Craft Marketing Program
Ceramic Artist and Teacher, Wayne Ferguson, Receives Rude Osolnik Award for 2006
Kentucky Craft Marketing Program, a division of the Kentucky Arts Council, and the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft will honor ceramic artist and teacher Wayne Ferguson of Louisville, Kentucky with the 11th annual Rude Osolnik Award for 2006. The award honors its namesake, Rude Osolnik, the nationally acclaimed wood turner from Berea, Kentucky, who devoted his life to the development of his craft and teaching. This prestigious award recognizes artists for their contributions to the craft community, preservation of craft traditions through teaching and sharing, and exemplary workmanship. Previous recipients are Alma Lesch, Emily Wolfson, Arturo Alonzo Sandoval, Homer Ledford, Joseph Molinaro, Stephen Rolfe Powell, Bryon Temple (posthumously) Tim Glotzbach, Lysbeth Wallace, and Marie Emlem Hochstrasser.
“Wayne Ferguson has given selflessly for over twenty years as an educator and enabler of young creative minds. It could well be argued that Wayne is, in fact, one of the unsung contemporary heroes of arts education in Kentucky, whose drive to create for his own satisfaction, and commitment to encouraging others seeking similar inspiration, have opened new creative opportunities in the minds and lives of children from the inner city of Louisville to the most rural parts of Appalachian Kentucky,” said Adrian Swain, Curator of the Kentucky Folk Art Center in Morehead, Kentucky.
Wayne first gained his interest in clay while growing up in Whitley County, Kentucky. His mother made clay from flour, salt, and food coloring, as a way to occupy an otherwise mischievous child. Although his high school years were troubled, he was given special attention by Eva Hinkle, the Bellevue High School art teacher, who taught him the healing power of arts.
After serving his military time in the US Air Force, he attended the University of Kentucky where his career began in earnest.
He has devoted his life to in-school workshops for several decades. He has taught in Knott County High School, Hindman; Tates Creek High School, Lexington; Blackacre Art Camp, Blackacre Nature Preserve, Jefferson County; the Louisville Visual Arts Association, and numerous other schools.
On the college level he has held workshops as a visiting artist, instructor, and keynote speaker for North Carolina Arts Council, Collegiate School, University of Northern Iowa, Northern Kentucky University, Georgetown College, Union University, Morehead State University, Berea College, Transylvania University, and Arizona State University, to name a few.
His work has been exhibited in Kentucky, West Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, California, Iowa, Georgia, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania.
Some of his awards include: Early Times Fellowship (Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft), Merit Award (Paducah Art Museum), and Al Smith Fellowship Award (Kentucky Arts Council).
His special interest projects in archaeology have included Pima Canyon Project, Valencia Road Project, Anamax – Rosemont, and Los Morteros, all in Tucson, Arizona. Wayne has also spent time in Mexico and Germany.
Wayne Ferguson will be honored at a reception and dinner Friday evening, March 24, 6:30 p.m. in conjunction with ‘Trends and Traditions’ – the American Craft Council/Southeast Regional Conference and Spotlight 2006 Exhibition, held in Louisville, Kentucky on March 23, 24 and 25, 2006. The Spotlight exhibit and many of the conference sessions will be held at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, along with other local venues. Spotlight 2006 is a juried exhibition for craft artists residing in the eleven southeastern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The Conference, jointly funded by the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft (KMAC) and the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program (KCMP), will feature keynote speaker, internationally-known tapestry weaver, Helena Hernmarck, Boston, Massachusetts.
The Kentucky Craft Marketing Program is a division of the Kentucky Arts Council, a state agency in the Commerce Cabinet, Commonwealth of Kentucky. For more information, visit the KCMP website, www.kycraft.ky.gov, call toll free 888-592-7238, local calls 502-564-8110 ext. 471, or e-mail kycraft@ky.gov.
###
Since 1981, the Craft Marketing Program's mission is to develop the state's craft industry, support and empower Kentucky artisans and craftspeople, create an economically viable environment for craft entrepreneurs, preserve the state's craft traditions, stimulate and support product development, and generate public awareness, public support and public/private partnerships.
The Program provides assistance to Kentucky residents, individuals, or groups wanting to develop as craft professionals through economic opportunities and training, to other outside entities (e.g., craft retailers, craft and art organizations, community and government agencies), and the general public. The craft industry in Kentucky contributes 252 million dollars in annual sales and Kentucky is recognized as a model state for its craft programs and its role in the $14 billion national craft industry.
The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft is a nonprofit organization founded in 1981 as the Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation. Its mission is to promote excellence in the art and craft heritage of Kentucky and to support artists and educate the public through programming and exhibits. The Museum is supported in part by the Fund for the Arts and the Kentucky Arts Council, a state agency of the Commerce Cabinet. It is located at 715 W. Main St. in downtown Louisville. Regular Museum hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, and Saturday, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, or by appointment. Admission is free. For more information, please log on to www.KentuckyArts.org or call (502) 589-0102.