2001 Niche Award Winners Announced

Staff -- JCK Online, 5/1/2001 2:00:00 AM

The Rosen Group, Baltimore, Md., announced the winners of the 2001 NICHE Awards at a ceremony on Feb. 18, 2001, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, held in conjunction with the Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft. The awards are sponsored by The Rosen Group's NICHE magazine, the exclusive trade publication for craft retailers.

Winners of the 2001 NICHE professional awards in the jewelry categories were: Jean Huffenus, Philadelphia, gold jewelry with stones; Lisa Bialac-Jehle, Topanga, Calif., silver jewelry with stones; Amy Karash, Wayne Pa., fashion jewelry; Rona Fisher, Philadelphia, gold jewelry; Kristine J. Bolhuis, Jamaica Plain, Mass., silver jewelry.

Student winners in jewelry categories were: Kristin Mitsu Shiga, Oregon College of Art & Craft, fashion jewelry; Dallae Kang, San Diego State University School of Art Design; Juan Carlos Caballero-Perez, Rochester Institute of Technology, fine jewelry with stones.

Begun in 1990, the NICHE Awards program recognizes the outstanding creative achievements of American and Canadian craft artists who produce work for craft galleries and retail stores. Judging criteria are based on three main distinctions: technical excellence and creativity, both in surface design and form; market viability of the work; and a distinct quality of unique and original thought.

In the NICHE Awards professional category, 41 winners were selected from over 1,000 entries. For the NICHE Student Awards, 17 winners were chosen from 387 entries representing 60 schools throughout the United States and Canada.

The Rosen Group also publishes AmericanStyle magazine, the arts and lifestyle magazine for collectors of fine American craft, and produces the Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft wholesale trade shows twice each year.

Applications for the 2002 NICHE Awards are available from NICHE magazine, 3000 Chestnut Ave., Suite 304, Baltimore, Md. 21211, (410) 889-3093, fax (410) 889-1320, e-mail: NICHEaward@rosengrp.com. The entry deadline is Sept. 1, 2001, for the professional program and Nov. 1, 2001, for the student awards.