Keith Campbell
Honoured by CBACH (Coordinating Body Arts Culture Heritage) with a Lifetime Achievement in Arts Award 2014.
Keith Campbell has been described as positive, energetic, forceful and resourceful in the way he goes about getting things to happen. As a driving force in the arts he has helped to build and develop the arts and culture community since 1977. Keith is a founding member of the WKP Kennedy Gallery and the White Water Gallery. He was a professor at Canadore College in the Crafts and Design Program whose graduates from that program went on to open craft studios, develop the North Bay Art & Craft Co-op and the blooming craft market. North Bay has always been the center for craft in North Eastern Ontario because of Canadore Colleges Crafts and Design Program and the Summer School of the Arts: Artsperience.
Keith was one of a handful of artists that advised Canadore College to start a Summer School of the Arts that drew instructors and students from around the world. The summer school was called “Artsperience” that had a free evening “Art Talk” series so that the North Bay Community as well as the summer school could experience more arts and culture. Keith was the director of this incredible school for 25 years. Keith, with his positive dynamic personality, was able to talk such artists as Ken Danby, Robert Bateman, David Blackwood, Patterson Ewen, Greg Curnoe, Ted Fullerton, Lynn Johnston, Joy Kagawa, Anne Michaels, Al Purdy, Susan Warner Keene, Ed Eng, David Lewis, and others into being part of this fabulous experience.
He has arranged for a number of provincial Conferences in Clay to be held in North Bay as well as exhibitions. At present he is the President of the North Bay and Area Potters Guild. He has always led by example as a model of a successful creative artist working with his community. As a professional craftsperson he has exhibited his work in over 280 exhibitions nationally and internationally with 56 awards/honours bestowed on him to date. These honours include induction into the Niagara Falls Arts & Culture Wall of Fame, the John and Barbara Mather Medal Award for Lifetime Achievement, awarded the 125th Anniversary of Confederation of Canada Medal, the title of “Elder” by Fusion: The Clay and Glass Association of Ontario, honoured by Canadore College with the title “Artist in Residence Emeritus” as well as twice being a finalist in the Premier’s Award of Excellence in the Arts in 2010 & 2014. His works are in numerous collections including the Archives of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Canadian Museum of History, the Nickle Arts Museum, etc. Keith’s works are included in 27 texts and he has conducted 50 workshops/lectures across Canada during his career of 44 years as a professional artist.