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Spector Craft Prize

@spectorcraftprize

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Celebrating Excellence in American Craft
Founded by the Spector Family Foundation, 2025.
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Meet the artists shaping the next chapter of American craft. Introducing Sharif Bey, inaugural recipient of the Spector Craft Prize, and Japheth Asiedu-Kwarteng, Demetri Broxton, Vivian Chiu, Merryn Omotayo Alaka, and Luke-Thomas Tokimasa Henderson, the inaugural recipients of the Spector Craft Prize for Emerging Artists. Six artists transforming materials, bringing new perspectives, and expanding the possibilities of American craft. Meet the 2026 recipients and discover their work at spectorcraftprize.org. Directed by @christiancargill Produced by @dalmatianfilms by @spectorcraftprize
Join the Spector Craft Prize at @themomentary in Bentonville, Arkansas, on Thursday, November 12, for “Ask the Experts”. Across three sessions, participants can pose their own questions to curators, makers, scholars, and institutional leaders working across the craft field. The program is designed for students, emerging creatives, and anyone interested in learning more about craft, whether through making, curating, teaching, or research. Come ready to ask questions, exchange ideas, and hear different perspectives on craft. Thursday, November 12 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. CST @themomentary in Bentonville, Arkansas RSVP is required. Register through the link in our bio. by @spectorcraftprize
Applications are officially open. The 2026-27 Spector Craft Prize for Emerging Artists supports five exceptional makers with a $10,000 award, professional development, and mentorship at a pivotal moment in their practice. The Prize is a direct investment in the next generation of makers, ensuring American craft continues to evolve. Artists age 21 and older, living and working in the United States, with a studio practice of seven years or less are eligible to apply. Applications close Monday, February 15, 2027 at 11:59PM EST. Want to learn more before applying? Join our virtual information sessions on Wednesday, December 9 at 7PM EST or Saturday, January 23 at 3PM EST. Register through the link in our bio. Visit spectorcraftprize.org to apply today. by @spectorcraftprize
Applications for the 2026-27 Spector Craft Prize for Emerging Artists open Sunday, November 1. Through a $10,000 award, professional development, and participation in the annual Spector Craft Summit, the Prize supports emerging makers at a pivotal moment in their practice. Mark your calendars for Sunday and visit spectorcraftprize.org to learn more. by @spectorcraftprize
Issue 23 SHARIF BEY’s ( @sharifceramics ) sculptures make the inner value of labor tangible — a feat that recently earned him the inaugural Spector Craft Prize ( @spectorcraftprize ). It is the first year of the prize, which was founded by Abigail Klem Spector and Warren Spector, with the express aim to further and support creative development and innovation within the American craft scene. The Spectors are joined by a well-heeled group of art and design scholars and writers like Hannah Martin, Little Wing Lee, Deborah Needleman, Jeffrey Gibson, and design curator Glenn Adamson. Go deeper in issue 23, link in bio. Words Camille Okhio @cokhio Photo Courtesy of the artist. 1. The Birds, 2007. 2. Sharif Bey with Ivory Bling, 2005. by @spectorcraftprize
Five artists. Five distinct practices. One shared commitment to craft. Meet the 2026 Spector Craft Prize Emerging Artists. Learn more about each artist at spectorcraftprize.org @demetribroxton @merrynalaka @lukee._.h @viv_chiu @japheth_global Photos by @christiancargill @dalmatianfilms by @spectorcraftprize
PAPER. PLACE. POSSIBILITY. Luke-Thomas Tokimasa Henderson (@lukee._.h) is one of the five inaugural recipients of the 2026 Spector Craft Prize for Emerging Artists. Working with handmade paper, drawing, reeds, and string, Henderson draws on traditional craft practices and a deep connection to land and place. Hoʻolele Lupe Series (I, II) (2025) brings these materials together in a practice rooted in contemporary expressions of ancestral Indigenous knowledge. Learn more about Luke-Thomas Tokimasa Henderson at spectorcraftprize.org Directed by @christiancargill Produced by @dalmatianfilms by @spectorcraftprize
TO HOLD. TO BEAR. TO WITNESS. Merryn Omotayo Alaka (@merrynalaka) is one of the five inaugural recipients of the 2026 Spector Craft Prize for Emerging Artists. Working across sculpture, installation, performance, and fiber, the Chicago-based Nigerian-American artist considers what bodies, materials, and memory can hold. To Hold, To Bear, To Witness (2025) brings vinyl, thread, hair, and earrings into conversations of collective memory rooted in Black material culture. Learn more about Merryn Omotayo Alaka at spectorcraftprize.org Directed by @christiancargill Produced by @dalmatianfilms by @spectorcraftprize
WOOD WITH A HISTORY. Vivian Chiu (@viv_chiu) is one of the five inaugural recipients of the 2026 Spector Craft Prize for Emerging Artists. In Passages (those who carried us) (2023–26), Chiu transforms heirloom crates from Wing On Wo & Co., the oldest operating general store in New York’s Chinatown, into sculptural records of movement, labor, and migration. The markings remain. So does the story. Learn more about Vivian Chiu at spectorcraftprize.org Directed by @christiancargill Produced by @dalmatianfilms by @spectorcraftprize
WHAT WE INHERIT. Demetri Broxton (@demetribroxton) is one of the five inaugural recipients of the 2026 Spector Craft Prize for Emerging Artists. Working across beadwork, textiles, and mixed media, Broxton draws on his Louisiana Creole and Filipino heritage to explore ancestry and cultural memory. However Far the Stream Flows, It Never Forgets Its Source (2025) brings together Japanese and Czech glass beads, sequins, cowrie shells, antique silk, and wool. Broxton’s practice transforms commonplace materials into vessels of identity, protection, and cultural remembrance—asserting craft as a contemporary language of empowerment and storytelling. Learn more about Demetri Broxton at spectorcraftprize.org Credits: Demetri Broxton’s exhibition « Ancestral Echoes » at the Museum of the African Diaspora (@moadsf). Directed by @christiancargill Produced by @dalmatianfilms by @spectorcraftprize
FAMILY, MEMORY, HOME — IN CLAY. Japheth Asiedu-Kwarteng (@japheth_global) is one of the five inaugural recipients of the 2026 Spector Craft Prize for Emerging Artists. Drawing on his Ghanaian heritage, Asiedu-Kwarteng explores family, memory, identity, and home through bold, sculptural ceramics. Dining with Mama & Dada: In Space (2026) brings stoneware, stained porcelain, and underglaze together in a work rooted in warm memories of home. Learn more about Japheth Asiedu-Kwarteng at spectorcraftprize.org Directed by @christiancargill Produced by @dalmatianfilms by @spectorcraftprize
ORNAMENT, REIMAGINED. Sharif Bey (@sharifceramics) is the recipient of the inaugural 2026 Spector Craft Prize. A ceramicist, sculptor, and educator based in Syracuse, New York, Bey draws from the visual heritage of Africa and Oceania alongside contemporary African American culture. Across beadwork, ceramics, and mixed media, his work explores the cultural and political power of ornament, blurring the line between functional pottery and sculpture. Learn more about Sharif Bey at spectorcraftprize.org Images by @christiancargill @dalmatianfilms by @spectorcraftprize

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