We're ringing in the new year with flare. Meet January's featured artist, Adrienna Matzeg

Every month, we feature a new take on the CBC Arts logo created by a Canadian artist. Check out our previous logos!

Fireworks are a New Year's Eve tradition, but the excitement and spectacle always ends quickly, fizzling out before the champagne has stopped flowing. How do you bottle a moment like that? How do you capture the crackle and boom — the thrill of a midnight countdown in a magical new place? It's all there in our latest logo design, a dazzling scene created by Adrienna Matzeg.

Now based in Toronto, Matzeg studied photography at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, but during the pandemic, she started working in punch-needle embroidery. It's a labour-intensive technique, Matzeg explains. Her CBC Arts logo took 20 "slow but meditative" hours to complete, she says. And like much of her work, it began as a photograph.

"I transform my travel photography into vibrant and tactile compositions," says Matzeg, whose previous series have been inspired by adventures in sun-drenched places including Portugal and Italy. "My work invites a sense of nostalgia and intimacy, with an interest in how we preserve fleeting moments from travel," she says.

How does she do it? Matzeg told us more about her practice when we reached her by email.

Name: Adrienna Matzeg

Age: 33

Homebase: Toronto

Let's talk about your logo! What inspired the concept?

The inspiration came from vintage neon billboard signs. I did a series in 2021 based on neon signs I saw in Los Angeles. I love using typography in my work, and it felt like a perfect application for the CBC Arts logo. 

The fireworks were inspired by New Year's Eve. It was a fun challenge to interpret the CBC gem into fireworks! I wanted to make something impactful to kick off the new year and I think the result has a nostalgic and narrative quality. 

What sources do you often turn to for ideas and inspiration?

Photos from my travels are my main source of inspiration. My practice revolves around memory and nostalgia, and I find the textile medium lends itself to the blurriness of memory. The act of recreating my photos as physical tactile objects gives them a permanence and a preciousness, in a world where we heavily consume imagery.

What's new in your world? What are you working on these days?

I was approached by Paper Collective, a renowned art print company in Denmark. We are working on launching a collection of my work as prints in early 2025. I'm also wrapping up a new textile collection that will be launched with Tacit Collective in February 2025. The new series is inspired by road trips on Canada's East Coast. I also have a couple private commissions in the new year. 

What's the project you're most proud of?

A project that was very rewarding for me was co-curating Artifacts with Betty Wood, a textile group show for the 2024 DesignTO Festival in Toronto. We brought together eight artists from across North America to explore themes of architecture and memory through fibre art. We were awarded a Juror's Choice award for the show. 

What's your favourite place to see art?

Local Toronto galleries and art destinations like United Contemporary, Abbozzo Gallery, 401 Richmond, Harbourfront Centre and Cry Baby Gallery. I have representation with Tacit Collective, a digital platform for women artists, where I've also discovered many new artists. 

Who's the last artist you discovered online?

Manon Daviet is a textile artist based in France. I admire her seamless combination of techniques including tufting, tricot and crochet. Her food scenes originally caught my eye, because I also love to portray food in my work. 

What work of art do you wish you owned?

Any of the Untitled Film Stills photos by Cindy Sherman.

Are there any arts events on your radar this January? What are you excited to check out?

DesignTO celebrates its 15th anniversary this month. It is Canada's largest design festival and I've been an active participant in it for the past three years. There's an abundance of shows all across the city that are worth checking out. The festival schedule is on their website.   

Where can we see more from you?

My website (www.adriennamatzeg.ca). My Instagram (@adriennamatzeg).

This conversation has been edited and condensed.