Joy Olsen: A Retrospective

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Friday, February 20th, 2026
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Born in 1951 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Joy discovered clay at the age of 12 during a summer class, igniting a passion that would shape her life’s work. She joined the Trout Lake Community Centre Clay Studio and studied at Emily Carr College of Art, applying newly learned concepts to her evolving ceramic language. A move to Gabriola Island in 2007 marked a highly prolific period. Living close to the sea, Joy created hand-formed porcelain vessels and sculptural creatures inspired by marine life, later weaving in prairie influences such as seeds and grasses to form imaginative hybrid worlds.

Working exclusively in porcelain, Joy studied with internationally recognized ceramic artists, developed and meticulously documented her own glazes, and approached her practice with both scientific rigor and humour. Her work was widely exhibited across Canada, including Sask Terra, the Nanaimo Art Gallery, and the Salt Spring Island Ceramics Competition. Diagnosed with aggressive cancer in 2016, Joy continued creating as long as possible and passed away in August 2019.

This upcoming retrospective brings together key works from across Joy’s career, including early exploratory vessels, sea creatures and prairie-sea hybrids. Visitors will encounter intricately carved forms, richly layered glazes, and thoughtfully detailed surfaces—both seen and unseen—revealing Joy’s deep reverence for nature and her enduring commitment to beauty, curiosity, and craft.

This Joy Olsen - A Retrospective show being held at the Nanaimo Ceramic Arts Gallery is a granting of Joy’s wish, that her work go out into the larger world. Please join us in celebrating a beautiful artist and her outstanding work with an opportunity to take one of the treasured pieces home.