SPRING CRAFT WEEKEND: A GARDEN GALA

5/4/2024

FLORAL AFFAIR: A GARDEN GALA
SATURDAY, MAY 4 | 5:30PM - 9:00PM | AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
2000 FLORIDA AVE NW, DC 20009
$405/PERSON | $100/PERSON FOR AFTER HOURS 7:30pm-9pm
FREE FOR SPRING CRAFT WEEKEND PATRONS
event chaired by laurel lukaszewski with assistance from rebecca ravenal

Step into a world of larger than life florals, at our Saturday night Garden Gala. Surround yourself with the beauty of the natural world as you enjoy drinks and a multi-course farm fresh dinner.

After dinner, enjoy the awards ceremony to honor our esteemed 2024 honorees, educator Susie Ganch, ceramicist Steven Young Lee, fiber artist Marilyn Pappas, and glass artist Beth Lipman followed by our One-of-a-Kind awardees Jerome and Gwen Paulson.

Gala guests and after-hour attendees enjoy sunset city views as we conclude the evening with a sparkling rooftop toast and a dessert buffet.

Scroll down to see photos from last year's Spring Craft Weekend Gala!

Floral inspired cocktail attire encouraged. Self-parking is available on the street and in the Colonial Parking Garage directly across the street from the American Geophysical Union Center. Public transportation is available with the closest metro station being Dupont Circle on the Red Line, about three blocks south of the venue.

SUSIE GANCH
DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR

Susie Ganch is a sculptor, jeweler, and educator at Virginia Commonwealth University where she is head of the Metal Program and Associate Professor. She is the founder of the Radical Jewelry Makeover, a pioneering project in jewelry mining and recycling that spans across the country and internationally. Ganch's work is rooted in issues of waste and cultural consumption. In 2023, JRACraft purchased her piece "Drag" for the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery.

MARILYN PAPPAS
MASTER OF THE MEDIUM

Fiber artist Marilyn Pappas delves into ideals of the human form and beauty through her life-sized embroidered textiles and three-dimensional stitched forms. In 2022, her remarkable 60-year career was celebrated with a retrospective at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA. Her work can be found in the collections of the Asheville Art Museum in North Carolina, the De Young Museum in San Francisco, and the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery, among others.

BETH LIPMAN
MASTER OF THE MEDIUM

Beth Lipman is best known for her glass still-life installations which symbolize the grandeur of the Anthropocene. Her work seeks to reimagine history and highlight the fragility of the present alongside the enduring persistence of life. Lipman has received various awards such as the USA Berman Bloch Fellowship, and the Pollock Krasner Grant. Her work has been acquired by numerous museums including the Corning Glass Museum in New York, the North Carolina Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery.

STEVEN YOUNG LEE
MASTER OF THE MEDIUM

Steven Young Lee served as the Resident Artist Director of the Archie Bray Center for Ceramic Arts for 15 years and is currently the Director Emeritus and Special Projects Manager. Lee has maintained an active studio practice and has lectured extensively in North America and Asia. In the Fall of 2016 he was one of four artists featured as part of the Invitational at the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery. His work has been collected by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, the Portland Art Museum, the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery, and many public and private collections.

GWEN AND JEROME PAULSON
ONE-OF-A-KIND AWARDEES

Gwen and Jerome Paulson joined JRACraft in 1987, with Jerome assuming the role of president from 1989 through 1991. During his presidency, JRACraft's well know Caucus Membership was founded and JRACraft began hosting trips, to great success. Gwen has spent her time as a dedicated volunteer for JRACraft, hosting dozens of Spring Craft Weekend honorees and organizing events. The couple, avid glass and wood enthusiasts, have not only shared a passion for collecting, but have also played a crucial role in the formation of the Alliance.

Join us at the Gala as we honor the truly one of a kind!

If you can not join us, consider supporting JRACraft by making a donation in honor our awardees.

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