2019/2020 LEAP Winner: Christopher Hofmann
Christopher Hofmann is Contemporary Craft’s 2019/2020 LEAP Award winner! Hofmann sees a historically embedded mystery and the zen-like state that glass evokes and demands; he also sees a near alchemical process that can transmute the mundane into the exceptional with electroforming. By combining glass and electroforming, Hofmann’s work pursues a synergy that existed as long as the materials have been manipulated. He seeks to craft an amalgamation of lineage, materials, and form that can hold true to traditions, as well as becoming universal through deep study and exploration.
2019/20 LEAP Finalists
Priscilla Dahl – Ceramics
Dongyi Wu – Jewelry
Jarrod Futscher – Glass
Jessica Anderson – Jewelry
2018 LEAP Winner: Hosanna Rubio
Hosanna Rubio is Contemporary Craft’s 2018 LEAP Award winner! Rubio combines traditional metalsmithing techniques such as enameling and casting with newer technologies like digital manipulation to create layered, detailed pieces that serve as a platform to explore recreation of identity. With her work, Rubio hopes to inspire an atmosphere of dialogue to show that sometimes moments of pain and tragedy can offer us the greatest opportunities for beauty and transformation. Find out more about her inspiration and creative process in her artist interview!
2018 LEAP Finalists
Dallas Wooten – Ceramics
Juliet Martin – Fiber
Peter Antor – Jewelry
Lydia Martin – Jewelry
Stacy Rodgers – Jewelry
Sophie Glenn – Furniture
2017 LEAP Winner: CJ Niehaus
CJ Niehaus is Contemporary Craft’s 2017 LEAP Award winner! Hailing from Cincinnati, OH, Niehaus functional ceramics featured vibrant and whimsical depictions of animals and nature. Her intricate drawings come to life with under glaze pencil making them both elegant and elaborate. Head over to our blog to learn more about the artist and her process.
2017 LEAP Finalists
2016 LEAP Award Winner: Laura Jaklitsch
Congratulations to Laura Jaklitsch, Contemporary Craft’s 2016 LEAP Award winner! Hailing from Somerville, MA, Jaklitsch elegantly combines traditional craftsmanship and modern design in her work. Bold in color and sleek in form, her jewelry is at once youthful and sophisticated. Head over to our blog to learn more about the artist and her process.
2016 LEAP Finalists
2014 LEAP Award Winner: Amanda Packer
Amanda Packer is Contemporary Craft’s 2014 LEAP Award Winner! Read Packer’s artist interview with us to learn more about her and her creative process. The work on the right shows Packer’s work called Recollect, a selection of pendants made with copper, silver, enamel, paint, and thread.
2014 LEAP Finalists
Basketry
Dorothy McGuinness
Ceramics
Nicole Aquillano
Donna Flanery
Brett Freund
Furniture
Brian Millspaw
Jewelry
Lynn Batchelder
Ashley Buchanan
Tara Locklear
Laura Wood
Lighting
Julie Morringello
2011 LEAP Award Winner: Mel Griffin
Mel Griffin is Contemporary Craft’s 2011 LEAP Award winner. Griffin is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The work on the right shows Griffin’s work called Mating Vase, an earthenware with an dimension of 14″h x 9″w x 9″d.
2011 LEAP Finalists
wood
Kimberly Winkle
Mike Stofiel
Tom Shields
jewelry
Caitie Sellers
Jillian Moore
Heejin Hwang
Lauren Abrams
Alicia Jane Boswell
clay
Alyssa Wood
Daniel Kuhn
Jenni Brant
Joanna Powell
glass
Josefina Muñoz Torres
Elizabeth Perkins
Jessi Moore
Nadine Saylor
Clarke DeCapite
fibers
Erin M. Riley
Amanda K. Gross
metals
Warren Holzman
Stacey Lee Webber
2009 LEAP Award
Fibers
Nicola Ginzel
Susan Porteous
Naomi Schliesman
Jewerly/Metals
Tzu-Ju Chen
Sun Kyoung Kim
Yong Joo Kim
Tadashi KoiZumi
Sung-Yeoul Lee
Gary Schott
Glass
Aaron Boze
Ben Johnson
William Smith
Wood
Jeremy Cox
Katie Hudnall
Ceramics
Andrea Keys
Jeremy Brooks
Hiroe Hanazono
Jae Yong Kim
Megumi Naitoh
Vince Palacios
David Peters
Nathan Prouty
Munemitsu Taguchi