Weavers Art launches ERA Evolution in Rug Artistry
at the 2010 Interior Design Show
IDS 10 – Toronto - January 21 – 24, 2010

Toronto – (November 19, 2009) – The Toronto Interior Design Show 2010 will launch a NEW ERA: Evolution of Rug Artistry – featuring winning designs of the ERA Rug Design Competition.

The concept: On one of her regular sourcing visits to Weavers Art, Johane Lefrançois-Deignan, Principal designer of JNSQ Design, shared an idea with Weavers Art Director of Marketing, Catherine Shea. The concept, a fun, “outside the box“, innovative challenge, to showcase Canadian talent while raising funds and awareness for local charity (DAREarts) and promoting ethical carpet and rug production (RugMark).

Weavers Art has built a brand by designing and carrying the world’s most beautiful rugs – why not showcase Canada’s immense design talent?
“When the idea was presented to me, I immediately wanted to become involved” says Michael Pourvakil, President of Weavers Art. “We have the ability to oversee the process and the connections to make it happen. The idea of promoting Canadian Rug Design in this unique way is what Weavers Art is all about – weaving to make a difference.”

IDS 2010: After meeting with Shauna Levy, Vice President, Interior Design Show & Explore Design, it became clear that the IDS2010 would be the perfect platform to showcase the 10 winning ERA rug designs. The project took flight and the competition was launched. With this, Azure Magazine came on board and is now the official media sponsor for this event.

Panel of Judges: Daniel Faria of Clarke & Faria Gallery, Rachel Gotlieb, design journalist and writer, Nelda Rodger, Editor Azure Magazine and Suzanne Dimma, Editor Canadian House & Home, formed the skilled panel of judges who would review the many entries. With over 200 submissions, the enthusiasm for the project within the design community was evident and the judges had the challenging task of making the final selection of 10 winning designs.

“From the originality and freshness of the submissions, it’s clear that the design community is ripe for this kind of creative opportunity. The ten chosen entries make quite a special collection that is uniquely related to the local reality while reflecting a global and contemporary spirit.”…Nelda Rodger

Each limited designs are available to purchase ranging from $5,000 to $7,000 with proceeds going to charity.