Roycroft Fall History Course: Session 2

In this talk, Gagné will explore the influence of Ruskin in the regeneration of craft and maker culture in Toronto. The emphasis on repurposing, upcycling, and more availability of 3D printing, suggests a need to pause and reflect on the connection to the makers/manufacturers who use creative means to develop and design their work. From foodstuffs like beer and cider, to household goods (such as tables and live-edge serving trays) repurposing highlights the hands that both make the materials now, but also the hands which touched the materials previously. These many hands are also seen at a larger scale in Toronto architecture, in facadism, and at Guild Park and Gardens. Guild Park was the home of the Guild of All Arts from 1932-1978 and is now home to the remnants of 50 Toronto heritage buildings where architectural ornamentation is repurposed in line with the motto of the Guildwood suburb “let us mingle the beautiful with the useful.” Yet, even this final resting place for an architectural past is being redesigned and repurposed. In her talk Gagné, will explore the connections of repurposing, maker culture, 3D printing, and Ruskin to open a conversation on the new future of design and the ghostly hands that remain.