MASON CITY – The following award winners were announced at the opening reception of Iowa Crafts: 44 at the Charles H. MacNider Art Museum on Saturday, November 9, at 2:30 p.m. This statewide competition was open to all artists above high school age residing in the state of Iowa. Thirty artworks by fifteen artists were selected for the final show. Iowa Crafts: 44 can be viewed in the Museum’s Kinney-Lindstrom Gallery through January 15, 2020.
Susan E. Kuennen, of Elgin, was given the NSB Bank Best in Show award for her colorful basket, Plowin’ Snow. This award grants Kuennen a solo exhibition in 2020 in the Museum’s Center Space Gallery.
The Best in Clay award of $150 was given to Jamison Lewis, of Charles City, for his clay sculpture Solitude Standing. The Juror’s Special Mention in Clay of $50 was awarded to William Mateer, of Sheffield, for his soda fired stoneware piece, Lidded Jar #1.
The Best in Fiber award of $150 was given to Rebecca Abarr, of Redding, for her willow bark piece, Folded Pouch. The Juror’s Special Mention in Fiber of $50 was awarded to Sioux Lawton, of Garner, for her quilt, Code Talker.
The Best in Metal/Wood award of $150 was given to Rob Wallace, of Ames, for his wooden vessel, Heptamerous Calyx on Aposematic Vessel. The Juror’s Special Mention in Metal/Wood of $50 was given to Julienne Friday, of Forest City, for the wooden piece, Arrow Box.
The Best in Other Craft Media award of $150 was given to Susan Nagle, of Clear Lake, for her oil and cold wax work, Symbiotic Souls. The Juror’s Special Mention in Other Craft Media of $50 was given to Sioux Lawton, of Garner, for her paper construction, Measure Twice.
Iowa Crafts: 44 is sponsored by NSB Bank. The juror for this competition is Benjamin Moore, Associate Professor of Art, Luther College.
Admission to the Museum is free. Museum hours are – Tuesday and Thursday – 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Closed Sunday – Monday.
