Designing the 2009 ACC Searchlight Artists Exhibtion

For the past few weeks, I've been quietly working on a project I'm very excited about, but its formal announcement was embargoed until today:

Every year, at the American Craft Council's February show in Baltimore, they present work by a juried group of emerging makers -- the Searchlight Artists -- and this year they've asked me to design the show!

Technically the "Searchlight Retail Advisor" as today's press release points out, I'm meant to "create a dynamic retail space" to present the work of these artists, who were "selected because they exemplify craft’s cutting-edge direction."

The 2009 Searchlight Artists are an awesome group (scroll down for pics), and their work has been very inspiring to my plans for the exhibition design:

• Jessica Benzaquen (Albuquerque, NM)
• Eun-Suh Choi, (Rochester, NY)
• Annica Cuppetelli (Detroit, MI)
• Jennaca Davies (North Kingstown, RI)
• Hiroe Hanazono (Philadelphia, PA)
• Matthew Hutton (Portland, ME)
• Maya Kini (Sacramento, CA)
• Sylvie Rosenthal (Asheville, NC)
• Richard Saja (Jackson Heights, NY)
• Nanda Soderberg (Richmond, VA)
• Amy Tavern (Asheville, NC)
• Stacey Webber (Chicago, IL)
• Kai Wolter (Santa Fe, NM)

Though I can't give hints or peeks at my exhibition design yet -- just isn't fleshed out enough -- I can say this: be assured it's not gonna be yet-another white-walls-and-pedestals gallery show...

Many thanks to the American Craft Council for the opportunity to do this -- it's an engaging challenge and a great privilege. I hope people like the show!

Come see it, along with work by 700 professional craft artists, during the American Craft Show, Feb.27 - Mar.1, 2009 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

Here's a look at work by some of the 2009 Searchlight Artists:

[TOP: Steel Drain Brooch by Maya Kini.]
[MIDDLE: Embroidered Toile Cushion by Richard Saja.]

Amy Tavern

Matthew Hutton

Hiroe Hanazono

Jessica Benzaquen

Posted by Amy Shaw for Greenjeans.
Images courtesy of the artists.