Having this talent and skill, Masse first posted a video of her creating a cardigan to her TikTok account in January 2021. That video now has nearly 110,000 views, but it was just the start.
Her presence became known around August when she started creating the unique headpieces. But Masse credits her rise in popularity to one piece: the pink bunny balaclava.
“That got super, super popular, which was an absolute surprise,” she said.
After she first posted that piece in October, Masse hit 10,000 followers on Instagram.
She now has more than 47,000 on Instagram, and more than 119,000 on TikTok, where her videos accumulated 3.2 million likes.
“It has been really fast and overwhelming,” she said.
“From there, I always had a project on the go, and then I taught myself how to crochet when I got a bit older.”
Masse said she has always taken inspiration from real things in her life. The bunny balaclava was inspired by her two pet rabbits.
“I was like looking at my bunnies and thinking, ‘Oh, you guys are so cute. How do how can I express this in a different way?’”
She said as she was piecing it together and added the ears, she thought: “This is it; this is what it’s meant to be.”
Since then, she’s made different versions of the bunny balaclava.
“There’s a lot of people looking at what I’m creating right now, but at the same time, it makes me really happy to see and to know that so many other people are interested in wearable art the same way I am.”
Where art meets fashion
Studying fashion textiles at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, Masse is set to graduate this year.
“I’ll be able to make as many headpieces as I want to,” she said.
“I’d love to have the opportunity to just do this full time and to keep making weird pieces and sharing them on the internet.”
While her trending work may be recognized online as a fashion trend, Masse said she doesn’t have an interest in going into that industry.
“I would consider myself an artist,” she said.
“When I create a piece, I don’t have the intentions of reproducing it the same way things are done in the fashion industry.”
She classifies her work as “wearable art,” where art and fashion meet.
“It doesn’t need to have a utilitarian purpose for it to be considered fashion, and art can be on the body too,” she said.
Her biggest recent project, however, isn’t wearable at all. Instead, it’s a 13-metre crocheted centipede.
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Alexandria Masse’s crocheted centipede sculpture is seen exhibited at the Anna Leonowens Gallery in Halifax, N.S.
Alexandria Masse
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Alexandria Masse
The centipede was named “Ha-ha,” a combination of both of her grandparents’ names.
It has more than 100 legs and is completely made of crocheted, hand-dyed material. The centipede also has 16 crocheted eggs.
“I wanted noto create something that just immerses you in the space, and interacts with the space,” Masse said. “It’s just a really fun object.”
As a part of Masse’s undergraduate solo exhibition, the soft sculpture took four months to make.
“Oh gosh, I can’t even put how many hours I spent on it because it was so many weekends, so many nights,” she said, “just slowly making her larger and larger.”
Her work is exhibited this week at the Anna Leonowens Gallery in Halifax.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
