COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 10, 2004) — Seven artists associated with Tennessee Tech University’s Appalachian Center for Craft — including faculty, resident artists, alumni and students — have recently won state honors.

They’ve been selected for various awards at the Best of Tennessee 2004 Biennial exhibit, presented by the Tennessee Association of Craft Artists and on display at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville through Jan. 9.

The juried exhibition features more than 100 works created by 85 Tennessee craft artists using clay, fiber, wood, glass, metals, leather, handmade paper, mixed media, photography and printmaking.

“We hope visitors to the exhibit are as awed by the breadth and depth of the works on view as we’ve been,” said Lois Riggins-Ezzell, executive director of the State Museum. “It’s truly a representative slice of the extraordinary artists working in Tennessee today.”

Among the award-winners from the Craft Center are:

• Faculty members Jeanne Brady, fibers, who won an honorable mention, and Curtiss Brock, glass, who received a merit award;

• Resident artists Masako Onodera, metals, who won a purchase award, and Kimberly Winkle, wood, who received both a purchase award and a merit award;

• Alumni Tim Hintz, wood, who won both a best in show and a purchase award, and Chris Mosey, glass, who received a purchase award;

• And student Aaron McIntosh, fibers, who won an honorable mention.

The competition has been held every other year since 1966. The mission of TACA, a statewide non-profit organization founded in 1965, is to encourage, develop and promote crafts and craftspeople in Tennessee.

The Best of Tennessee Craft exhibit is free and open to the public, and the museum is located in the James K. Polk Center, at the corner of Fifth and Deaderick Streets in Nashville. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday — Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The museum is closed on Monday.

--Tracey LeFevre
This information posted 10 December 2004