Monday, November 17, 2008

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.

1 comment:

Melania said...

congratulations amy! this is great news - can't wait to see your beautiful designs.