 Panelist, “Queer Histories”, Q2Q symposium, SFU/Frank Theatre
2006 Jessie Theatre Award: Lounge by Tanya Marquardt, winner of
the Sydney Risk Prize for outstanding Original Script, Nominated
for best original composition or sound design
2002 Contributor, “Queeries”, Transmissions magazine
Artist Residencies, etc:
2022 St. Andrews-Wesley United Church, Artist in Residence
2014-19 Curator/Producer, Diorama Project, Vancouver, BC
1996-08 Screaming Weenie Productions (Frank Theatre), Artistic
Director, Vancouver BC
2002 Artist In Residence – Design, Rumble Theatre Productions
Other relevant experience:
2021 Richmond Arts Centre, Ceramic Studio Technician
2001-06. Rumble Productions & PuSh Festival, Managing Producer
2005 City of Vancouver, Ancillary Cultural Planner
2000-09 Theatre CV available upon request; Contract Designer, Production Manager, Stage Manager, for various independent theatre companies, incl. Leakey Heaven Circus, Felix Culpa, November Thr., Caravan Farm Thr.
Studied under:
Jack Walsh, Oregon, USA (pottery)
Diego Valles, Mata Ortiz, Mexico (ceramics)
Anatoly Antohin, St. Petersburg, Russia (Theatre Direction)
Tara Maginnis, California, USA (Theatre Design)