FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jean Thompson
410.889.2933 ext. 218
JeanT@rosengrp.com
www.AmericanCraft.com
2009 NICHE Awards Finalists Announced
Baltimore, MD (November 18, 2008)—NICHE magazine, the exclusive trade publication for retailers of North American craft, has announced the finalists for its 2009 NICHE Awards competition in the professional division. Jurors selected 149 finalists out of more than 1,000 entries in 34 categories.
The annual NICHE Awards program recognizes the outstanding creative achievements of North American craft artists who produce work for craft galleries and retail shops.
Judging is based on three main criteria:
• technical excellence, both in surface design and form
• market viability
• a distinct quality of unique, original and creative thought
Jurors for the professional division of the 2009 awards are: Meghan Bunnell, executive director of the Arts Business Institute; Valerie Heck, jewelry exhibits manager for the Buyers Market of American Craft; Sherry Masters, buyer for Grovewood Gallery in Asheville, N.C.; Martha Sielman, executive director of Studio Art Quilt Associates; and Matthew Stinchcomb, vice president of communications, Etsy.com.
A complete list of the professional division finalists is now available at www.AmericanCraft.com. Finalists in the student division will be announced next month.
All finalists are invited to display their work in a special NICHE Awards display at the Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft, the nation’s largest wholesale craft show, February 13-16, 2009. Finalists in the professional division will also be featured in the Winter 2009 issue of NICHE magazine.
Winners will be revealed at a special ceremony to be held February 15, 2009. The NICHE Awards ceremony is one of the most anticipated events of the winter Buyers Market.
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About NICHE Magazine
NICHE magazine, www.NICHEmag.com, the quarterly trade publication for North American fine craft retailers, is published by The Rosen Group, a Baltimore-based arts marketing, publishing and advocacy firm. In addition to NICHE, The Rosen Group publishes AmericanStyle magazine, www.americanstyle.com, a bimonthly consumer arts lifestyle magazine for collectors, enthusiasts and travelers, and produces the biannual Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft, www.americancraft.com, the nation’s largest wholesale craft tradeshow.
Images and a list of finalists are available from Melissa Becker at 410.889.2933, ext. 224, or melissab@rosengrp.com.
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