ACE is the place!

ACE begins today!!!

After our preview party tonight, the artists, ACE staffers and volunteers are thrilled to kick off the 25th Annual American Craft Exposition Friday at Northwestern University’s Henry Crown Pavilion in Evanston, Illinois.

We’ve gotten great press leading up to the event, including this most recent plug from the Northwest Herald’s Kurt Begalka:

This juried indoor exposition of museum-quality items features one-of-a-kind baskets, ceramics, fiber decorative, fiber wearable, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media and wood crafts. Just 150 artists are gleaned from 1,000 applications each year. Exhibitors include whimsical whirligig aficionado James Eaton of Sleepy Hollow; metalsmiths Jack and Alice McLean of Johnsburg and fiber artist Chris Roberts-Antieau of Manchester, Mich. I promise, you are in for a treat.

To read more, click here.

We hope to see you at ACE this weekend! Tickets are $15 for adults at the door, $5 for children younger than 10. All proceeds benefit breast and ovarian cancer research.

P.S. ACE’s hours:

Friday, Aug. 28: 10am-8pm

Saturday, Aug. 29: 10am-6pm

Sunday, Aug. 30: 11am-5pm

ACE is located at The Henry Crown Sports Pavillion at Northwestern University, 2311 N. Campus Drive, Evanston, Illlinois.

ACE Artist Cliff Lee chosen for Smithsonian’s Renwick Craft Invitational – Artdaily.org

WASHINGTON, DC. A panel of three distinguished experts in American crafts and decorative arts has selected ceramic artist Cliff Lee, furnituremaker Matthias Pliessnig, glass artist Judith Schaechter and silversmith Ubaldo Vitali for the Renwick Craft Invitational 2011. Each artist is a master of his or her selected medium and creates artworks that combine historical techniques with contemporary forms.

To read the rest of the article, click here:

ACE Artists Frittelli and Lockwood in the news

We’ve been on vacation for the last couple weeks, so we missed this great profile of ACE textile artists Cecilia Frittelli and Richard Lockwood from the July 15th issue of the Saratogian.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Creating cloth isn’t just a job for Cecilia Frittelli and Richard Lockwood — it’s their way of life… (click to read more)

To learn more about these talented artists, watch the video from their Web site:

PBS’s CRAFT IN AMERICA to feature 2 ACE Artists

Two ACE jewelers will be featured in the second season of PBS “Craft in America,” which will air in fall 2009! David and Roberta Williamson of Berea, Ohio will be part of Episode V, “Process”:

David and Roberta Williamson, Insect Collection, 2004, courtesy PBS

Episode V: Process
In a fast-track, high-tech, drag-and-drop world, what inspires a person to choose a career in craft and how do they go about acquiring the knowledge and necessary skills? What makes an established professional give up everything to make a 180-degree turn to the arts in mid-career? What educational opportunities are available for people of all stages of life who harbor the desire to learn a craft?

…We will take the viewer where craft is practiced on different levels, from those who are self-taught to those who pursue formal study; from avocation to education in college and at the university level; from apprenticeships to craft schools. Then we will follow them into the world and see where they take their educations, and, ultimately, demonstrate their importance and value to society.

via Craft In America / 991 Second Season of the Peabody-Award Winning PBS series CRAFT IN AMERICA in Production.

For more information about the Williamsons and to watch a video preview of their story on PBS, click here.

ADDENDUM (6/25/09]: Another ACE Artist, Cliff Lee, has also been featured on CRAFT IN AMERICA. To learn more about Lee and see a video excerpt, click here.