ACE Artists: Face to Face FULL VIDEOS

Chat (virtually) with ACE Artists, Live! This summer, the American Craft Exposition (ACE) produced a new event series, ACE Artists: Face to Face, a video conversation via Zoom for art enthusiasts and friends presented by The Auxiliary of NorthShore University HealthSystem.  Each virtual event featured 15-30 minutes with an ACE artist sharing insights into their craft, demonstrating their unique artistic …

ACE Artists: Face to Face

Chat (virtually) with ACE Artists, Live! This summer, the American Craft Exposition (ACE) produced a new event series, ACE Artists: Face to Face, a video conversation via Zoom for art enthusiasts and friends presented by The Auxiliary of NorthShore University HealthSystem.  Each virtual event featured 15-30 minutes with an ACE artist sharing insights into their craft, demonstrating their unique artistic …

2019 ACE Artist Spotlight: Peter Petrochko

Early in his architectural studies, Peter Petrochko was challenged to explore–to carve into a six-inch cube of redwood with a mallet, gouge, and sandpaper. He spent 35 hours carving, and 30 more hours sanding the sculpture to a fine finish. The project recalibrated Peter’s career. He changed his field of study, leaving architecture to pursue fine arts and crafts. One …

2019 ACE Artist Spotlight: Martha Collins, Carlsborg, WA

Designer, maker, teacher. Martha Collins’s passion is to weave wood, and she has been doing it for 45 years. She creates personal and unique three-dimensional works of art–jewelry, ceremonial bowls, and tableware–with exotic and domestic hardwoods and bright veneers. The natural beauty of the wood is enriched with a dyed veneer, a combination that distinguishes her work and results in …

2019 ACE Artist Spotlight: Barbara Heinrich, Rochester, New York

Barbara Heinrich hopes her jewelry will not only be cherished by her customers, but that it might become a family heirloom, passed from one generation to the next. Because of this, it is no wonder that quality and durability are priorities for her. Solid, clean fabrication methods are matched with strong design. In each piece, she strives for a delicate …

2019 ACE Artist Spotlight: Mary Pat Wallen, IN

With exquisite three-dimensional works of bronze and resin, Mary Pat Wallen describes herself as one of the lucky ones who gets to go to “work” and play. Art is her escape–a release of tension and concerns. She works, building layer upon layer of what the world may view as “mistakes,” but Mary Pat and her loyal base of admirers perceive …

2019 ACE Artist Spotlight: Wendy Stevens, Philadelphia, PA

The idea to make handbags from metal came to Wendy Stevens in 1983. The industrial materials surrounding her in New York City provided inspiration for her inner artistic potential. It was then and there that she developed the original style that would translate into accessories that are both exquisite and modern, yet durable and versatile. Several years of development and …

2019 ACE Artist Spotlight: Will Wipperfurth, Lake Mills, WI

It was a childhood spent on a Wisconsin dairy farm that Will Wipperfurth credits for his artistic foundation. Watching his father and uncles plan and build their own projects revealed the power of foresight and hard work, and at a neighboring woodworker’s home, Will watched and learned the craft of woodworking. His first pieces were toys and treehouses, and he …

2019 ACE Artist Spotlight: Barry Rhodes, Marshall, NC & Atlanta, GA

Like many potters, Barry Rhodes is inspired by the great pottery work of Japan. However, he has always felt free to pick and choose the most interesting aspects of many cultures and to re-interpret the essence of those cultures in interesting ways within his work. His graphic approach to pottery pays homage to the depth of surface found on hi-fired …

2019 ACE Artist Spotlight: Mary Ellen Sisulak, Ellison Bay, WI

Mary Ellen Sisulak attributes the vast and endless woods for making her the artist she is today.  “There is more to nature than just what we see above the ground,” Mary Ellen states. Her art truly reflects those wise words.  Living among the pristine Wisconsin woods for over forty years, Mary Ellen is still captivated by the many mysteries the …