The American Craft Council (ACC) held its 12th national conference, “Present Tense” at Kaneko in Omaha earlier this month. The conference featured panel and plenary presentations by artists and arts professionals on a range of topics such as apprenticeship, museum education, institutional leadership, process, criticism and more – all, as ACC Executive Director Chris Amundsen describes, “exploring the tensions between old and new, traditional and contemporary, and past and future as it affects our field today.”
The highlight of the three-day gathering was the Friday evening ACC Awards, a biennial celebration of artists, scholars, curators, arts leaders and advocates. During the evening, ACC inducted seven major artists into the their College of Fellows — Nick Cave, Michael Cooper, Françoise Grossen, Chris Gustin, Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, Hank Murta Adams, and Edward S. Cooke, Jr. (Honorary Fellow). In addition, Sara S. Morgan accepted the Aileen Osborn Webb Award for Philanthropy Award and CERF+ received the ACC’s Award of Distinction, which is presented to individuals, museums, organizations, publications or schools, with at least 25 years of service, who have made significant contributions to the craft field. The evening culminated with Gerhardt Knodel receiving the 2016 Gold Medal for Consummate Craftsmanship.
“CERF+ is thrilled to receive the Award of Distinction from the ACC on behalf of the wonderful field of artists we serve and the community that supports our work,” notes CERF+ Executive Director Cornelia Carey. “This award affirms the critical role that artist service organizations like CERF+ play in helping artists build strong and resilient careers so that they continue to contribute to the cultural and economic vibrancy in our communities.”
At the awards ceremony, CERF+ was joined by many current and former trustees and staff. “It was a great celebration,” noted CERF+ founder, Josh Simpson “and an honor to see CERF+ receive this very special award after its 31 years of service to the field.”
