Jean McMaster (Johnson) aged 17, Lake Simcoe, 1941. Photo: H.R. Nibel Studio.

At Harbourfront Centre on February 23, 2008, on a crisp, clear, cold day, one of Canada’s greats, Jean Johnson C. M. retired. Many still do not believe it is true. After a long and illustrious career in the arts, this Grand Dame has decided to slow down. After a successful symposium, Crafting New Traditions: Canadian Innovators and Influences wrapped on a high note, Johnson was honoured and feted by her peers, friends, family and colleagues.

Harbourfront Centre presented her with a lifelong ticket to any event, anytime. Supporters contributed to a fund to name a seat in her honour at the Premier Dance Theatre and the Canadian Crafts Federation presented her with the Robert Jekyll Award for Lifetime Achievement - all fitting tributes to this remarkable woman.

Jean Johnson C. M. Is a pioneer. Across Canada and beyond out shores, she is acknowledged as one of the seminal figures in contemporary Canadian craft. Her career, professional and volunteer, spans 65 years and has been one of tireless dedication to furthering and promoting the field.

Born in Toronto on January 31, 1924, she was the eldest daughter of Samuel James McMaster and Janet Marguerite Leach McMaster. From childhood, Johnson wanted to be an artist and grew up in a socially active home dedicated to reforming the world. Her father represented labour on the Board of the Toronto Transit Commission during the 1930s. She had a younger brother, Robert Owen, and a sister, Caroline Yvonne McMaster/Green.

Jean McMaster (Johnson) aged 2 and 3 with cousin George, 1926-1927. Photo: H.R. Niebel Studio, Orillia.

Not surprisingly, she entered into an art career. At the age of 18, she graduated during the Second World War from the four-year art program at Northern Secondary School. She loves to tell that her first “art job” was re-drawing the American comic-book superhero, Captain Marvel for the Canadian public - along with other young Canadian hopefuls, such as Harold Town. She recalls that time fondly and proudly proclaims they drew with number two sable brushes and ink.

Johnson was married in 1951 to Charles (Chuck) Thomas Johnson, a refrigeration and air conditioning engineer in Caracas, Venezuela. During her 10 years in Venezuela, in addition to learning Spanish, in which she retains fluency to this day, she painted the landscape and began an abiding interest in botanical drawing. Her daughter Anne was born in Vancouver in 1956. Jean and her husband separated in June 1961 and she returned with Anne to Toronto.

The ensuing 35 years were filled with several pursuits related to the field of arts. She recalls, “I rarely say no to an experience, a job, or project, and have never worried too much about salary, the cafeteria or other amenities. My participation is based on the potential to make something exciting, new and important happen.”

Upon returning to Canada from Venezuela in 1961, Johnson was asked if she would be interested in running a new art gallery located on Merton Street in Toronto. As always, she was up for the challenge. For the next 10 years, she was curator at Merton Gallery, where she represented and supported careers of several of Canada’s notable craftspeople; among them Kai Chan, Joanna Staniszkis and Viktor Tinkl.

She left Merton Gallery and was hired by what was then the Ontario College of Art to be the founding manager of the retail shop, Design Department Store. At the same time, she prepared a study of the art collections of 100 companies as background material for the new college wing fundraising campaign and also compiled a report on the College’s Gallery 76.

In 1975, as a member of the Steering Committee for International Women’s Year, Johnson helped facilitate an important exhibition by artists at the Art Gallery of Harbourfront called Women and the Arts that included Joyce Wieland, Jo Manning, Judith Currelly and others.

While volunteering for the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) from 1975-1979, Jean coordinated the production and installation of key commissioned works including fabric panels for patient corridors, a large tapestry by Joanna Staniszkis at Sunnybrook Hospital and a mobile of Quebec artist, Michelle Beauchemin, for North York City Hall. It was the accumulation of this extensive experience that brought her to the attention of Harbourfront Centre. In 1979, she was hired by Anita Aarons to run the Craft Studio, embarking on what she calls the “crowning achievement” of her career.

Harbourfront Centre, Ceramic Studio (Jurgen Sommerer pots), 1979. Photo: Tom Sandler.

Johnson saw the rich potential of the Craft Studio’s artist-in-residence programme and with determination and vision transformed it to a highly sought after destination for Canadian graduates. She introduced a resource library and a volunteer resource committee who provided critical mentorship. Many of Canada’s best craft artists were and are presently involved with Harboufront Centre either as artists-in-residence or participants in exhibitions and events. Encouraging international exchanges was tremendously important to her and the creme de la creme of the fine craft world were invited to lecture and give master classes. She was the driving force behind turning the Craft Studio into a major centre for contemporary craft with an international reputation.

Johnson organized major conferences and events, often sharing speakers with other institutions. She curated and facilitated exhibitions both at Harbourfront Centre and for other institutions. Among other achievements during that period, she inaugurated the lecture series, International Creators, oversaw the collaborations between art, craft and architecture in Designed by Commission and established the Festival of Craft and Design, one of Toronto’s premiere craft fairs.

In 1991, Johnson became Craft Projects Manager at Harbourfront Centre. She presented a three-day conference, Exploring Contemporary Craft History, Theory and Critical Writing, bring forward-thinking national and international curators, critics and craftspeople to discuss current craft issues. The event culminated in a book by the same name co-published with Coach House Books.

Her concluding role at Harbourfront Centre was as Manager, Special Craft Initiatives. The groundbreaking symposium and publication, Crafting New Traditions: Canadian Innovators and Influences, which celebrates and documents the careers of prominent Canadian craft pioneers, was her final achievement. A fitting jewel for her crown.

Jean Johnson at Harbourfront Centre, Beyond the Pink Flamingo - Craft Studio Fundraiser, 1994. Photo: Tom Sandler.

Johnson has taken as her motto “aim for the stars, reach the treetops!” She has captured a star or two in her day.

She has sat on numerous, volunteered on committees, and is sought after as a juror. She recently established, through the Ontario Crafts Council, the Craft Curatorial Award to honour curatorial excellence in crafts in Ontario.

Her hero is British icon William Morris (1834-1896), craftsman, designer, writer, typographer, and Socialist. She considers Morris a man-ahead-of-his-time. It is not surprising she was President of the William Morris Society of Canada and served on various committees. She stands behind her convictions and boasts a personal collection that reflects her unwavering love of craft. Like her hero Morris, she firmly believes one’s life can be enhanced and transformed by engagement with handmade objects.

Jean Johnson remains active, influential and devoted to the field of contemporary Canadian craft. Her indefatigable spirit and vision shaped and mentored many, including myself. Although the term Grand Dame of Craft is said affectionately, it is indeed, not too far from the truth.

This article was originally published in the Spring/Summer 2008 issue of Studio Magazine