Lynda Watson Named to ACC’s College of Fellows

"2024 ACC Fellow Honoree Lynda Watson" with a portrait of Lynda Watson taken by rr jones and 2 images of her jewelry taken by rr jones

AMERICAN CRAFT COUNCIL ANNOUNCES AWARDS
HONORING DISTINCTION IN THE CRAFT FIELD

2024 Awards include The College of Fellows, Gold Medal for Consummate Craftsmanship, Award of Distinction, and Aileen Osborn Webb Award for Philanthropy

Minneapolis, MN (January 23, 2024) – The American Craft Council (ACC), a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing American craft, announced today the winners of its four major awards. This year marks the 54th year of the awards honoring individuals and organizations for exceptional artistic, scholarly and philanthropic contributions to the craft field.

First presented in 1970, and biennially since 2010, the ACC Awards include the College of Fellows, the Gold Medal for Consummate Craftsmanship, the Award of Distinction, and the Aileen Osborn Webb Award for Philanthropy. This year’s awards highlight 17 artists, curators and arts advocates and who continue to uplift traditions while advancing the boundaries and impact of contemporary craft.

ACC will celebrate this year’s honorees during a virtual ceremony in September of this year. Specific date, time, and details forthcoming.

Biennially, ACC accepts nominations for its awards, which typically come from the current Fellows and a guest list of nominators. Honorees are selected by an Awards Committee, comprised of past Fellows or Honorary Fellows, and are chosen based on professional accomplishments, achievements and support of the craft field.

“This cohort of honorees is an exceptional group of artists, educators and arts advocates who have dedicated themselves and their careers to not only their craft but the craft field as a whole,” said Andrea Specht, executive director, ACC. “Their impact on the arts community has and continues to shape the field and will continue to influence generations to come. We’re honored to recognize them for their contributions.”

“One of the most valuable aspects of the ACC Awards program is that it has a long history that deepens with every new award cycle,” shared Tom Loeser, ACC Fellow 2012, Awards Committee Chair and ACC Trustee. “This year the awardees are amazing, envelope-expanding, inspirational, and risk-taking creative forces. The American Craft Council is honored to celebrate this stellar group of awardees as they continue to create the evolving history of the craft field.”

ACC Awards programming is possible thanks to generous support from the Windgate Charitable Foundation.

Lynda Watson, of Santa Cruz, CA, is an artist specializing in jewelry who was awarded two individual National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships and was named Santa Cruz County Artist of the Year. In 2022, she was selected Master Metalsmith by the Metal Museum in Memphis, TN. 

Her work has been shown nationally and internationally and is in the permanent collections of museums here and abroad. It has appeared in numerous books and periodicals and a catalog of her work was recently published by the Metal Museum.

Lynda is a long time member of the Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild

2024 ACC AWARD HONOREES

Visit the ACC website at craftcouncil.org for more information about all the honorees

GOLD MEDAL FOR CONSUMMATE CRAFTSMANSHIP

Nick Cave (Chicago, IL)
Wendy Maruyama (San Diego, CA)
Anne Wilson (Evanston, IL)

COLLEGE OF FELLOWS
Syd Carpenter (Philadelphia, PA)
Michael A. Cummings (New York City, NY)
Einar and Jamex De La Torre (San Diego, CA)
Yuri Kobayashi (Camden, ME)
Mark Newport (Hamtramck, MI)
Michael Puryear (Shokan, NY)
Diego Romero (Santa Fe, NM)
Lynda Watson (Santa Cruz, CA)

HONORARY FELLOWS

Diana Baird N’Diaye, Ph.D. (Cheverly, MD), Cultural Specialist and Curator, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Cindi Strauss (Houston, TX), Sara and Bill Morgan Curator of Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design, Museum of Fine Arts Houston

AWARD OF DISTINCTION

JoAnn Edwards (San Francisco, CA),Co-Founder and Executive Director, Museum of Craft and Design

Carol Sauvion (Beverly Hills, CA),Founder and Director, Craft in America

AILEEN OSBORN WEBB AWARD FOR PHILANTHROPY 

Charles “Chuck” Duddingston (Minneapolis, MN)

American Craft Council (ACC) is a national nonprofit working to keep the craft community connected, inspired, and thriving. Founder Aileen Osborn Webb recognized the significant impact craft has on individuals and communities and established the nonprofit to preserve, cultivate, and celebrate this communal heritage. Eighty years later, the organization’s efforts span the nation. ACC shares stories and amplifies voices through American Craft magazine and other online content, creates marketplace events that support artists and connect people to craft, and celebrates craft’s legacy through longstanding awards and a unique research library. A range of other programs creates space for dialogue and action—because ACC believes craft can bring us together as people. Learn more at craftcouncil.org

Art of 10 Guild Members in Local Gallery Show

Pajaro Vallley Arts Presents "Out of the Fire" curated by Susana Arias and Judy Stabile, this show postcard lists the hours and times for the gallery and the opening reception in Watsonville, California. Metal artists, glass artists and more are on exhibit and for sale

Pajaro Valley Arts new Out of the Fire exhibition and sale features all types of art “created using fire as a transformative tool in the making of the work.

The Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild is happy 10 of our Guild members are in this show! The artists are: Ron Baldwin, Lynette Cederquist, Helene Daniels, Kirk McNeill, Melissa Offutt, Cynthia Starkey, Lynne Todaro, Rebecca Wallace, Lynda Watson and Mary Weeks! Congratulations!

The juried exhibit features 55 local artists.

The show runs from August 9, 2023 – September 14, 2023
Opening reception from 2 – 4pm on Sunday August 13, 2023

Pajaro Valley Arts, 35 Sudden St, Watsonville CA
Open 11 am – 4pm Wed – Sunday

Guild Artist in Invitational Exhibit at Cabrillo College

Cabrillo College gallery 12 x 12 exhibit details with a 12x12 visual and a photo of Ron Baldwin's sculpture

Visit the Cabrillo College art gallery to see guild member Ron Baldwin’s latest creation.
Ron is one of the artists selected for exhibition in the annual 12×12 (x12): An Open Invitational Exhibit.

The 12 x 12 (x 12) Invitational Exhibition is on view now through December 9, 2022.

Gallery Hours:
Mon -Fri 9am-4pm
Extended Hours Wed. + Thurs 6-8pm

Cabrillo College Gallery
Library 1002 bldg/room, 6500 Soquel Dr., Aptos, CA 95003

Ron Baldwin’s piece is one of those which were chosen for their sculptural qualities.

Ron Baldwin
DIS HIC 2022
Found object, mixed media

ABOUT Cabrillo College’s annual exhibition, 12 x 12 (x 12): An Open Invitational:
All California artists are welcome to participate in this exhibition, making it a truly inclusive celebration of the diversity of our fantastic creative community of artists.

Showcasing work from high school students to seasoned professional artists, the exhibition is open to all media: drawing, printmaking, painting, photography, digital media and fabrication, sculpture, ceramics, fiber, woodworking, metalworking, glass —just about anything goes, as long as the work is 12 x 12 inches. The gallery will award People’s Choice cash prizes to three participants who are selected by the viewing audience.