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Designer Craftsman Guild Announces 2019 Grant Winners

The Designer Craftsman Guild is pleased to announce the first recipients of its newly created Grant Program for Individual Artists. The program is part of an ongoing effort to support and promote local/area artists specializing in fine crafts, and offers two $500 grant awards to qualifying emerging and established artists.

The 2019 Designer Craftsman Grant recipients are:

Emerging Artist: James Lupkin [Fort Wayne IN]

Lupkin is a glass artist with a background in stained glass and glassblowing. His work includes complicated yet classical glass work as well as innovative light based designs. Lupkin creates functional vessels and pattern based glass with a concentration on technique and color. He plans to use grant monies to fund full studio/equipment access at the Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion in Toledo Ohio.

Established Artist: Sayaka Ganz [Fort Wayne IN]

Ganz is an internationally recognized sculptor working with reclaimed/found objects. She is currently working with recycled plastics to create large scale sculptures of sea creatures. Ganz describes her work as “3D impressionism” and utilizes brightly colored plastic objects to create an illusion of brush strokes. She plans to use grant monies to take classes at the Deep Blue Divers Aquatic Center to become a certified scuba diver, enabling her to see the underwater world up close on future research trips.

The Designer Craftsman Grant Program is open to any artist/craftsman 18 years or older living in Allen, DeKalb, Noble, Whitley, Huntington, Wells or Adams Counties working in contemporary fine crafts [ceramics; wood; metal; jewelry; glass;
fiber/textile; found materials; mixed media; printmaking; or a combination of materials]. An emerging artist is in the early stages of their career with less than 10 years’ experience; and an established artist has 10+ years’ experience in their chosen medium. Grant funds are ear-marked for studio space/expense; supplies/materials/equipment; education [classes, workshops or research]; entry fees; specific project [planned or in-progress]; and/or promotion of work.