Makers Award

Luna Collective is proud to announce the launch the third year of our store funded Makers Awards! Supporting the creative community has been the foundational pillar of Luna Collective since we first opened our doors. This award was created in the hopes to support makers to further reach their goals.

BIPOC and *2SLGTBQ+ owned businesses may face disproportionate barriers to access reliable funding, which impacts their ability to reach their business goals. With this award Luna Collective hopes to provide opportunity for advancement to those who may face challenges in starting/growing a makers based business.

The intention of this grant is to offer British Columbia based BIPOC and *2SLGTBQ+ makers, who are driven to make a living through the making of wares/art, a funding opportunity to help their creative business goals flourish.

This award is for makers at any stage in their professional development. We are offering 2 grants in the amount of $1,000 CAD awarded through an open call application intake from January 31st, 2023 until February 28th, 2023. Please read the Application Guide to learn more about eligible expenses within this grant.

Applications are now closed, we are pleased to present our 2023 winners!

Our 2023 Winners:

Sydney Wiebe - Cedar Womxn

Sydney Wiebe (She/They) is an aspiring Indigenous creative designer living on Lewkugan territory. Sydney belongs to the Nuu-Chah-Nulth First Nations and was born and raised in Port Alberni. Sydney is influenced by her father who is a First Nations artist and is also influenced by ethical fashion.

Sydney started Cedar Womxn designs as a place to collectively share her art, stories and designs that are influenced by life on the West Coast and Indigenous culture. Primarily focusing on beading, crocheting, and Lino cut printing, Sydney plans to expand into making garments this spring. Sydney is inspired by slow fashion and uses natural dyes and pigments alongside organic fabrics in her practice.

Sydney hopes to bring her small business to markets this summer in Victoria and create a website to showcase her art.

You can find out more about Sydney via her Instagram page here.

AJ Miller - Burd Howse Studios

AJ Miller (He/They) of Burd Howse Studios is a queer non binary artist from K'jipuktuk (Halifax, NS) who now resides on Lekwungen Territory (Victoria, BC). AJ has faced many diverse challenges in their life. Some of these oppositions include addiction, gender and queer identity, mental health, and like all makers, the pain that comes along with being an artist in a capitalist world. Through these challenges the active practice of art through their life has been there to hold them through each of the major arcana struggles they have faced. Through this practice they have found their passion and created an eco conscious clothing company called Burd Howse Studios.

Burd Howse Studios was founded in 2019 during AJ's time living in a queer collective home (called "The Bird House"). The value of collective living inspired many who entered this sanctuary to create a safe place for exploring spiritual and art related practices. AJ's art practice revolves around a spiritual flow in creation, making pieces that tell the story of their life navigating addiction, exploring their queer experience, and traversing the mind. AJ hopes to continue to grow their art practice in Lekwungen Territory and work towards their dream of becoming a tattoo artist.

You can learn more about AJ via their Instagram page here or on their website here.

Makers Award

Our 2023 Winners:

Sydney Wiebe - Cedar Womxn

AJ Miller - Burd Howse Studios

Our 2022 Winners:

Brent Haddow

Casa Montego - Ricardo Rodriguez + Christian Maradiago

Our 2021 Winners:

Ditch Metals - Cam Van Der Sloot

Always L8t3 - Laveen Gammie