Early Career Artist Grant: Career Advancement
With generous support from the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, ACC has established three grant opportunities, available exclusively to members of our Early Career Artist Program. The American Craft Council provides innovative programs that support craft-centered livelihoods, including initiatives designed to meet the needs of artists as they build their careers.
Meet the awardees.
Fifteen participants in the Early Career Artist Program will receive a $2,500 grant to support their career advancement. Career advancement is the process by which an individual makes significant progress in their career, and this grant is intended to support that trajectory by removing barriers to opportunities as they present themselves. Examples of how funding could be used to advance your career could include, but are not limited to: shipping of work for exhibitions or other opportunities, travel expenses to meet with a mentor, booth fees for trying a new craft fair (such as ACC’s Baltimore fair), or other opportunities as they arise.
You are now entering a filterable feed of Awardees.
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Caitlin Ross
Caitlin Ross is a small-batch studio potter based in beautiful Western New York, creating elegant porcelain tableware on the potter's wheel or with handmade molds. Her work has been included in juried exhibitions across the United States, as well as a growing number of fine art and craft fairs.
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Deb Reutter
Deb received a Professional Development grant to continue her work with Larissa Loden, a Certified Professional Coach through iPEC, and local entrepreneur. Larissa has been Deb’s business coach since June 2024. Deb says “She has been a driving force of my business savvy and growth, and I intend to continue learning and growing with her.”
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Erika Hewston
Erika Hewston is a Pennsylvania-based textile artist creating handwoven works that range from finely crafted wearables to immersive fiber installations. Known for her vibrant gradient color palettes and richly tactile surfaces, she explores how color, texture, and space can transform the way we experience textiles. Her work has been exhibited internationally and in galleries throughout the United States.
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Connie Noftsier
Connie Noftsier is a self-taught contemporary fiber artist from Croghan, New York, creating hand-embroidered sculptures of nature, inspired by the Adirondacks. Her work is featured at the Adirondack Experience Museum and several galleries. A recipient of two New York State arts grants, she has embroidered for more than 53 years.
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Izzy Li Kostrzewa
Izzy Li Kostrzewa is a textile artist and designer dedicated to giving historic textiles new life and zero-waste processes. Their work combines East Asian textiles with a Solarpunk worldview, speaking to a unique Asian American upbringing and mixed cultural identity. Kostrzewa is from Mt. Pleasant, MI currently based in NYC.
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Jennifer Masley
Jennifer Masley is a part of a three-person curatorial collaboration with jewelry and metal artists Sulo Bee and Rae Richards, working under the collective name DUNG30Ndwellercult! After debuting their first exhibition at Pratt Institute’s Steuben Gallery during NYC Jewelry Week 2025, they are presenting a new iteration of this show at Munich Jewelry Week 2026 in March 2026. This grant will support travel from the U.S. to Munich, lodging expenses, and the shipping of artworks to Germany.
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Bhavani Arabandi
Bhavani Arabandi creates functional ceramics that turn everyday rituals into meaningful experiences, exploring how objects shape social life by structuring gathering, celebration, and connection. Her work celebrates women's agency using botanical motifs to honor the labor, beauty, and knowledge embedded in daily life — bridging her sociological research and artistic practice.
