For the first time in the history of JRACraft, we will honor Masters of the Medium and Distinguished Educators in the same year! To encourage dynamic conversation and recognize the blurring of medium-based boundaries, we will highlight a mix of 3-5 Masters of the Medium and Distinguished Educators each year, starting with the 2023 Spring Craft Weekend titled "On View / What's New."

JRACraft has been recognizing excellence at Spring Craft Weekend since 1997, when the Master of the Medium award was founded. Since then, some of the most significant American Craft artists and educators have been honored including Harvey Littleton, Arline Fisch, Peter Voulkous, Wendy Maruyama, Lenore Tawney, Albert Paley and Joyce Scott.
​

The JRACraft Master of the Medium Award is demonstrated by excellence in craftsmanship, influence on a craft medium and overall contribution to the craft field.

The JRACraft Distinguished Craft Educator Award is based on the recipient’s reputation for excellence and innovation in education, influence on future and significant contributions to American education in the craft field.​

Nominations are due Wednesday, October 19, 2022.
​There is no limit on how many nominations you submit and nominations will be kept for consideration in future years. 
​

​​In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the James Renwick Alliance for Craft renewed its commitment to expanding the museum’s collection with the Renwick Gallery 50th Anniversary Acquisitions Fund. The fund was part of JRACraft’s long history of supporting acquisitions, including iconic pieces like Karen LaMonte’s Reclining Dress Impression with Drapery, Judy McKie’s Monkey Settee, and Game Fish by Larry Fuentes. 
 
Thanks to the generosity of the donors listed on this page and others, the Fund raised more than $157,000 in contributions and direct donations to the museum to purchase works identified by the Renwick Gallery curators as part of the campaign.  This was the second-largest fundraising campaign in JRACraft’s history, exceeded only by the campaign to support the renovation of the Renwick Gallery.
 
In the end, the fund supported the acquisition of seven new works, including four by BIPOC artists and three by women.  Pieces by David Harper Clemons, Susie Ganch, Mariko Kusumoto, Roberto Lugo, and Paul Scott are the first pieces by these artists to enter the museum’s permanent collection, and the seventh piece, by Rachel David is her first work to join any major collection.  The campaign also facilitated direct donations to the museum for the acquisitions of four other works. We are delighted to be able to support this original and exciting art. The pieces JRACraft supported are:
 
David Harper Clemons, The Weight of Deferred Gratification. Clemons was a 2021 JRACraft Master of the Medium.
 
Susie Ganch, Drag. This piece was donated in honor of Robyn Kennedy, former head administrator of the Renwick Gallery.
 
Mariko Kusomoto, Seascape 1.
 
Roberto Lugo, Juicy.
 
Preston Singletary, Safe Journey. Singletary was a 2021 JRACraft Master of the Medium.
 
Paul Scott, Cumbrian Blue(s), from the New America series.
 
Rachel David, new commissioned work. David was the winner of the JRACraft 2021 Chrysalis Award for emerging artists.
 
The works by Roberto Lugo, Preston Singletary, Susie Ganch, and David Harper Clemons are on view now at the Renwick Gallery as part of its 50th anniversary exhibition, This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, running through April 2, 2023, along with many other works donated by JRACraft and its members.

We thank the donors listed below for being a part of this historic and unprecedented moment in craft history.
​

​DIAMOND ($10,000 or more)
Nedra & Peter Agnew
Fleur Bresler
Michele Manatt & Wolfram Anders
Gwen & Jerry Paulson
​
GOLD ($5,000 to $7,499)
Janice & Harvey Berger
Jere Gibber & J.G. Harrington
Sharon Karmazin
Chris Rifkin
Irene & Bob Sinclair

SILVER ($2,500 to $4,999)
Sharon & Bob Buchanan
Miriam & Leon Ellsworth
​Brenda Erickson
​Anne Mehringer
​& Terry Beaty
Bonnie & Gil Schwartz
Bobbie Van Haeften
Mikki Van Wyk
​
BRONZE ($1,000 to $2,499)
Char Beales
​Barbara & Arnold* Berlin
Susan & Steven Bralove
​Diane Charnov
Elizabeth Doyle
Marilyn Falik
Jan & Carl Fisher
Marsha Gold
Carol and Joe Green
Marsha Gold
Jaimianne Jacobin
Mickey & Stephen Kurzbard
Sandy & Norman Mitchell
Michael Monroe
Karen & Michael Rotenberg
Susan & Fred Sanders
​Jeffrey Spahn
Lenel Srochi-Meyerhoff & John Meyerhoff
​​Jackie Urow
Pati Young

PARTNER ($500 to $999)
Susan Buffone
Rebecca Cross
​Leslie Ferrin
​Betsy Holland
Randi Jacobs*
Clemmer Montague
Carol Terris
​​Andrea & Joe Uravitch
Barbara Wolanin​

​SUPPORTER ($250 to $499)
Eileen Doughty
​​Leslie & Bruce Lane
Nikki O'Neill
Lynda & Gary Slayen​
 
FRIEND ($100 to $249)
​Rody Baron
Paddy Benson
Lynn Chadwick
Christie Davis
Tina Heller
Michael Janis
Aletta Schaap
Anne Swanson
Tim Tate

Gail Tremblay (Mi’kmaq and Onondaga), When Will the Red Leader Overshadow Images of the 19th-Century Noble Savage in Hollywood Films that Some Think Are Sympathetic to American Indians, 2018, 35mm film from Windwalker (1981), red and white leader, and silver braid, overall: 15 1/2 x diam. 14 7/8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by Ms. Brenda Erickson in honor of the James Renwick Alliance, 2021.11 © 2018, Gail E. Tremblay, Photo Courtesy of Froelick Gallery

​Susie Ganch, Drag, 2012–13, collected detritus and steel, 32 x 32 x 132 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance in honor of Robyn Kennedy, 2021.81 © 2014, Susie Ganch, Photo by David Hale, Courtesy of Sienna Patti Contemporary

Roberto Lugo, Juicy, 2021, glazed stoneware with enamel paint and luster, 19 7/8 x 13 3/8 x 9 3/8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery and the 40th anniversary of the Alliance, 2021.68 ©2020, Roberto Lugo, Image by Dominic Episcopo courtesy of Wexler Gallery

Chawne Kimber, still not, 2019, machine-pieced, hand-quilted, hand-bound mid-century fabric, quilting cotton, and denim with cotton sashiko thread, 71 ¼ x 69 1/8 in., Museum purchase made possible by Nedra and Peter Agnew in honor of the James Renwick Alliance, 2021.83 ©2019, Chawne Kimber, Photo by Lee Stalsworth – Fine Art Through Photography

Preston Singletary (Tlingit), Safe Journey, 2021, cast and sand-carved glass on wooden pedestal, chest: 14 7/8 x 27 1/8 x 16 3/8 in., lid: 3 7/8 x 27 1/2 x 16 7/8 in., pedestal: 45 5/8 x 28 3/8 x 17 1/2 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery and the 40th anniversary of the Alliance, and museum purchase through the Kenneth R. Trapp Acquisition Fund, 2021.82A-C © Preston Singletary Studio, photography by Russell Johnson

Aram Han Sifuentes, Otro Mundo Es Posible, 2017, felt and fusible web on cotton; checkout card, banner: 42 7/8 x 42 1/2 in., card: 4 x 6 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible through Jaimianne and Anthony Jacobin in honor of the James Renwick Alliance, 2021.36 © 2017, Aram Han Sifuentes, Photo by Lee Stalsworth – Fine Art Through Photography

​Learn about craft exhibitions and events by receiving the James Renwick Alliance eNewsletter or by visiting our Community Craft Calendar. 

​89th Annual NH Craftsmen’s Fair, August 6-14
Mount Suapee Resort, Newbury, NH, www.nhcrafts.org
 
Penland School of Craft 37th Annual Benefit Auction, August 26,27
Online Auction, August 28 – September 2
Mark Peiser, 2022 Honored Artist Educator
Penland NC, www.penland.org
 
American Pottery Festival, September 2-4
Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN, www.northernclaycenter.org
 
Mud Ball 2022, September 16
Sponsored by the Clay Studio
Philadelphia, PA, www.theclaystudio.org
 
Maine Craft Weekend, October 1,2
Maine Crafts Association, www.mainecrafts.org
 
Goldsmiths’ Fair 2022, September 27 – October 9
Sponsored by the Goldsmiths’ Company
Goldsmiths’ Hall, London, UK,

Watershed Ceramics Salad Days, July 9
Plates by Grace Tessein
Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, Edgecomb, ME, www.watershedceramics.org
 
Anderson Ranch Recognition Week, July 11-16
Artist Honoree: Yinka Shonibare
Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass, CO, www.andersonranch.org
​

Erica Warren is a curator and scholar with over ten years’ experience working in museums and teaching. From 2016-2022, she was a curator of textiles at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she organized and curated the critically acclaimed exhibitions Bisa Butler: Portraits and Weaving beyond the Bauhaus. Her research has been published in journals and exhibition catalogues, most recently her essay "Beyond Weaving: Transdisciplinarity and the Bauhaus Weaving Workshop," appeared in Textile: The Journal of Cloth and Culture, and she contributed to and edited the catalogue Bisa Butler: Portraits.

As a complement to her curatorial pursuits, Erica has taught courses at the University of Chicago, Drexel University, and the Tyler School of Art, Temple University. She earned her PhD in art history from the University of Minnesota and has participated in the Attingham Summer School.

Please email Erica at ​Editor@jra.org with submissions or for more information if you are interested in writing a craft related article. 

Applications for the 15th Annual JRA Day are now available! Artists interested in participating must submit a completed Artist Contract form by July 15 to reserve a space. Artists must provide at least three high quality images of work and a 50-100 word bio. 

JRA Day is an annual craft show organized by JRACraft. Each year we host artists across all the craft media who display and sell their art work under one roof. It is one of our most anticipated events! 

Note: The application is a fillable PDF file, which can be downloaded and emailed to the JRA Day co-chair. Instructions and the email address are included in the application. 

Ceramics by Christine Goh

The Summer issue of American Craft magazine is out now and on the cover is Rachel David, our very own 2021 Chrysalis Awardee! Rachel's work as an accomplished blacksmith artist is highlighted in this issue along with other craft artists who are "making their own way, transforming what they think needs to be transformed, and reimagining craft" says American Craft editor in chief, Karen Olson. Read the full article here. 

We just had the pleasure of honoring Rachel in Washington, DC during our Spring Craft Weekend at the beginning of May and learning more about her recent commission for the Renwick Gallery.

Click here to see Rachel David presenting her work in conversation with JRACraft executive director, Jaimianne Jacobin. 

​To view more of Rachel David's work or recieve updates from her studio, visit ​www.redmetal.net/

Every year JRACraft awards an artist for their innovative use of materials presenting at the ACC's American Craft Made fair at the Baltimore Convention Center. This year, two artists were presented with awards and prize money for their innovative work in craft. 

Jonah calls himself a "material alchemist," which is a perfect description. In his hands paper towel rolls, cotton swabs, styrofoam, bits of textiles, and other substances not ordinarily found in wall art, such as oatmeal and quinoa, are deftly transformed into lavish organic shapes that evoke galaxies, tree roots, oceanscapes or other worlds unknown.
The jurors admired Jonah's fearless and innovative use of non-traditional materials to create beautiful work in a sustainable way. ​https://www.jonahjacobs.com

Yarina Dai is a student artist from the Rochester Institute of Technology who is known for her ethereal and spiritual wearable sculpture. "The pieces the jurors admired most could not be more grounded, literally. Dirt and living plants burst out of small sculptural containers that are worn on the body," said award chair, Rebecca Ravenal. Sharing an intimate space with these fragile seedlings emphasizes the wearer's complicated relationship to the natural world and is an innovative way to remind us of our responsibility to the earth. 
​https://www.yarinadai.com 

Additional prize money for our honorable mention was provided by JRACraft member Pati Young​

JRACraft Innovation award winner, Jonah Jacobs 

JRACraft Innovation award's honorable mention, Yarina Dai