NICHE Magazine Announces Jurors for
Fine Craft Competition
Baltimore, Md. (Oct. 8, 2009) — NICHE magazine, the exclusive trade publication for retailers of American and Canadian craft, has announced the judges for its 2010 NICHE Awards program.
The jurors are gallery owners Bruni Obriecht, Kelly Richard, Diane and Madis Sulg and Susie Wilber; arts advocates Clemmer and David Montague and Emma Quin; and tradeshow representative Rebecca Mercado.
The NICHE Awards competition annually recognizes excellence and innovation in North American craft. In the professional division, judging is based on three main criteria: technical excellence, both in surface design and form; market viability; and a distinct quality of unique, original and creative thought.
Categories include Ceramics, Fiber, Glass, Metal, Wood, Jewelry, Home Furnishings, Goblets, Judaica, Mixed Media, Narrative, Recycled and Teapots.
Finalists are invited to display their work in the NICHE Awards exhibit at the Buyers Market of American Craft, Feb. 12-15, 2010, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pa. Award winners will be announced during the Buyers Market at a ceremony on Friday, Feb. 12, and will be featured in the Spring 2010 issue of NICHE magazine.
2010 NICHE Awards judges are:
- Rebecca Mercado, jewelry manager for the Buyers Market of American Craft, the nation's largest wholesale tradeshow of fine craft handmade in the United States and Canada.
- Clemmer and David Montague, arts advocates. Clemmer is on the board of directors of the James Renwick Alliance, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing scholarship and education about contemporary American craft; David is a former president of the alliance.
- Bruni Obriecht, co-owner of Calico Cat, a craft and gift gallery in Baltimore, Md. Calico Cat is an AmericanStyle Preferred Gallery of U.S.- and Canadian-made fine craft.
- Emma Quin, general manager of the Ontario Crafts Council, a nonprofit arts service organization based in Toronto that serves to increase recognition and appreciation of craft and craftspeople.
- Kelly Richard, owner of American Craftworks Collection, an AmericanStyle Preferred Gallery in Annapolis, Md.
- Diane and Madis Sulg, owners of Maddi's Gallery in Charlotte, N.C., which was named the 2009 Retailer of the Year by NICHE magazine.
- Susie Wilber, co-owner of The Laughing Dog Gallery in Vero Beach, Fla., which was named the 2007 Retailer of the Year by NICHE magazine.