Candice Davies

Candice Davies (she/her) graduated from Concordia University with a Master’s degree in Fine Arts and an Honours degree in Studio Arts from York University. Most recently she graduated from Humber College receiving a Graduate Certificate in Art Administration & Cultural Management. Candice is an installation and object-based artist working in stone, with a key emphasize on the process of ‘making’ and craftsmanship.

Candice has been awarded with numerous academic scholarships and grants in her artistic research, notably she was the recipient of The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada J. A. Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master’s, for her research of everyday objects transformed through material manipulation. Candice worked closely with her thesis advisor, Luanne Martineau in her research on labour and craft, especially as it pertains to the concept of “reskilling. Candice’s concerns surrounding craftsmanship and production parallel what has been deemed “reskilling” or requalification in contemporary art. The term is used to define artists that are returning to incorporating craft techniques and mediums into their art practice, one that asserts value on labour and process in artistic production that is both important and integral. Candice also participated in Deskilling and Reskilling of Artistic Production Research Workshop held by Luanne Martineau and Devon Knowles at Concordia University.

She was also received awards from The Sculpture Society of Canada during their annual juried exhibitions, such as the Abraham and Malka Green Sculpture Award for her limestone sculptures of gas meters and The Sculpture Award supported by Artcast Inc. which was awarded for exceptional craftmanship for her wood carvings of gas pipes.

Candice has been involved in numerous artist residencies, from Spark Box Studio Residency, the Summer Institute at Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art and an artist research residency at Windsor University. Notably she was awarded the Charles C. Gurd Artist Residency Award from the Vermont Studio Center, which she completed a two-week residency exploring the themes of craftmanship working with stone.

Her work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Canada, including such galleries as Hamilton Artist Inc, Red Head Gallery, Modern Fuel, CIRCA, Leonard & Bina Ellen Gallery, Parisian Laundry, Connexion ARC, Helen Day Art Center, La Centrale Gallerie Powerhouse, Propeller, Canadian Sculpture Center, Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, TRUCK Contemporary Art and Ontario Crafts Council.

In addition to her artistic research and art practice, Candice has worked in the arts and culture sector, such as a faculty member at Concordia University, studio arts instructor at Toronto School of Arts, and during her Graduate Certificate program at Humber she interned with the Clay and Glass Gallery as an Education assistant and Hamilton Artist INC as a gallery assistant.