(CINCINNATI) – Ethical Metalsmiths’ Education Committee is happy to announce EM’s 2023 Emerging Artist Award Winner: Maria Hammond.
Education Committee Chair Lucy Derickson explains, “Emerging Artists are chosen annually from the applicants of the So Fresh + So Clean student exhibition, and are awarded a $1000 cash prize.”
This year’s jury selected Maria Hammond, who is the Committee’s first Emerging Artist from the United Kingdom. Maria received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Product Design and Craft from Manchester Metropolitan University, and expressed her gratitude for receiving this year’s award: “It’s already funded a little enameling kiln, some wood turning chisels and materials!”
Maria described the inspiration for her collection as follows:
“My collection is inspired by a derelict industrial building and its decayed materials, which I believe have a unique beauty and character that reflect local history and experiences of life. As it is reclaimed by nature, I am reminded of the cycle of life and death, and am filled with a sense of hope and possibility. Mirroring the transformative process of time and the representation of memory in buildings and objects, my practice includes burning, patinating, oxidizing, and carving.”
Learn more about Maria Hammond here and the So Fresh & So Clean exhibition here.
EM extends gratitude to this year’s special Jurors: Emily Stoehrer and Jina Seo; Sponsors: Hoover & Strong, Rio Grande and Earthworks, and EM Students Chelsea Rowe, Shannon Kurzyniec & Yifei Kong.
