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Gyöngy Laky: “Screwing With Order” Book
NBO Member Gyöngy Laky is pleased to announce the publication of her new book, “Screwing with Order: assembled art, actions, and art practice”.
“Renowned American textile artist and sculptor Gyöngy Laky (b. 1944) was once described as a ‘wood whisperer.’ Her highly individual, puzzle-like assemblages of timber and textiles helped to significantly propel the growth of the contemporary fiber-arts movement. Laky’s art traverses an extraordinary personal story: Born amid the bombings of World War II, she escaped from post-war, Soviet-dominated Hungary; was sponsored by a family in Ohio, went to grade school in Oklahoma, and went on to study at the University of California, Berkeley. She followed this by founding the Fiberworks Center for Textile Arts in the 1970s and fostering innovations as a professor at the University of California, Davis. This book provides insight into her studio practice, activism, and teaching philosophy, which champions sustainable art and design, original thinking, and the value of the unexpected.”
Amazon
More information at Gyöngy Laky
Elizabeth Runyon wins Louetta Heindl Kambic Award
(Photo by Zeke Runyon). NBO member Elizabeth Runyon has received the Louetta Heindl Kambic Award at Fiberart International 2022 for her work, “Dancing on Three Legs”. It seeks to exhibit the best of contemporary art and invites submissions that reflect a wide range of works related to the fiber medium. The exhibition is recognized around the world as a benchmark that documents trends and innovations in the field. The goal of the exhibition is to include innovative work rooted in traditional fiber materials, structure, processes and history, as well as art that explores unexpected relationships between fiber and other creative disciplines.
Lissa-Jane de Sailles “Paper on Skin” Award Winner
Congratulations to NBO member Lissa-Jane de Sailles for winning the runner up award in the 2022 “Paper on Skin
Wearable Art Competition” held recently in Tasmania, Australia! (Photo by Grant Wells). Paper on Skin connects the papermaking heritage of the North-West coast of Tasmania to artists who embrace the challenge of designing a wearable garment made from at least 80% paper. Paper on Skin is presented in partnership with the Devonport City Council and is assisted by Arts Tasmania.
Jan Thomas – Award of Excellence
Jan Thomas’ work, VESPID VESSEL, has been juried into The Ohio Craft Museum Best of 2022 Show and received an Award of
Excellence. The show is on view at The Ohio Crafts Museum through June 26th and then will travel to Kent State University. Visit in person or view the exhibition online at Ohio Craft Museum
Above photo by Heather Heather Hochstetter
Lanny Bergner “Celestial Body” in the Renwick / Smithsonian Collection
“I am very pleased to announce that my 2005 bronze, brass and aluminum mesh sculpture “Celestial Body” is now in the collection of the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC. A collector donated it to the museum. I am thrilled to have the work accepted into the Renwick collection.”
Congratulations to NBO member Lanny Bergner on his artwork, “Celestial Body” accessioned in to the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Museum.
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World showcases American craft like never before. The exhibition highlights the role that artists play in our world to spark essential conversations, stories of resilience, and methods of activism—showing us a more relational and empathetic world. It centers more expansive definitions and acknowledgments of often-overlooked histories and contributions of women, people of color, and other marginalized communities.
NBO member Polly Adams Sutton’s piece Facing the Unexpected is featured in the exhibition at the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. from May 13, 2022 to April 2, 2023. For more information, visit This Present Moment – Crafting a Better World
Shown above: Gallery. Photo by Polly Sutton.
Eric Taylor – “A Basket Life”
Congratulations to NBO member Eric Taylor on the publication of his book, “A Basket Life”!
Eric shares story from making his first basket as a teenager, a lengthy apprenticeship, and then out on his own, developing his Cottage Style baskets. He also writes about how ash trees are being destroyed by the emerald ash borer and how it’s affected basketmakers around the country. Included in the the book is special section called “Hunt for the Last Black Ash” where Eric shares his journal pages that documenting what he is doing up in Wisconsin.
While there are no basket patterns or instructions on how to make a basket, it is autobiographical and talks about black ash, how it’s processed, and the work involved in making all the materials to make a basket from the tree. With 300 pages and hundreds of images, it is a book to enjoy! Available in hardcover now, and softcover soon. For more information about the book, you can visit and purchase an autographed copy (with free shipping) from Eric at Eric J. Taylor
Nancy Koenigsberg Named to the American Craft Council College of Fellows
Nancy Koenigsberg
Since 1970, the American Craft Council has recognized significant contributions to the field of craft. Originally designated the Award of Merit, in 1975 the ACC adopted the distinction of Fellow of the Council, the body of awardees known collectively as the College of Fellows. Election to the College of Fellows continues to this day, the award a commitment “to honor those who have made an outstanding contribution to the crafts in America.”
Nancy Koenigsberg – High Wire Act
Ed Carriere Honored with Community Spirit Award
Each year, First Peoples Fund honors and celebrates exceptional Native artists and culture bearers across the country through the Jennifer Easton Community Spirit Awards. These artists embody their People’s cultural assets in their creations and their way of life. Bringing spirit to the community is an important responsibility for artists — it is part of a sacred honor system.
Journeys: The Life and work of Jackie Abrams
The much-awaited Journeys: The Life and Work of Jackie Abrams, edited by artist and friend Beth Hester, is now available! This 52-page, image-rich book…
