Awards of Excellence

The American Craft Council Awards of Excellence celebrate outstanding artists in our marketplaces. Our awards along with those presented by our partner organizations recognize makers who demonstrate exceptional quality of work, mastery of material, entrepreneurial effort, and whose values align with ACC’s mission to create healthy, vibrant, and equitable marketplaces.

American Craft Made / Baltimore 2023 Award Winners

Larry Allen (L A Pottery), for his crisp display, exhibiting beautiful craftsmanship and a clear mastery of technique.

Jennifer McBrien (jennyjen42), for her drawings with thread, which display a beautiful interplay with her selected textiles, and her admirable range from fine art to functional. The work expresses beautiful narratives.

Holly Anne Mitchell (Holly A Mitchell Jewelry), for her use of recycled materials and conceptual approach, as well as the longevity, durability, and impressive evolution of her work.

ACC Award of Excellence winners receive a cash prize and guaranteed entry into our next Baltimore marketplace.

Jurors: Leila Cartier of CraftNOW Philadelphia, Diana Spencer of Baltimore Jewelry Center, and Matthew Hyleck of Baltimore Clayworks

Artful Home Awards

Jacob Albee (Jacob Albee Designs), Jewelry & Adornment Award, for his refined craftsmanship, unique design, and masterful execution.

Jorgelina Lopez & Marco Duenas (La Loupe Design), Home & Living Award, for their updated interpretation of the ancient art of origami into contemporary luminous geometry.

Sehar Peerzada (Urban Masala), Apparel & Accessories Award, for the dramatic silhouettes and beautiful handprinted fabrics of her clothing—a standout at this year's show.

SaraBeth Post (Ultra Lit), Emerging Artist Award, for her striking use of color and dedication to process, including sandblasted finishes.

For Artful Home, art is a passion. This lifestyle brand is dedicated to offering the most exceptional and beautiful works of fine art, craft, and design for your home and wardrobe. The recipients of the Artful Home Awards exemplify a fusion of beautiful living and craftsmanship, and Artful Home is committed to supporting the livelihoods of the artists and designers who create the work that we cherish every day. Winners will receive a cash prize. Find Artful Home online at ArtfulHome.com.

Jurors: Myrtis Bedolla of Galerie Myrtis, Andy Cook of Made in Baltimore, and Sarah Marriage of A Workshop of Our Own

Asé Design Studio Award for Excellence in Wood

Christina Boy (Christina Boy Design), for her vision and gift in working with wood, conveying texture and comfort.

Asé Design Studio founded the Award for Excellence in Wood to honor their commitment to community empowerment and meaningful engagement. In their retail space, lotties-place.com, Asé Design Studio is intentional in their support of artisans representative of minority and/or underrepresented communities. This award is an extension of their continued commitment to support these communities, with the winner receiving a cash prize.

Jurors: Lawrence Moore and Darryl Patterson of Asé Design Studio

Past Award of Excellence Winners

All artists listed received a general Award of Excellence for quality of work unless otherwise noted.

2022

Baltimore

Yarina Dai (James Renwick Alliance for Craft Award Honorable Mention)
Jonah Jacobs (James Renwick Alliance for Craft Award Winner)
Mary Jaeger (Apparel & Accessories Award - Sponsored by Artful Home)
Linda Kindler Priest (Jewelry & Adornment Award - Sponsored by Artful Home)
Cliff Lee (Home & Living Award - Sponsored by Artful Home)
Andrew Sartorius (Emerging Artist Award - Sponsored by Artful Home)

JRA Craft award jurors: Rebecca Ravenal, Brenda Erickson, and Nedra Agnew, accompanied by JRA Craft president Jaimianne Jacobin

St. Paul

Laura Baring-Gould (Home & Living Award - Sponsored by Artful Home)
Katharine Eksuzian (Emerging Artist Award - Sponsored by Artful Home)
Kathleen King (Jewelry & Adornment Award - Sponsored by Artful Home)
Sarah Tremaine (Home & Living Award - Sponsored by Artful Home)

About our 2022 award sponsor: For Artful Home, art is a passion. This lifestyle brand is dedicated to offering the most exceptional and beautiful works of fine art, craft, and design for your home and wardrobe. The recipients of the Artful Home Awards exemplify a fusion of beautiful living and craftsmanship, and Artful Home is committed to supporting the livelihoods of the artists and designers who create the work that we cherish every day. Winners will receive a cash prize. Find Artful Home online at ArtfulHome.com.

2020

Baltimore (read the full blog post)

Ian Petrie (Craft Connects Award)
Mau Schoettle (Making Matters Award)
Kimberly Camp (Craft Makes Us Human Award)
Amy Nguyen (Born to Make Things Award)
Ian Henderson and Sue-Yee Leung (Creative Spirit Abounds Award)
Kate Eickelberg (James Renwick Alliance Award of Excellence for Innovation in Craft)
Earl Jones (Society of North American Goldsmiths Award of Excellence in Jewelry and Metals)

Jurors: Lisa Bayne, Sarah Rachel Brown, George Ciscle, Leslie King-Hammond, Cara Ober, Rebecca Ravenal, Lowery Stokes Sims

2019

Atlanta (read the full blog post)

Jim Cohen
Hannah Beatrice Quinn
Daiga Henson
Tabitha Ott
Jason Ruel Martin (Award of Excellence in Wood)
Charlotte Friese (Award of Excellence in Fiber)

Jurors: Jean McLaughlin, Harriet Green

Baltimore (read the full blog post)

Dianne Nordt
Derek Hennigar
Sean and Lisa Reico
Michael and Misato Mortara
Abra Gorby
Sheko Kirby and Sarkis Chouljian
Tenisha Dotstry
Holly Tornheim (Collectors of Wood Art Award of Excellence)
So Young Park (James Renwick Alliance Award of Excellence for Innovation in Craft)
Gabriel Craig and Amy Weiks (Society of North American Goldsmiths Award of Excellence in Jewelry and Metals)

Jurors: Leila Cartier, Jason Thompkins, Sebastian Martorana

St. Paul (read the full blog post)

Mark Fischer
David Alvarado
Verne Jidong Yan
Bianca Abreu
Kris Marubayashi (Award of Excellence in Clay)
Tamra Thomas-Gentry (Award of Excellence in Fiber)
Nolan Prohaska (Award of Excellence in Glass)
Craig Johnson (Award of Excellence in Wood)

Jurors: Tamara Aupaumut, Tea Rozman-Clark and Jessie Lee-Bauder, Kira Liu, Brenda Tran

San Francisco (read the full blog post)

Karyn Gabriel
Mau Schoettle
Amy Nguyen
Terry Holzgreen

Jurors: Rob Forbes, Jennifer Morla, Mansur Nurullah, Cindy Weil

2018

Atlanta (read the full blog post)

Mark Gardner
Carolyn Morris Bach
Kimberly Willcox
Anne-Marie Chagnon (booth design)
Jessica C. White (Hip Pop Emerging Artist Award)
Chie Hitchner (Rare Craft)
Corry Blanc (Rare Craft)

Jurors: Amy Putansu, Balvenie (Lorne Cousin)

Baltimore (read the full blog post)

Edna Madera
Mina Norton
Sara Thompson
Lana Heckendorn
Connie Verrusio (booth design)
Michael Shuler (booth design)
Perry Lewis (Hip Pop Emerging Artist Award)
Denise Nielsen and George Worthington (Collectors of Wood Art Award of Excellence for Art in Wood)
Richard Haining (James Renwick Alliance Award of Excellence for Innovation in Craft)
Amarette Gregor (Society of North American Goldsmiths Award of Excellence in Jewelry and Metals)
Peter Brown (Rare Craft)
Tim Arnold (Rare Craft)

Jurors: Meagen Black, Kristin Muller, Jennifer Zwilling

St. Paul (read the full blog post)

Kelsey Larsen
Kelly Marshall
Sean Forest Roberts
Matthew Nafranowicz (booth design)
Alicia Goodwin (Hip Pop Emerging Artist Award)
Nicolette Absil (Rare Craft)
Donald and Evelyn Shelton (Rare Craft)

Jurors: Scott Pollock, Balvenie (Jonathan Wingo)

San Francisco (read the full blog post)

Judith Kinghorn
Janet Chico
Tom Boardman
Michael Szabo (booth design)
Kathleen Heafey (Hip Pop Emerging Artist Award)

Juror: Nancy Gardner

2017

Atlanta (read the full blog post)

Bill Gossman
Virginia Spalter
Tara Locklear
Deb Karash (booth design)
Eliana Arenas (Hip Pop Emerging Artist Award)

Juror: Brian Wurst

Baltimore (read the full blog post)

Robert Patterson
Romulus Craft
Liz Oppenheim
Deborah Cross
Amarette Gregor (booth design)
Andrea Haffner (booth design)
Brian Giniweski (Hip Pop Emerging Artist Award)
Salem Barker (Collectors of Wood Art Award of Excellence for Art in Wood)
Seung Jeon Paik (James Renwick Alliance Award of Excellence for Innovation in Craft)
Linda Kindler-Priest (Society of North American Goldsmiths Award of Excellence in Jewelry and Metals)

St. Paul (read the full blog post)

Carol Snyder
Seung-Hea Lee
Ani Kasten
Mary Pow (booth design)
Emiko Shinozaki (Hip Pop Emerging Artist Award)

Juror: Michael Radyk

San Francisco (read the full blog post)

Chie Hitchner
Sandra Enterline
Holly Tornheim
Rachel Shimpock (booth design)
Erin Lynn Smith (Hip Pop Emerging Artist Award)

Jurors: Alex Moses, Barbara Waldman

2016

Atlanta (read the full blog post)

June Corley
Keith Holt
Muffy Young
Paveen Chunhaswasdikul (booth design)
Jessica C. White (Hip Pop Emerging Artist Award)

Baltimore (read the full blog post)

Takashi and Theresa Ichihara
Kenny Pieper
Marina Terauds
Muffy Young
Anna Boothe (booth design)
David Short (booth design)
Amy Blair (Hip Pop Emerging Artist Award)
Denise Nielsen & George Worthington (Collectors in Wood Art Award of Excellence for Art in Wood)
Marian Schoettle (James Renwick Alliance Award of Excellence for Innovation in Craft)
Lynda Bahr (Society of North American Goldsmiths Award of Excellence in Jewelry and Metals)

St. Paul (read the full blog post)

Keith Clayton
Mark Laub
Gloria McRoberts
James Carlin (booth design)
Danny Saathoff (Hip Pop Emerging Artist Award)

San Francisco (read the full blog post)

Biba Schutz
Koji Tanaka
Muffy Young
Lauri Chambers (booth design)
Autumn Higgins (Hip Pop Emerging Artist Award)
Younha Jung (Hip Pop Emerging Artist Award)

2015

Atlanta (read the full blog post)

Vicki Essig
Brandon Holschuh
David Stine
Barbara Zaretsky (booth design award)
Lisa Klakulak (Hambidge Residency Award)
Jocelyn Krodman (Hip Pop Emerging Artist Award)

Baltimore (read the full blog post)

Marc Tickle
Amy Roper Lyons
Hideaki Miyamura
James Pearce
Rachel Timmins (booth design award)
David Royce (booth design)
Norm Sartorius (Collectors of Wood Art Award of Excellence for Art in Wood)
Stacey Lee Webber (James Renwick Alliance Award of Excellence for Innovation in Craft)
Lisa Klakulak (James Renwick Alliance Award of Excellence for Innovation in Craft)
George Sawyer (Society of North American Goldsmiths Award of Excellence in Jewelry and Metals)
David Short (Hip Pop Emerging Artist Award)