Society of Arts and Crafts awards North Carolina artist

The Society of Arts and Crafts picked Annie Evelyn, an artist in Penland, N.C., as its 2016 John D. Mineck Furniture Fellow, which includes a cash award of $25,000, for demonstrating skill and commitment to her craft.

“First awarded in 2009, the John D. Mineck Furniture Fellowship developed from Mineck’s love for making fine furniture and the skill, passion and dedication exhibited by those in the field. Today it serves to encourage and support a young-in-career furniture artist with the financial assistance to help them succeed in their journey,” the Boston-based Society of Arts and Crafts said in a statement.

Evelyn graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and holds a master’s degree in fine arts. She’s been in residence at the Penland School of Craft, exploring furniture upholstery in non-traditional materials such as concrete, metal and Swarovski crystals. She plans on using the award to purchase tools for a studio that can function as a community space.

Evelyn was selected from approximately 40 applicants.

“What we could tell from her application is that Annie is a superstar,” Society of Arts and Crafts associate curator Luiza deCamargo told Woodshop News. “We wanted to give her the opportunity to keep moving forward with the speed and excitement that she’d been generating. I think we can expect to see some really great things from her.”

For more, visit www.annieevelyn.com and www.societyofcrafts.org.

This article originally appeared in the November 2016 issue.