Elaine Cheasley Paterson

Dr. Elaine Cheasley Paterson is Professor of Craft Studies and Associate Dean, Academic Programmes and Pedagogy, in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University, Montreal. She holds a PhD from Queen's University (2004) and an MA from Concordia University (1999). Her academic leadership and research are centered in the Department of Art History, where she teaches and supervises graduate and undergraduate students in craft, decorative arts, and material culture.

Her research interests include critical craft studies, feminist theory, material culture, the Arts and Crafts movement, craftivism, and women's cultural philanthropy. She explores the intersections of craft with heritage, gender, empire, and social movements, focusing particularly on historical and contemporary craft practices in Britain, Ireland, and Canada. Her work bridges historical scholarship with contemporary art and activism.

The trends in her publications reveal a sustained engagement with craft as a site of political and social meaning. Her work traces the legacy of 19th-century craft revival movements into modern DIY and craftivist cultures, emphasizing themes of labor, identity, sustainability, and decolonial practice. She frequently examines textile and ceramic arts as mediums of resistance and community building.

• Aide to Research Related Events (ARRE), Concordia University (2020)
• Concordia Undergraduate Student Research Award (CUSRA) (2017)
• FQRSC and SSHRC grants on craft revival (2006–2015)
• Bader Fellowship in Art History, Queen's University (2001)
• SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship (2002)

Dr. Paterson has supervised numerous MA and PhD students on topics including identity in folk art, fiber art and ecology, craftivism, and ceramic traditions. She has received research funding for projects involving community engagement, craft biennials, and interdisciplinary collaboration. She is co-editor of the Critical Craft Studies Series with Bloomsbury Academic and serves on the advisory board of the Canadian Craft Biennial. She is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Studies in Canadian Art and a member of the Centre for the Study of Canadian Women Artists.

She is actively involved in curatorial and academic initiatives, including organizing symposia on craft and heritage, and has presented her research internationally. Her work appears in journals such as Journal of Canadian Art History, RACAR, and Gender and History, as well as in edited volumes on design, material culture, and feminist art.