From a pool of more than 230 incredibly talented makers, eight were honored with Awards of Excellence at our 2019 American Craft Show in St. Paul. This year we jazzed up our presentation with a short performance by the Tay Phuong Lions, a dance group focusing on a traditional form of dance commonly known as a lion dance. The lion dance has typically been performed to ward of bad spirits and bring good fortune.

Awards were given to metal artist and sculptor Mark Fischer (booth 718), whose work celebrates the deep roots of his Native American ancestry and generations of German metalwork passed down through his family, and David Alvarado (booth 225), who uses ethically sourced metals and gems in the making of his beautiful jewelry.

Fiber and embroidery artist  Verne Jidong Yan (booth 723) was recognized not only for his work, but also his warm and inviting presence and willingness to share his story and process with guests to his booth.

Jeweler and new ACC artist Bianca Abreu (booth 212-6) won the Award of Excellence for an emerging artist as part of our Hip Pop program. Abreu’s work stood out for her innovative use of materials, including color-changing glass.

This year, we also partnered with four local media-based organizations to recognize artists working in clay, fiber, glass, and wood. Selections were made by representatives from Northern Clay Center, Textile Center, Foci – Minnesota Center for Glass Arts, and the American Association of Woodturners.

Congratulations to ceramist Kris Marubayashi (booth 1202), the recipient of the Award of Excellence in Clay; jeweler artist Tamra Thomas-Gentry (booth 413), who received the Award of Excellence in Fiber; glass artist Nolan Prohaska (booth 403), recipient of the Award of Excellence in Glass; and furniture maker Craig Johnson of Studio Tupla (booth 409), the winner of the Award of Excellence in Wood.

Thanks to our wonderful partner organizations for their time and support of the show and the Awards of Excellence and to our jurors: Tamara Aupaumut, artist-in-residence at Two Rivers Gallery; Tea Rozman-Clark and Jessie Lee-Bauder from Green Card Voices; Kira Liu, program facilitator for iMatter youth movement; and Brenda Tran of Jungle AZN.

Congratulations to all of our recipients!