Gladys Riddell

The People

Gladys Riddell

← People of the Society · on record 1966–2001

The Society’s records

Everything the Society’s own records say of Gladys Riddell: the offices held, the standings conferred, and the awards won. Where the records are silent, so is this part of the page.

In memoriam · 8 June 2006

In her 96th year.

From Summer 2006.

Also recorded as G. Riddell, Mrs. G. Riddell, Mrs. G.E. Riddell

Standing

Toronto Branch Member 1979 · Life Member 1989 · Honourary Life Member 1997

Branch

Toronto · recorded holding office in 1971

Certification

Associate of the CSCL 1969
Presented at the 19th Annual Meeting, Hamilton, by Mrs. Clara Cavanaugh (1969-spring p1).
Fellow of the CSCL 1972
She was Chairman of the Toronto Branch in 1976.

A long-time Toronto member who excelled at stacked-leather work and attended Executive Council meetings and Annuals well into her eighties; a fair and equitable judge at the Annuals. One piece chosen for “Ontario Crafts – Leather Today”, the Society’s Centennial travelling exhibition: a photo folder. The Canadian Guild of Crafts (Ontario) selected the articles; the exhibition opened at the Guild Shop on 2 October 1967 and was to travel across Canada during 1968. She showed three pieces at Leather '74, the Society's exhibition at the Toronto Public Libraries' Learning Resources Centre, 666 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto, 3-28 June 1974; two pieces in the Society's exhibition at the Craft Gallery and Resource Centre of the Ontario Crafts Council, 346 Dundas Street West, Toronto, 2-28 March 1976; three pieces at Leather '78, the Society's exhibition at the Etobicoke Civic Centre, 550 Burnhamthorpe Road, November 1978; and two pieces at Leather '82, the Society's exhibition at the City of Brampton Library and Art Gallery, Bramalea, 3 July to 1 August 1982. Two pieces chosen for the Society’s 1985 Travelling Exhibition, from about sixty entries, by the judges Robert Muma, Paul Williams and Alison Parsons: a double picture frame in moulded cowhide, in a 3-D design, and a wallet of woven cowhide. She made a square for the CSCL Leather Quilt.

From Summer 2006; Fall 1998, page 2; Leather ’74: exhibition catalogue, Toronto Public Libraries, page 6; Exhibition catalogue 1976: Craft Gallery of the Ontario Crafts Council, Toronto, page 6; Leather ’78: exhibition catalogue, Etobicoke Civic Centre, page 6; Leather ’82: exhibition catalogue, Brampton Public Library and Art Gallery, page 5; Fall 1967, page 9; and Fall 1985, page 4.

Served the Society as

Executive Council 1966–1973
I.A.L.C. Executive 1966
15th Assembly Demonstrator 1969
Toronto Branch President 1971–1982
Branch President 1974
27th Annual Demonstrator 1977
Director 1982–1997
Council 1988
Director (Toronto) 1997

Honours

Honourary Life Membership
Ontario Volunteer Service Award 2001
Presented at the 51st Annual (2001), with Kehoe and Chynoweth in attendance; Corbett, Riddell, Kemp named among "four others" honoured the same year.
Life Membership 1985
Presented at the 35th Annual Meeting by Membership Chairperson Hilda Chynoweth. Her profile in the same issue (Fall 1985, p11) adds: over twenty years as an exhibitor, demonstrator, Toronto Branch President for over a dozen years, and C.N.E. Show Chairman alongside Jack Meharg and George McPhail.
Michigan Artists Award for Most Original Entry 1976
Won at the Leather '76 Show, held at the Ontario Crafts Council's new building, for a solid leather ship. Reported retrospectively in her Fall 1985 Life Membership profile (p12), which also lists her regular Annual and Biennial entries.

Awards

Bramalea Ribbon, Leather '82 1982
C.N.E. Any carved leather article, original design: 2nd 1969
C.N.E. Arts and Crafts, Women's Division 1975
C.N.E. Non-tooled leather article: 1st 1969
Canadian National Exhibition Second Prize 1970
Canadian National Exhibition Third Prize 1966
Canadian Society for Creative Leathercraft Judges Special Award 1984
Chatelaine Award 1969
Craftsman Ribbon 1967, 1968, 1969, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987
Leather '76 Award 1976
Leather '76 Craftsman Award 1976
Leather '76 Salon Award 1976
Leather '78 Honourable Mention 1978
Salon Award 1968, 1984
Salon Ribbon 1981

Demonstrations given

Mocassins 1969
19th Annual
From Spring 1969, page 2.
Paper Mache Boxes 1971
21st Annual
From Summer 1971, page 2.
Leather flowers in ten steps 1977
Swansea Horticultural Society, 23 November 1977
From Horticultural News & Notes: Swansea.
Moccasins 1979
29th Annual
From 29th Annual Meeting 1979: programme, The Continental Inn, Barrie.
Picture Framing 1980
30th Annual
From 30th Annual Meeting 1980: programme, Sun Valley Motor Inn, Belleville.
Embossing 1983
33rd Annual
From 33rd Annual Meeting 1983: programme, The Royal Resort, Fenelon Falls.
Wallet Interiors 1986
36th Annual
From 36th Annual Meeting 1986: programme, Beacon Motor Inn, Jordan Station (Vineland).

Where this comes from

Life and work

From the profile the Society's newsletter printed when she was made a Life Member. Further lines from newspaper clippings kept in the Society’s papers.

Work: She retired from Bell.
From Fall 1985, page 12.; She worked for Bell Canada for more than twenty-four years, on the official P.B.X. board of Toronto Area Traffic in 1969.
From Leathercraft has made her a top prize winner.
Study: She was trained early by Don MacKinnon and by Fred Brown at Central Technical School.
From Fall 1985, page 11.; She took up leathercraft about 1961, going to classes with her daughter.
From Leathercraft has made her a top prize winner.
Community: She was a member of the Swansea Horticultural Society, and showed its members how to make leather flowers in November 1977.
From Horticultural News & Notes: Swansea.

Know more about Gladys Riddell? Tell the archive →

This name in the index of people →