Since 1975, the American Craft Council has recognized artists, scholars, teachers, and advocates for their legacy of outstanding achievement in and dedication to the field of craft with the biannual ACC Awards. Two groups are responsible for giving out these awards.

The American Craft Council and its Board of Trustees give the Award of Distinction and the Aileen Osborn Webb Award for Philanthropy. ACC’s College of Fellows gives the remaining awards. During each awards year, a committee of past fellows —who are all artists or honorary fellows—decides who will be inducted next. This year, the committee inducted nine new ACC Fellows into the College of Fellows, awarded three previous inductees the Gold Medal for Consummate Craftsmanship, and celebrated two honorary fellows.

Regardless of upbringing, education, or entrenched societal disparities dealt with during their careers, the Fellows and Gold Medalists honored by the 2024 ACC Awards have delved deeply into their identities, proclivities, and creativity to produce astounding bodies of work that extend and enhance definitions of craft. Their work may be conceptual or functional; figurative, performative, or decorative. Their materials may be pins and string, wood and paint, metal and seashells, clay and glass, or discarded TV sets, fabric, and sequins. Along the way they also invested in themselves, continuously experimenting and innovating to reach this level of excellence, while also teaching and mentoring. Others honored in the 2024 ACC Awards have contributed deeply to the field of craft outside the studio, through writing, curating, and advocacy.

In the following articles, you can read about, marvel at, and revel in their astonishing work.

This year, the American Craft Council is also excited to announce a new grant from the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, which will fund cash awards of $5,000 each for the nine 2024 ACC Fellows and $20,000 each for the three 2024 Gold Medal for Consummate Craftsmanship recipients. This funding comes in addition to longstanding support we have received from the Windgate Charitable Foundation for general operating costs for this awards program. ACC is grateful to both organizations for their generous support.

—The Editors