PRESS RELEASE:
American Craft Week is pleased to announce the winners of the 2016 Rising Star Competition, naming 30 exceptional craft artists in the United States under the age of 30. The winners hail from all over the country. The state with the most winners is North Carolina with 7 young crafters, followed by Maryland with five and Maine and New York with three each.
Alice Scott, 28, from Asheville, NC says about her work: “I am a jeweler living in Asheville, NC. I started making jewelry when I was six years old. I painted brooches with pumpkin faces to sell at craft shows for Halloween. I grew up thinking of new designs for jewelry all the time. I attended Rhode Island School of Design for Jewelry and Metalsmithing. Today, I continue to be interested in making work that celebrates traditions. I borrow symbols from a variety of spiritual and cultural practices in order to create my own world of sacred objects. Each piece is meant to help each person who wears it feel connected to something mysterious, ancient, and bigger than herself. symbology-jewelry.com
The winners are profiled and their work can be seen in a special Rising Star digital exhibit at acwshowcase.com/rswelcome. In addition, the October 2016 issue of Handmade Business features a comprehensive article about the 2016 Rising Stars.
The purpose of the Rising Star Competition is to spotlight the exceptional work of young craft artists. Open nominations were held earlier in the year and the ACW National Committee juried the entries looking for the following: excellence in design and skill level; an impressive body of work; a strong commitment to working as a craftsperson; work exhibited and/or offered for sale to the public; a commitment to community and social values.
Speaking for the committee, co-chair Diane Sulg, said; “Please join us in congratulating the winners. Their works are an outstanding testimony to the promising future of handmade American craft. We also ask you to join us in encouraging and supporting the young artists in communities across the country.”
IndieMe and the ACRE tradeshows, which are dedicated to bring together the makers and retailers of handmade American, sponsor the Rising Star Competition.
Judges included: Diane Sulg, Celebration Arts, Charlotte, NC; Sherry Masters, Art Connections, Asheville, NC; Greg Worden, Vermont Artisan Designs, Brattleboro, VT; Rani Richardson, Random Acts of Art, Naples, FL; Heather Lawless, Art Consultant, New Haven, CT; PJ Heyman, Village Artisans, Boiling Springs, PA; Meghan Blake-Horst, MadCity Bazaar, Madison, WI; Anne Jenkins, Art Strolls, Milford, DE.
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