American Craft Council presents
ACC Conference
October 13 – 15, 2016
Kaneko
Omaha, Nebraska
#accpt16
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American Craft Council
“Present Tense”
WELCOME
PRESENT
TENSE
ACC Conference
& 2016 ACC Awards
Nick Cave,
2016 ACC Fellow
Soundsuit
Photo: James Prinz
Photography
Welcome to “Present Tense,”
the 12th national conference
of the American Craft
Council for the fields of
contemporary craft, design,
and the applied arts. We
are pleased and honored
to have the opportunity
to gather at Kaneko, an
organization that shares
our mission to explore and
encourage creativity and the
process of making. Kaneko’s
space is an interdisciplinary
center for creativity located
in the heart of downtown
Omaha, Nebraska, and its
current exhibition, “Passion
& Obsession: From the
Collection,” creates an
inspiring environment as we
consider topics that impact
our collective future.
“Present Tense”
5
American Craft Council
Chris Amundsen
Every day at the American Craft
Council, we see how craft – the
simple act of making – adds
meaning to the world. Making
matters. It is as simple as that.
And as champions of craft, we
feel a responsibility to preserve
the nearly 75-year legacy of the
ACC in serving the community of
contemporary craft. By bringing
together the many voices of
makers and craft enthusiasts
in this vibrant community at
“Present Tense,” we are collectively
challenging, preparing, and
inspiring continued dialogue and
collaboration for the future.
“Present Tense” will explore the
tensions between old and new,
traditional and contemporary,
and past and future as it affects
our field today. You will have the
opportunity to meet, communicate,
and cooperate on issues and
critical themes affecting our
field, including: apprenticeship,
education, institutional leadership,
process, community, interpretation,
and criticism. Shaped around
a unique cross-disciplinary
perspective on the here and now
of craft, “Present Tense” will offer
attendees a critical exchange of
ideas and an opportunity to share
their expertise and perspective.
I am thrilled to explore the intergenerational exchange of ideas,
priorities, and prerogatives with
you and invite you to also join us
in recognizing ACC’s national award
winners at the American Craft
Council Awards ceremony and
reception on October 14 from
7 - 10 p.m.
We could not have brought this
event to life without our members,
donors, volunteers, staff, trustees,
and community partners. A special
thank you to our conference
speakers and moderators, our
generous sponsors, Kathryn
LeBaron, Robert Duncan, Jun and
Ree Kaneko, and the entire Kaneko
team. As we begin the conference,
we want to thank you for joining us
and sharing in our vision: a world
where everyone is inspired to live a
creative life.
Chris Amundsen
Executive Director
American Craft Council
American Craft Council
“Present Tense”
SPONSORS
7
Thank you to the following
individuals and businesses for
their generous support:
LEADER ($5,000 – $9,999)
SUPPORTER ($2,500 – $4,999)
The Balvenie Single Malt
Scotch Whisky
Henry Davis
Chuck and Andrea Duddingston
Carol Gendler
OVERALL SPONSOR
Lorne Lassiter and Gary Ferraro
Holland Foundation
Windgate Charitable Foundation
Lois Russell
Rotasa Foundation
Shepard Exposition Services
VISIONARY ($10,000 – $15,000)
Anonymous
Karen and Robert Duncan
Dr. Amy Haddad & Steve Martin,
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska
Hamann Charitable Fund
Schiffer Publishing
Patricia A. Young
Polina and Bob Schlott
U.S. Bank
Stephen Wake
Barbara Waldman and
Dennis Winger
IN-KIND
Molly Hatch
Todd Merrill Studio
Whole Foods Market, Nebraska
Kathryn and Marc LeBaron
Mammel Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
Omaha Steaks
Richard Brooke Foundation
Martha and David Slosburg
Annette and Paul Smith
Katie Weitz, PhD
American Craft Council
“Present Tense”
MOLLY HATCH
PLATE WALL
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ACC extends its sincere
gratitude to artist Molly Hatch
for creating a commemorative
installation of her work
specifically for our conference.
ACC would also like to
thank Todd Merrill Studio for
sponsoring this work of art.
“For my wall piece titled SCOPE, I worked with
the ACC to research its library archives to find
source imagery. In my research, I responded to
the consistent graphic nature of the past covers
of Craft Horizons. To create a cohesive work
with a clear overall design, I chose to remove the
color from the original cover designs, creating
a monochromatic installation. This way, each
plate within the work stands on its own and as a
part of the larger image when installed.”
– Molly Hatch
About Molly Hatch: Since 2008, Hatch’s designs
have expanded beyond tableware and her
one-of-a-kind artwork to a range of lifestyle
products. With three forthcoming books and
collaborations with more than 15 brand
partners, she is building her collections of home
goods to bring her modern designs to the
contemporary home.
Opposite:
inspiration for Molly Hatch
American Craft Council
All events take place at Kaneko unless otherwise noted.
Check the Engage & Explore! handout for specific times and additional
programs happening throughout the conference.
** Indicates two activities and choices to be made.
Thursday, October 13
**
12 – 4 p.m. Registration - Main Hall
Engage & Explore! - Main Hall/Library Lab
4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Icebreaker - 2nd Floor, Conversation Cafe
6 – 7 p.m. Opening Reception - Main Hall/Library Lab
7 – 8 p.m. Featured Speaker: Otto von Busch - Main Stage
Opposite:
Jun Kaneko
Wave Wall (detail), 2001
fused glass, 78 x 101 x 150 in.
SCHEDULE
“Present Tense”
CONFERENCE
SCHEDULE
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** Indicates two activities and choices to be made.
Friday, October 14
Saturday, October 15
**
**
8 – 9 a.m. Coffee and registration - Main Hall
Engage & Explore! - Main Hall/Library Lab
9 – 9:30 a.m. Welcome - Main Stage
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Moderated Session: Apprenticeship and Education Main Stage
**
10:30 – 10:45 a.m. Brain Teaser - Main Stage
10:45 – 11:10 a.m. Break
Engage & Explore! - Main Hall/Library Lab
**
11:10 – 11:50 a.m. Featured Speaker: Tino Chow - Main Stage
12 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch
Engage & Explore! - Main Hall/Library Lab
9 – 9:15 a.m. Welcome - Main Stage
9:15 – 10 a.m. Moderated Session: Criticism and Writing Main Stage
10 – 10:15 a.m. Brain Teaser - Main Stage
** 10:15 – 10:30 a.m. Break
Engage & Explore! - Main Hall/Library Lab
10:30 – 11:15 a.m. Featured Speaker: Sonya Clark - Main Stage
**11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Lunch
Common-Interest Conversation 2nd Floor, Conversation Cafe
Common-Interest Conversation - 2nd Floor,
Conversation Cafe
Engage & Explore! - Main Hall/Library Lab
Engage & Explore! - Main Hall/Library Lab
1:30 – 2:15 p.m. Moderated Session: Museum and Interpretation - Main Stage
2:15 – 2:30 p.m. Brain Teaser - Main Stage
2:30 – 3:15 p.m. Moderated Session: Institutional Leadership Main Stage
American Craft Council
8 – 9 a.m. Coffee and registration - Main Hall
12:45 – 1:30 p.m. Moderated Session: Process - Main Stage
1:30 – 1:45 p.m. Brain Teaser - Main Stage
1:45 – 2:30 p.m. Moderated Session: Community - Main Stage
**
2:30 – 4 p.m. Common-Interest Conversation A Place at the Table - 2nd Floor, Conversation Cafe
**
3:15 – 5 p.m. Common-Interest Conversation 2nd Floor, Conversation Cafe
Engage & Explore! - Main Hall/Library Lab
Engage & Explore! - Main Hall/Library Lab
4 – 4:30 p.m. Closing Featured Speaker: Jessica Hische Main Stage
6:30 p.m. Doors open for Awards Ceremony
7 – 10 p.m. ACC Awards Ceremony and Reception Main Hall/Main Stage
4:30 – 5 p.m. Sense of the Meeting: Stuart Kestenbaum Main Stage
SCHEDULE
“Present Tense”
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15
American Craft Council
Craft: Capabilities, Controversies,
and Critique
Much time and effort have been spent over the years to
define what craft really is, but not to much avail. Perhaps
it is better to discuss what craft can do. Von Busch
will share some of his work and thoughts on the topic
and raise some concerns. Can craft challenge, critique,
manipulate? And can it also inquire, empower, liberate?
Otto von Busch is an associate professor of integrated
design at Parsons School of Design. He explores how
design and craft can be reverse-engineered, hacked,
and shared among many people as a form of civic
engagement. Many of his projects show how design
can mobilize communities through collaborative
craft and social activism in the support of social
sustainability, peace, and ultimately justice.
Moderated Session
Friday
9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Sponsored by
Karen and Robert
Duncan
Photo: Aaron Zavitz
Apprenticeship and Education
Topics include: How has craft education evolved?
What resonates from our past – and what is on the
horizon? By what standards do we determine success
in craft education? How do we use craft as a practice
to become global thinkers? What role does the
emergence of de-skilling and material de-specialization
have on the training of future educators?
Moderators:
Miguel Gómez-Ibáñez is the president of North Bennet
Street School. Gómez-Ibáñez is a nationally recognized
designer and studio furniture maker whose work
has been featured in numerous journals, and he has
exhibited in galleries and museums across the country.
He is a past president of the Furniture Society and now
serves on the boards of the Boston Society of Arts and
Crafts, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and ACC.
PROGRAM
“Present Tense”
PROGRAM
Featured Speaker:
Otto von Busch
Thursday
7 – 8 p.m.
Sonya Clark is chair of the Craft and Material Studies
Department at Virginia Commonwealth University.
She has an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art
and was awarded their first Mid-career Distinguished
Alumni Award. She is the recipient of numerous awards
including a United States Artists fellowship. Her work
is exhibited in more than 300 museums and galleries
worldwide. Don’t miss Sonya Clark’s featured speaker
talk on Saturday from 10:30 – 11:15 a.m. on the Main Stage.
American Craft Council
Speakers:
Nancy Callan is a glassblower in Seattle. She holds a
BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and has
participated in residencies at the Museum of Glass, the
Toledo Museum of Art, the Pittsburgh Glass Center,
and the Chrysler Museum. She’s represented by Traver
Gallery, Schantz Galleries, and Blue Rain Gallery. Her
work is in the Museum of Glass, Corning Museum of
Glass, and Shanghai Museum of Glass, among others,
and in private collections.
Paul Sacaridiz is the executive director of the Haystack
Mountain School of Crafts and a member of the
International Academy of Ceramics. He served on the
NCECA board, and was professor and chair in the
Department of Art at the University of WisconsinMadison. His work has been included in exhibitions at
the Charles Allis Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum
of Art, the Denver Art Museum, and the Houston Center
for Contemporary Craft, among others.
Mark Shapiro is a potter and a frequent workshop
leader, lecturer, curator, and writer. His work was
featured in the 4th World Ceramics Biennial in Icheon,
Korea, and is held in many public collections. His artist
interviews are in the Smithsonian Archives of American
Art. Shapiro is a founding member of POW! (Pots on
Wheels!) and is director of the Apprenticelines Project.
Rosanne Somerson is a furniture designer-maker,
educator, and Rhode Island School of Design’s
president. She consults and maintains a creative
practice, designing and creating furniture for exhibitions
and commissions. She has received numerous
awards for her work as a designer, artist, and teacher,
most recently the Award of Distinction for lifetime
achievement in the field of studio furniture by the
Furniture Society. She is an ACC Fellow and the subject
of an interview that is part of the Smithsonian Archives
of American Art.
Brain Teaser
Friday
10:30 – 10:45 a.m.
ACC Archives: Inside the Film and Video
Vault of the ACC Library
View a montage of our favorite clips, discovered
while digitizing the American Craft Council Library and
Archives.
The American Craft Council Library and Archives
maintains the most comprehensive collection of print
and visual material on American studio craft in the
country and includes books, catalogues, periodicals,
and files on individual artists. In addition to the Council
archives (1941–present), the ACC Library houses the
archives for the Museum of Contemporary Crafts/
American Craft Museum (now the Museum of Arts
and Design) from 1956–1990, the World Crafts Council
(1964–present), and the Craft Students League of New
York (1932–2005).
PROGRAM
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Featured Speaker:
Tino Chow
Friday
11:10 – 11:50 a.m.
The Future is Built on Creativity
and Collaboration
The internet has made it easy to share ideas and
collect individual accolades, furthering the age of
individualism. However, as the African proverb goes:
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go
far, go together.” As we recognize the limits of our
individual craft and creativity, we must shift our
mindset towards collaborative individualism.
Tino Chow is a designer, entrepreneur, and team
builder who served in the Singaporean military as
an officer before attending Rhode Island School of
Design. He is the co-founder of the “Better World by
Design” conference. Chow was a TED Fellow in 2009.
After working in branding and marketing agencies in
New York and start-ups in Silicon Valley, he relocated
back to the east coast to build Giant Shoulders, a
collaborative agency.
Moderated Session
Friday
1:30 – 2:15 p.m.
American Craft Council
Sponsored by
Kathryn and
Marc LeBaron
Museum and Interpretation
Topics include: The impact of curators focused on
craft in museums, perspectives on museums from small
to large, how craft shifts and impacts exhibition and
museum practices, curatorial authorship (institutional
and individual), and shifts in craft and museums.
Moderator:
Namita Gupta Wiggers is a curator, writer, and
educator based in Portland, Oregon. She is the director
and co-founder of Critical Craft Forum. From 20042014, Wiggers was curator and later chief curator and
director of the Museum of Contemporary Craft. She
is an adjunct instructor for the MFA Applied Craft
+ Design program, jointly run by Oregon College of
Art and Craft, Pacific Northwest College of Art, and
Portland State University. She is the reviews editor for
the Journal of Modern Craft, on the editorial board of
Garland, and on the boards of ACC and the Center for
Craft, Creativity & Design. Namita is the editor of the
forthcoming Companion on Contemporary Craft.
Speakers:
Tina Oldknow is an independent curator and art
historian specializing in contemporary art, craft, and
design in glass. Oldknow retired in 2015 after 15 years as
the senior curator of modern and contemporary glass
at the Corning Museum of Glass. She has curated more
than 30 exhibitions, written extensively about glass,
served as editor of the Glass Art Society Journal, and
edited the Corning Museum’s annual New Glass Review
with Richard Price. She holds an MA in art history from
the University of Pennsylvania and was inducted into
ACC’s College of Fellows as an Honorary Fellow in 2014.
Anna Walker is the Windgate Foundation curatorial
Fellow for contemporary craft at the Museum of
Fine Arts, Houston, where she is responsible for the
exhibition, research, and publication of the craft
collection, the proposal of acquisitions, and the
development of a long-term collections strategy. Her
most recent curatorial projects include “#F*nked!”
at the Kansas City Art Institute in conjunction with
NCECA 2016, “Urban Ecologies” at the Galveston
Arts Center, and “Home: The 2015 Furniture Society
Members Exhibition” in North Carolina.
PROGRAM
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Brain Teaser
Friday
2:15 – 2:30 p.m.
Craft in America: “Teachers”
(featuring Therman Statom)
crafts. He is a published writer and has served as a
juror for more than 125 national and international art
competitions and fellowship awards. In 2012, he was
inducted as an Honorary Fellow into ACC’s College of
Fellows and now serves on ACC’s board.
Film segment featuring Therman Statom, glass artist
and ACC Fellow, in the Craft in America “Teachers”
episode exploring artists committed to sharing skills
and passion for craft with a new generation.
Speakers:
Fabio Fernández is the executive director of the
Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston. Prior to that, he
was an associate curator at Cranbrook Art Museum
and received his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Fernández has shaped national exhibitions including
“The Theater of Repetition: Slipcast Ceramics,” “POP
Craft,” and “Wendy Maruyama: Executive Order 9066.”
He is a Haystack Mountain School of Crafts trustee.
Craft in America is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit with
a mission to promote and advance original handcrafted
work in all mediums.
Therman Statom is a glass artist in Omaha. Statom is
best known for his painted ladders, houses, and chairs
constructed out of plate glass, blown-glass objects,
plywood, and found objects. Much of the latter half of
Statom’s career has been focused on the importance
of educational programming within the arts. He has
a deep interest in workshops as catalysts for social
change. Working directly with Statom, adults and
children alike share an experience of artmaking.
American Craft Council
Moderated Session
Friday
2:30 – 3:15 p.m.
Jean McLaughlin has served as the executive
director of Penland School of Crafts for 18 years. She
has created new and improved studio facilities for
numerous disciplines and established the school on
the National Register of Historic Places. She has served
on the boards of CERF+ and the Center for Craft,
Creativity & Design, and she is currently on the boards
of the North Carolina Arts Council and ACC.
Institutional Leadership
Topics include: The changing responsibilities for
leadership in craft institutions, generational shifts
among leaders, and challenges and opportunities
facing current leadership. Take the pulse of some of
those in the trenches, and peek behind the curtain
of these challenging jobs and their effects on the craft
field and its future.
Moderator:
Bruce W. Pepich is the executive director and curator
of collections at the Racine Art Museum and Charles A.
Wustum Museum of Fine Arts. In 2003, he opened RAM
in downtown Racine as a second campus to house the
collections. Pepich regularly lectures on contemporary
Moderated Session
Saturday
9:15 – 10 a.m.
Criticism and Writing
Topics include: What compels someone to write
critically about craft today? How has the rise of
global social media impacted our understanding of
the craftperson’s role in today’s society? Do critics
write differently now because of the fast pace and
distribution footprint of the virtual arena? What has
been lost and gained by focusing on craft as the
“material culture of daily life;” rather than addressing it
as a set of specialized, skilled activities within a specific
medium? What strategies have artists developed that
PROGRAM
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23
Moderator:
Lydia Matthews is a curator, writer, educator, and
founding director of the Curatorial Design Research Lab
at Parsons. Her work explores how contemporary artists
and designers foster critical democratic debates and
intimate community interactions in the public sphere. She
has been commissioned by Open Society Foundation,
Trust for Mutual Understanding, CEC Artslink, Fulbright
Foundation, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Emre
Senan Foundation, and the US Embassy. She has curated
numerous exhibitions, community-based urban festivals,
and multidisciplinary pedagogical exchanges in the postSoviet region, Turkey, Southern Europe, and New York.
American Craft Council
William Warmus is a Fellow and former curator at the
Corning Museum of Glass, where he was the founding
editor of the New Glass Review. The son of a Corning
Inc. glassblower, he studied with art critic Harold
Rosenberg and philosopher Paul Ricoeur while at the
University of Chicago. As advisor to the estate of the
art critic Clement Greenberg, Warmus engineered
the Portland Art Museum’s acquisition of Greenberg’s
collection of abstract expressionism. Warmus is the
author of more than a dozen books and an Urban Glass
board member.
allow them to critique craft’s role in relation to global
labor practices, wealth inequality, historical social
struggles, and the rarefied sphere of luxury goods?
Do socially engaged projects – which often downplay
skill levels in exchange for sociability and dialogue –
upend our critical assumptions about what is most
valuable about craft?
Speakers:
Sarah Archer is a writer and independent curator
based in Philadelphia. Prior to serving as the senior
curator at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, she was the
director of Greenwich House Pottery. She has curated
exhibitions for Urban Glass and Pratt Manhattan Gallery
and has taught at the Westphal College of Media Arts
and Design, Drexel University, and the Tyler School of
Art, Temple University. She holds an MA from the Bard
Graduate Center. Her book Midcentury Mistletoe is due
to be published in October.
Brain Teaser
Saturday
10 – 10:15 a.m.
Dsgnfix with Dorothy Dunn
Co-founder Dorothy Dunn introduces Dsgnfix, a new
sharing and navigation app for artists, architects,
designers, and friends. This free app invites you to
discover and share inspirational destinations where you
live and wherever you travel – including here in Omaha.
Dorothy Dunn is a creative leader, catalyst, cultural
producer, and educator.
Featured Speaker:
Sonya Clark
Saturday
10:30 – 11:15 a.m.
A Thread, a Hair, a Lineage
Tracing connections between hair and textiles,
communities and commodities, and racialized
identities, Sonya Clark will present a series of artworks
and projects that invoke ancestral ties, evoke historical
legacies, and address contemporary relationships
through crafted materials and collaborative actions.
Sonya Clark is an ACC trustee and chair of the
Department of Craft and Materials Studies at Virginia
Commonwealth University.
PROGRAM
“Present Tense”
—continued from previous page
Moderated Session
Saturday
12:45 – 1:30 p.m.
Sponsored by
Martha and
David Slosburg
Process
Topics include: The role of process in craft, the impact
of process on meaning in personal work, the impact of
collaboration and mentoring on work, the importance
of process to the conceptual underpinnings of craft,
the emergence of de-skilling and alternative production
techniques, perspectives on low-tech and high-tech
tools, and how process defines craft among other
forms of contemporary art.
Moderator:
Ayumi Horie is a full-time studio potter in Portland,
Maine. Recently awarded a Distinguished Fellow
grant from United States Artists, Horie runs Pots in
Action, a curatorial project on Instagram, and works
on Portland Brick, a public art project that repairs
city sidewalks with bricks made from local clay. She
was the first recipient of Ceramics Monthly’s Ceramic
Artist of the Year award. She has organized multiple
online fundraisers, including Obamaware in 2008, and
Handmade for Japan in 2011, which raised more than
$100,000 in disaster relief.
American Craft Council
Amos Paul Kennedy I was born. I am animal. I am
human. I live. I live negro. I tell you this because you will
mistake me for an African American, but I am negro,
a descendant of the enslaved peoples of these
United States of America. I live southern. I was born
colored in Louisiana. I was raised negro. I was educated
Black at Grambling College, a historically integrated
college. Creation is within every human. We must
celebrate our creativity. The moment fuels our creativity.
I live to put ink on paper. This is the major outlet for
my creativity. The words of my peoples have largely
been excluded from “fine print.” I defy this condition
and force my peoples’ presence into this part of this
civilization’s culture.
Speakers:
Susie Ganch is an artist, associate professor, and head
of the metal program for the Department of Craft and
Material Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.
She is also the director of Radical Jewelry Makeover,
an international jewelry mining and recycling project.
Her most recent solo exhibitions include “Tied,” an
ArtForum critics’ pick at Richmond Visual Arts Center,
and “Land and Sea” at Sienna Patti Contemporary.
Recent exhibition sites include the Boston Museum
of Fine Arts, the Kohler Art Center, and the Milwaukee
Art Museum.
Brain Teaser
Saturday
1:30 – 1:45 p.m.
Molly Hatch: Connecting Craft and Design
Ceramist, designer, and installation artist Molly Hatch
provides insight into her work and process – specifically
SCOPE, her piece designed for this conference.
Working with the American Craft Council Archives,
Hatch sourced the imagery, altered it, and created a
one-of-a-kind installation to honor the ACC conference
and sponsors.
PROGRAM
“Present Tense”
25
Moderated Session
Saturday
1:45 – 2:30 p.m.
Sponsored by the
Hamann Charitable
Fund
Community
Topics include: The role of community in craft
education and production, the dissemination of craft
processes and understanding, and the influence of
community practice on production.
Moderator:
Michael J. Strand is a professor and head of visual arts
at North Dakota State University. With a background as
a functional potter, Strand has moved into social and
community engagement and investigates the potential
of craft as a catalyst for social change. Ceramics
Monthly named him 2015 Ceramic Artist of the Year. He
is a 2014– 16 Bush Foundation Fellow focused on the
potential of functional design to facilitate cross-cultural
communication. Strand lectures and leads workshops,
and his work is included in 40 Under 40: Craft Futures
and Nation Building: Craft and Contemporary Culture.
American Craft Council
design and silversmithing from the London Guildhall
University and an MA in indigenous visual arts from
Massey University in New Zealand. Valuing his culture
as highly as his individuality, Galanin has created
an unusual path for himself. He deftly navigates the
politics of cultural representation as he balances both
ends of the aesthetic spectrum.
Speakers:
Tanya Aguiñiga is a Los Angeles-based designer and
artist who was raised in Tijuana, Mexico. She has an
MFA in furniture design from Rhode Island School of
Design and has created collaborative installations with
the Border Arts Workshop. She founded the group
Artists Helping Artisans and spread knowledge of
craft by collaborating with traditional artisans. She
is a United States Artists Target Fellow in the field of
Crafts and Traditional Arts, a GOOD 100 recipient,
and has been featured in American Craft and on
Craft in America.
Nicholas Galanin was born in Sitka, Alaska, and has
struck an intriguing balance between his origins and
the course of his practice. His work simultaneously
helps to preserve his culture and explores new
perceptual territory. Galanin holds a BFA in jewelry
Featured Speaker:
Jessica Hische
Saturday
4 – 4:30 p.m.
Closing Featured Presentation
Lettering and type design are artistic disciplines
that require an eye for detail, a love of tedium, and
generally a lot of time alone in the studio. There has
been an explosion of interest in recent years among
young creatives seeking to pursue their passions for
making. Now that there is a sea of enthusiastic talent,
how do you stand out? How do you form relationships
with the very people you’ll likely compete against?
How do you help others when you’re having impostor
syndrome or just feel like you have a lot of growing to
do professionally? Jessica will discuss this and more,
including building an online community through trust,
over-sharing, and swearing a little too much.
Jessica Hische is a lettering artist and author working
in San Francisco and Brooklyn. Her clients include
Wes Anderson, the United States Postal Service, the
New York Times, and Penguin Books. She was named
a Print magazine New Visual Artist (20 under 30), one
of Forbes’ 30 under 30 in Art and Design two years in
a row, an ADC Young Gun, and a Person to Watch by
Graphic Design USA. Her side projects include Daily
Drop Cap, Should I Work for Free?, Mom This is How
Twitter Works, and Don’t Fear the Internet. Her first
book, In Progress, is available through Chronicle Books.
PROGRAM
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27
Speaker:
Stuart Kestenbaum
Saturday
4:30 – 5 p.m.
Sponsored by
Annette and
Paul Smith
Sense of the Meeting
In the Quaker tradition, a sense of the meeting is “a
general agreement reached by the assembled group.”
In a very loose interpretation, or perhaps inspired by
this idea of summing up, this will be a take on the
conversations, presentations, and general mood and
feeling of the gathering – where there is consensus,
disagreement, celebration, or confusion. Kestenbaum
is indebted to Ralph Caplan, who used this idea at a
conference he once organized.
American Craft Council
Stuart Kestenbaum is the author of four collections of
poems, Pilgrimage, House of Thanksgiving, Prayers
and Run-on Sentences, and Only Now, and a collection
of essays called The View From Here. He was director
of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts from 1988–
2015, and he has written and spoken widely on craft
and creativity. His poems and writing have appeared
in numerous small press publications and magazines
including Tikkun, the Sun, Beloit Poetry Journal, and
on Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac. He was named
an ACC Honorary Fellow in 2006. He was appointed as
Maine’s poet laureate in 2016, and serves as president
of the ACC’s board of trustees.
PROGRAM
“Present Tense”
29
American Craft Council
Grab a copy of the
Engage & Explore! handout
for a full schedule of all
non-main-stage happenings.
You’ll find all of the details on everything ACC
and Omaha have to offer, including:
•
ACC Library Lab, featuring author talks
organized by sponsor Schiffer Publishing
•
Thursday Icebreaker
•
Common-Interest Conversations
•
Tours of Kaneko, the Bemis Center for
Contemporary Arts, and historic, downtown
Omaha with Dsgnfix!
Friday:
12 – 1:30 p.m.
3:15 – 5 p.m.
Saturday:
11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m
2:30 – 4 p.m.**
Location: 2nd floor/
Conversation Cafe
Common-Interest Conversations
Round-table breakout conversations on both Friday and
Saturday at lunch and at the end of each conference
day. Designed to offer a forum for dialogue and
exchange of ideas across disciplines and generations.
A Place at the Table **
Don’t miss this final Common-Interest
Conversation.
Bring your favorite coffee mug from home
and swap with others – join us as we celebrate
community over coffee and conversation.
Sponsored by Whole Foods Market, Nebraska
Explore your Kaneko surroundings, engage
with our Library Lab, and add to the dialogue
by participating in our Common-Interest
Conversations.
Brett Freund
ceramic mug
PROGRAM
“Present Tense”
ENGAGE &
EXPLORE!
31
33
Friday
8 – 9 a.m.
10:45 – 11:10 a.m.
Noon – 1:30 p.m.
3:15 – 5 p.m.
Saturday
8 – 9 a.m.
10:15 – 10:30 a.m.
11:15 am – 12:45 p.m.
2:30 – 4 p.m.
5 – 6 p.m.
ACC Library Lab
Be sure to check your Engage & Explore! handout for
the schedule of additional programming happening
throughout the conference.
The Library Lab, sponsored by Schiffer Publishing,
offers a comfortable, engaging space for you to
learn more about the collections at the ACC Library
and Archives in between sessions.
•
Browse more than 100 new and notable books
and catalogues by conference presenters,
ACC artists and award recipients, and curators
and scholars in the field.
•
Explore ACC’s digital resources, including images
and videos documenting ACC history.
•
Learn about the extraordinary history of ACC’s
conferences, exhibitions, and awards, as well as
the pioneering artists who were involved.
•
Sit down, relax, and try your hand at embroidery
inspired by vintage designs from the Archives.
Schiffer Publishing will be onsite to offer the latest
craft books and catalogues from their collection for
purchase. Book talks with Schiffer authors will also be
scheduled throughout the conference.
About Schiffer Publishing: Since 1974, Schiffer
Publishing has worked with passionate authors to
create books that educate, entertain, instruct, and
inspire. Schiffer’s 5,800-plus diverse titles include a
focus on art, craft, and design.
PROGRAM
Thursday
Noon – 4 p.m.
American Craft Council
Gerhardt Knodel
It Had To Be You: Legacia, 2015,
cotton, polyester, fiberglass,
photography, 72 x 54 in.
Photo: Courtesy of the artist
The biennial American
Craft Council Awards are a
celebration of our nation’s
top artists, scholars, curators,
and influential arts advocates.
This year, along with our Gold
Medalist, Award of Distinction,
and Award for Philanthropy
honorees, we welcome
seven new individuals into
our College of Fellows,
established in 1975 to honor
outstanding achievement and
contributions to the field.
Join us Friday night at the Kaneko as we
celebrate these creative heavyweights with a
dynamic program and reception. Mingle,
make connections, and congratulate the
honorees! Tickets to this event are included
in conference registration.
Kaneko, Main Hall/Main Stage
Doors: 6:30 p.m.
Program: 7 – 8 p.m.
Reception: 8 – 10 p.m.
GOLD MEDAL FOR CONSUMMATE CRAFTSMANSHIP
Gerhardt Knodel (Bloomfield Hills, MI)
FELLOWS
Hank Murta Adams (Millville, NJ)
Nick Cave (Chicago, IL)
Edward S. Cooke, Jr. (New Haven, CT), Honorary Fellow
Michael Cooper (Sebastopol, CA)
Françoise Grossen (New York, NY)
Chris Gustin (South Dartmouth, MA)
Myra Mimlitsch-Gray (Stone Ridge, NY)
AILEEN OSBORN WEBB AWARD FOR PHILANTHROPY
Sara S. Morgan (Houston, TX)
AWARD OF DISTINCTION
Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+) (Montpelier, VT)
AWARDS
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AWARDS
PROGRAM
35
A very special thank you to our local trustees,
Robert Duncan and Kathryn LeBaron, for
their tireless efforts in connecting us to their
community of Omaha.
Additional thanks to the people in the
Omaha community who helped make this
conference possible:
Kaneko
Chris Hochstetler
Andrew Bauer
Michael Hollis
Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
Thank you to the
ACC Awards chair:
Bruce W. Pepich
Thank you to the following
individuals for their creative and
inspired work:
Graphic Designer
Joseph D.R. OLeary
Event Operations and Logistics
Ashley Morgan,
AM Productions LLC
Dsgnfix Contributors:
Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
Kaneko
Amy Mather
Liz Moldenhauer
Watie White
Conference Production
Monica C. Hampton
Thank you to ACC’s 2016 education committee
members for their input and support:
Namita Gupta Wiggers, chair
Sonya Clark
Miguel Gómez Ibáñez
Stoney Lamar
Wendy Maruyama
Lydia Matthews
Alexandra Moses
Bruce W. Pepich
Kay Savik
Josh Simpson
Stuart Kestenbaum (ex officio)
Gabriel Ofiesh (ex officio)
American Craft Council Staff:
Executive Office
Chris Amundsen,
Executive Director
Eric Gjerde,
IT Operations Manager
Lindsay Noble,
Office Coordinator
Conference Outreach
and Promotions
Brigitte Martin
Development
Elissa Chaffee,
Director of Development
Christian Novak,
Membership Manager
Lauren Kebschull,
Strategic Partnership Coordinator
Rebecca Merrill,
Development Associate
Finance
Greg Allen,
Director of Finance and
Administration
Nsay Yang,
Bookkeeper/Accountant
Education
Michael Radyk,
Director of Education
Jessica Shaykett,
Librarian/Archivist
Rachel Kirchgasler,
Education Coordinator
Dulcey Heller,
Library Assistant
Magazine
Monica Moses,
Editor in Chief, American Craft
Julie Hanus,
Senior Editor
Megan Guerber,
Assistant Editor
Andrew Ranallo,
Digital Producer
Joanne Smith,
Advertising Sales Manager
Kathy Pierce,
Advertising Sales Coordinator
THANK YOU
American Craft Council
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THANK
YOU
37
39
“Present Tense”
—continued from previous page
Marketing
Pamela Diamond,
Director of Marketing and
Communications
Elizabeth Ryan,
Interactive Editor and
Media Specialist
Kristen Powell,
Marketing Associate
American Craft Council
Shows
Melanie Little,
Show Director
Kristine Goldy,
Show Operations
Oliver Chapoy,
Show Operations
Alanna Nissen,
Show Operations
Jessie Stepanek,
Show Operations
Manager
Coordinator
Assistant
Assistant
American Craft Council
Board of Trustees
Stuart Kestenbaum, Board Chair
Gabriel Ofiesh, Board Vice Chair
Kevin Buchi, Board Treasurer
Lisbeth Evans, Board Secretary
Barbara Berlin
Sonya Clark
Charles E. Duddingston
Robert Duncan
Kelly Gage
Miguel Gómez-Ibáñez
James R. Hackney Jr.
Charlotte Herrera
Ayumi Horie
Giselle Huberman
Michael Lamar
Stoney Lamar
Lorne Lassiter
Kathryn LeBaron
Wendy Maruyama
Lydia Matthews
Alexandra Moses
Bruce W. Pepich
Judy Pote
Kay Savik
Josh Simpson
Thomas Turner
Damian Velasquez
Namita Gupta Wiggers
Patricia A. Young
Sidney D. Rosoff, Counsel and
Honorary Trustee
Exhibition at Kaneko:
“Passion & Obsession:
From the Collection”
Curated by Ree Kaneko, this
exhibition of regional, national, and
international collectors’ work will
be on view at Kaneko throughout
the ACC conference.
It is difficult to convey, in an
exhibition, the profoundness of
change and the cycles that are
intrinsic to the practice and lives
of prolific artists, but “Passion &
Obsession: From the Collection”
will do just that. Specially curated
pieces from a few key collections
in the region will join with pieces
from the Kaneko collection under
one roof. Artists include Viola Frey,
Jun Kaneko, Therman Statom, Goro
Suzuki, Akio Takamori, Sunkoo Yuh,
and a few other visionaries. Visitors
will share in the overwhelming
passion of the artist to create fine
and lasting work and join in the
obsession of the connoisseurs
who are moved to collect it.
“Passion & Obsession” opens to
the public on November 12, and it
runs through May 6, 2017.
Jun Kaneko
Untitled, Head, 2015
hand-glazed cast raku ceramics,
stainless steel, 69 x 20 x 24.5 in.
Photo: Colin Conces
American Craft Council
NOTES
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41
American Craft Council
“Present Tense”
1224 Marshall Street NE
Suite 200
Minneapolis, MN 55413