AND THE 'SUZY' GOES TO JOHNNY DEPP, CATE BLANCHETT and GEORGE CLOONEY Vancouver's Suzy Birstein gifts her ceramic sculptures to the stars For Immediate Release-Vancouver Feb 26, 2008 George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchett, Julie Christie and Tommy Lee Jones are among the Oscar nominees who have just received a custom crafted "Motion Pitcher" by Vancouver artist Suzy Birstein. Academy Award host Jon Stewart and Best Actress winner Marion Cotillard also received this unique hand crafted piece of art by the Vancouver based ceramic sculptor. As the only artist in a handful of Canadians contributing to the 2008 "Everybody Wins At The Oscars®" gift bag, Birstein received considerable media attention throughout Canada, the US, the UK, China and Japan. As a result she came to the attention of the Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery, the largest ceramic art gallery in Canada. In addition to spotlighting her work in the gallery windows prior to the Academy Awards, the gallery is also selling Birstein's creations. "I'm just thrilled about the Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery opportunity and all the media attention generated thanks to the "Motion Pitchers" I created for this year's Oscar nominees," says Birstein. "It's been as successful as my wildest dreams!" Distinctive Assets (DA), the principal provider of gift bags for all the leading awards shows, originally discovered Suzy while cruising the Internet for Mexican inspired pottery for the Latin Grammys. They liked her work so much, they offered Suzy the 2008 Oscars! The next venture for Birstein is her upcoming life sized sculptures solo exhibit at the Seymour Art Gallery in Deep Cove, B.C. Running from May 13th to June 9th the show will feature Birstein as innovative artist and performer as she spotlights her tap dancing skills amidst her creations and on film. Birstein’s colorful tableware and sculpture has been featured at leading museums from Ontario and Quebec to Washington State, Montana, Kentucky, Ohio and Japan. In addition to her one-woman exhibits at Vancouver galleries, Birstein’s eclectic tableware and sculpture has been seen on film and television and has been specially commissioned by some of Vancouver's leading restaurants. For further information: www.Suzybirstein.com media contact: Julia Frittaion juliaf@dccnet.com 604 740 5755 cell 604 209 5211 *This Gift Bag has no affiliation with A.M.P.A.S or any official Academy Awards gift bag. Due to regulatory changes, there is no longer an ‘official’ Academy gift bag.