Arts Council Searching For 2016 Arkansas Living Treasure

The Arkansas Arts Council is seeking nominations for the 2016 Arkansas Living Treasure award.

The Arkansas Living Treasure program annually recognizes an Arkansas artist who excels in the creation of a traditional craft and who actively preserves and advances his or her craft through community outreach and educating others. An independent panel of practicing craft artists and professionals in the fields of craft and folk art will select the recipient based on the following criteria: quality of work, community outreach and total contribution to the field of traditional crafts.

The 2015 Arkansas Living Treasure is Lorrie Popow of Hot Springs. Lorrie is a pysanky egg artist who has been practicing her craft for 50 years. She has earned the International Egg Art Guild Master Level in pysanky and filigree egg art. Her work was displayed at the White House Visitor’s Center in 2005. Today, Lorrie’s work is displayed at the Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago.

Eligible artists work in a traditional craft form such as basket weaving, bladesmithing, glassblowing, broom making, doll making, leatherwork, metalsmithing, musical instrument making, pottery, quilt making, toy making, weaving, woodcarving or other functional crafts.

Nominees might have exhibited their work at a local and/or national level, taught, lectured or written about their craft as their contribution in maintaining and advancing the art form.
A nominee must be a craft artist who is a current resident of Arkansas and has lived in the state for at least one year at the time of nomination. He or she is worthy of statewide recognition for artistic excellence in his or her craft, and has participated in the community by promoting, preserving and teaching the craft.

Nominations will be accepted through Friday, Nov. 6. For more information, click here.

Past Arkansas Living Treasures
2002  Bea Stebbing, stained glass, Siloam Springs 2003  Irma Gail Hatcher, quilter, Conway
2004  Violet Hensley, fiddle maker, Yellville
2005  Leon Niehues, basket maker, Huntsville
2006  Larry Williams, traditional wooden hand planes, Eureka Springs
2007  James R. Cook, bladesmith, Nashville
2008  Robyn Horn, wood sculptor, Little Rock
2009  Doug Stowe, wood worker, Eureka Springs
2010  Peter Lippincott, potter, Fort Smith
2011  Winston Taylor, potter, Russellville
2012  Jim Larkin, potter, Hot Springs
2013  Dallas Bump, chair maker, Royal
2014  Robert Runyan, log cabin construction, Winslow
2015  Lorrie Popow, pysanky egg artist, Hot Springs