American Craft Council Announces Honorees For 2005 Mentor Program

Furniture World Magazine

The American Craft Council, a national nonprofit educational organization promoting understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft, announced the jury results of the 2005 Mentor Program, held in conjunction with the Baltimore Wholesale Show in February. The Mentor Program, designed to support new wholesale artists, pairs veteran wholesale exhibitors with new artists. Ten teams were selected to participate. (2005 awardees are below) The Council has selected an additional 75 new artists to exhibit at the Baltimore Wholesale Show. Candidates for the Mentor Program apply as a team: the new artist who has never participated in an American Craft Council wholesale show and the mentor, an exhibitor in at least four of the past five Council wholesale shows. A select jury reviews the teams taking into consideration quality of work as well as the teams’ ability to work together. Once selected, both new and experienced exhibitors receive financial benefits from the Council as well as ongoing guidance to ensure a mutually successful experience. Each year, the Council strives to present as many qualified new artists as possible and this year the Baltimore Wholesale Show will feature more than 75 new artists, representing 9% of the 850 invited exhibitors. "The American Craft Council is pleased to offer a program that empowers new artists to participate in the wholesale market by learning from some of the most experienced exhibitors we have." said Reed McMillan, director of marketing & communications at the Council. "It is also a way for us to present to buyers as many new artists as possible. For the past eight years, we have been able to provide significant financial support to both members of the team along with valuable one-on-one guidance from the mentors for newartists. While the Council is a public education organization, we are committed to helping artists market and sell their work." "I want to share my knowledge and experience with new artists who have fresh ideas and are thinking about their work in totally new ways. It is exciting for me to see what they are doing and I am happy to help them in any way I can," said Cecilia Frittello, a 2005 mentor. "They are the next generation of craft artists and the American Craft Council’s Mentor Program is important to their future." "The advantages of participating in the American Craft Council Mentor Program are enormous. This is a huge step for me. It is difficult for a young, new artist to break into the wholesale market," said Stephen LeBlanc, a participant of the program. "This way I work with someone who gives me advice on creating purchase orders, writing terms of agreement and so forth, but who also encourages me along the way. I have their support as well as the generous financial support from the Council. I’m a very lucky guy!" About the American Craft Council (www.craftcouncil.org) Founded in 1943, the American Craft Council is a national, nonprofit public educational organization. The mission of the Council is to promote understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft. As the nation’s leading authority on contemporary craft, the Council’s programs include the award-winning bimonthly magazine, AMERICAN CRAFT; two annual juried wholesale shows in Baltimore and San Francisco and six annual juried retail shows in Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, San Francisco, Sarasota and St. Paul, presenting artists and their work; a specialized library and archive on contemporary craft; and the Aileen Osborn Webb Awards honoring excellence in craft. Membership is open to all. For more information, please contact the American Craft Council at 1-800-836-3470 or visit www.craftcouncil.org. About the American Craft Council 2005 Baltimore Wholesale Show The finest craft artists from around the country will once again return to Baltimore from February 22nd – 24th for the 29th annual Baltimore Wholesale Show. As the largest and most respected craft show of its kind, the show will feature more than 850 of America’s top contemporary craft artists. Work exhibited at the show includes jewelry; clothing and accessories; baskets; quilts; and sculptural and functional objects in clay, fiber, glass, metal and wood. Dates and Times: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) Wednesday, February 23, 2005 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) Thursday, February 24, 2005 (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) 2005 Mentor Program Honorees Ceramics Mentor: Donna Polseno – Floyd, VA New Artist:Ian Anderson – Philadelphia, PA Ceramics Mentor: Gay Smith – Bakersville, NC New Artist: Shane Mickey – Bakersville, NC Fashion Wearables Mentor: Deborah Cross – Freedom, CA New Artist:Samantha Hodge-Williams – Towson, MD Fashion Wearable/Jewelry Mentor: Cecilia Frittelli – Glen Falls, NY New Artist: Stephen LeBlanc – Argyle, NY Glass Mentor: Tom Farbanish – Pleasant Gap, PA New Artist: Christopher Lydon – Seattle, WA Glass Mentor: Bernard Katz – Philadelphia, PA New Artist: Christopher Lydon – Philadelphia, PA Glass Mentor: James Nadal – Canandaigua, NY New Artist: Daniel Jennings – Churchville, NY Glass Mentor: Joel O’Dorisio – Corning, NY New Artist: Dan Mirer – Voorheesville, NY Jewelry Mentor: Terri Logan – Richmond, IN New Artist: Lisa Cimino – Baltimore, MD Mixed Media Mentor: Jeffrey Zigulis – Sebastopol, CA New Artist: Shane Odom – Crownsville, MD