Staff

Lera Kotsyuba
Editor in Chief, Online Editor

Lera Kotsyuba was born in Donetsk, Ukraine, and is an editor, emerging curator, and art critic based in Tkaronto (Toronto, Canada). Working on the land of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum covenant, Lera works toward shared responsibilities around the built environment and community.

Lera has written and presented on craft, art and architecture, and has curated a solo show of ceramicist Kathy Kranias’ work, entitled Matrilineal Hauntings. Her current research project, In the Time of Sunflowers, champions the preservation of Ukrainian art and architecture. She received the Young Critics Award for her talk Synagogue at Babyn Yar by the 11th CEI Venice Forum for Contemporary Art Curators in 2024. Lera has been a board member of the William Morris Society since 2017.

Nehal El-Hadi
Contributing Editor

Nehal El-Hadi is an editor, journalist and researcher based in Toronto. She has previously lived in London (UK), Muscat (Oman), Khartoum (Sudan) and Moose Jaw (Saskatchewan).

With over 15 years of writing and editing experience, Nehal’s interdisciplinary work has appeared in journalistic, academic, literary and art gallery publications, and is forthcoming in several anthologies and edited collections. Themes explored in her writing include the relationships between virtual and material spaces, the agency of digital objects, and gendered and racialised online experiences. Her short film Blaxites (2019) was commissioned by the Surveillance Studies Centre at Queens University and is being used to teach about the implications of technology use.

Nehal has a Ph.D. in Planning from the University of Toronto and is a Visiting Scholar at York University’s City Institute. She has taught place-based writing courses at the University of Toronto Scarborough and creative non-fiction and poetry to community groups.

Dale Barrett
Art Director

Dale's practice focuses on the development and design of identity programs, marketing materials and publications for art galleries, museums, arts organizations and cultural institutions. He uses the language of design to shape client messages in fresh and compelling ways without sacrificing the proprietary nature of the message. Following undergraduate studies (B.A. Fine Art, Asbury University), he worked in various positions in the art gallery sector, and currently works for Canadian Art magazine.

Julie Nicholson
Advertising
Outgoing

Julie Nicholson is a creative place-maker, curator and advocate, exploring the intersection of contemporary craft and design in Canada for over 10 years. From 2006-2014, Julie was co-founder/owner of MADE, a design studio and showroom dedicated to emerging Canadian designer/makers. In 2009 she co-founded ToDO, The Toronto Design Offsite Festival. Julie has taught in the Craft and Design program at Sheridan College and worked on design projects with numerous clients and collaborators. She continues to develop curatorial and place-making activities through evolving platforms such as Do Design. As Publications Representative for Studio since 2014, Julie enjoys developing and managing relationships with individuals and organisations in support of the magazine.

Ambrose Li
Copy Editor

Craft Ontario
Publisher

Craft Ontario is a non-profit art service organization that works to make craft a meaningful part of life. We
champion craft by promoting artists and their work, and advocate for craft by inspiring, educating and
connecting diverse audiences.

Editorial Advisory Committee
Christine Charette (ON)
Daphne Scott (PEI)
Gord Thompson (ON)
Grace Nickel (MB)
Mary-Beth Laviolette (AB)
Melanie Egan (ON)
Michael Prokopow (ON)
Nicole Bauberger (NWT)
Rachelle Chinnery (BC)
Raphael Yu (ON)

If you would like to write for us, read our guidelines on how to pitch.