ANNOUNCING THE 2024 HONOREES

MEET OUR SPRING CRAFT WEEKEND HONOREES THIS MAY IN WASHINGTON, DC

JRACraft is thrilled to present the four distinguished artists who will be honored at this year's 2024 Spring Craft Weekend. These artists have been carefully selected for their significant contributions within the realm of craft. Join us as they offer insights into their work and experiences during the Grounded in Craft: Honoree Symposium, a public presentation at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC. Later in the evening, honorees will be formally presented their awards at the Floral Affair: Garden Gala, hosted at the American Geophysical Union (AGU.) Registration is now open. 

Learn more about the honorees below. ​

LEARN ABOUT SPRING CRAFT WEEKEND

SPRING CRAFT WEEKEND HONOREES

DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR AWARD

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. 

MASTER OF THE MEDIUM AWARDS

​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 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.

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.  
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One-of-a-kind award

This year, Spring Craft Weekend will honor Gwen and Jerome Paulson for their significant contributions to JRACraft. They joined the organization in 1987, with Jerome assuming the role of president from 1989 - 1991. During his presidency, our well know Caucus Membership was founded and we hosted some of our earliest trips. 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. 

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