Visionary Scholarship Fund
IMPORTANT CHANGES FOR 2024
Please note that for 2024, AACG did not utilize a scholarship application process as it had done in the past. Instead, AACG initiated a new pilot program to work with one school - Pilchuck Glass School - to allocate our 2024 Visionary scholarship budget. The idea of the pilot program is to select a different recognized glass school each year to administer our scholarship program. As such, the designated glass school will receive the scholarship applications through their own scholarship application process and identify a pool of candidates who they deem deserving of a Visionary scholarship, according to the applicant’s artistic merit and also utilizing the criteria that AACG previously established. The scholarship program was created to advance AACG’s mission to further the development and appreciation of art made from glass. The AACG Visionary Committee will select our scholarship recipients from among the pool of candidates provided by the designated glass school.
Visionary scholarship recipients must intend on making their career creating art made from glass and live and work in the United States. We also seek to ensure that candidates from under-represented groups are included in the pool of candidates that we consider for a Visionary scholarship. AACG scholarship funds will be used for summer classes intended to teach specific glass-making skills or techniques and may not be used for tuition for graduate or undergraduate courses.
If any additional information is needed about the Visionary Scholarship program for 2024, please contact Sharon Huling, Committee Chair at sharonhuling@contempglass.org.
Previous Scholarship Recipients:
In 2024, AACG Visionary scholarships were awarded to the following artists, all of whom attended courses at Pilchuck Glass School.
- Hanna Brown
- Steve Hagan
- Amy Hoagland
- Matthew Jacob
- Eriko Kobayashi
- Draper Matthews
In 2023, AACG Visionary scholarships were awarded to the following artists, shown with the schools where they attended classes:
- Lauren Aria, Pilchuck Glass School
- Aubrey Barnett, Pilchuck Glass School
- Brian Bigelow, Corning Museum of Glass Studio
- Jennifer Fuller, Corning Museum of Glass Studio
- Cullen Houser, Pilchuck Glass School
- Aullar Mateo, Corning Museum of Glass Studio
- Kaito Nishino, Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Arts
- Asha Ramirez, Pilchuck Glass School
- David Rios, Pilchuck Glass School
- Ashley Vasquez, Pilchuck Glass School
- Caitlin Waugh, Penland School of Arts & Crafts
In 2022, AACG Visionary scholarships were awarded to the following artists, shown with the schools where they attended classes:
- Guillermo Castenada, Pilchuck Glass School
- Alex Dixon, Penland School of Craft
- Jean Fernandes, Penland School of Craft
- Eunhyung Silver Kim, The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass
- Heather Phillips, Tyler School of Art and Architecture
- Blaine Steiner, Pittsburgh Glass Center
- Amy Stephens, Penland School of Craft
- Sarah Vaughan, Pilchuck Glass School
- Kwun Lan Wong, Pilchuck Glass School
In 2019 AACG Visionary scholarships were awarded to the following artists, shown with the schools where they attended classes:
- Kagen Dunn, University of Texas at Arlington
- Shannon Floyd, Pilchuck Glass School
- Jordan Ford, Pilchuck Glass School
- Leckie Gassman, Pilchuck Glass School
- Dante Germain, Penland School of Crafts
- Jaclyn Harris, Pittsburgh Glass Center
- Katherine Kazlauskas, Pilchuck Glass School
- David King, WheatonArts Creative Glass Fellowship
- Megan Lange, Pittsburgh Glass Center
- Alex Lozano, Pilchuck Glass School
- Mark Morris, Pilchuck Glass School
- Aaron Pexa, WheatonArts Creative Glass Fellowship
- Matt Rademacher, Pilchuck Glass School
- Esteban Salazar, UrbanGlass
- Caroyln Spears, Penland School of Craft
- Erin Anne Steen, Temple University Tyler School of Art
- Luke Stone, Chrysler Museum Glass Studio
- Amanda Takacs, Corning Museum of Glass Studio
- JiEun Yoon, Chrysler Museum Glass Studio
- Hosek Youn, Pittsburgh Glass Center
- Sixuan Zhu, Temple University Tyler School of Art
In 2018 AACG Visionary scholarships were awarded to the following artists, shown with the schools where they attended classes:
- Maria Aroche, UrbanGlass
- Andrew Clark, Salem Community College
- Ryan Clark, Pilchuck Glass School
- Katy Czarnecki, Haystack Mountain College of Crafts
- Isaac Feuerman, Penland School of Crafts
- Lucy Gillis, Tyler School of Art
- Johnny Glass, Pilchuck Glass School
- Jackson Haawkins, Tyler School of Art
- Rinoi Imada, Pilchuck Glass School
- Madison Kopsa, Corning Museum of Glass
- Kayla Ohlmer, Corning Museum of Glass
- Ben Orozco, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Michiko Sakano, UrbanGlass
- Wil Sideman, Creative Glass Center of America
- Tim Spurcise, Pilchuck Glass School
- Maia Stern, Bild-Werk Glass School
- Heather Sutherland, Pilchuck Glass School
- Gina Sylvester, Salem Community College
- Wes Valdez, Salem Community College
In 2017 AACG Visionary scholarships were awarded to the following artists:
- Jennifer Crescuillo; for a fellowship at WheatonArts, Millville, NJ; nominated by the Creative Glass Center of America.
- Joan Biddle, Mollie Hansen, and Kelsie McNair; for a glassblowing and painting on glass course; nominated by the Chrysler Museum of Art.
- Katerine Rutecki; for a course on Scandinavian screen printing on glass; nominated by the Southern Illinois University School of Art and Design.
- Leo Tecosky; for a course titled “Life Blows On;” nominated by UrbanGlass.
- Gregory Wright; for a course titled “Senior Studio;” nominated by Alfred University.
- Victoria Ahmadizadek; for a course titled “Defining Line;” nominated by Pilchuck Glass School.
- Maria Conner; for a course titled “Materiality and Spirituality;” nominated by California State University, San Bernardino.
- Charles Reynolds; for a course titled “Research in Glass;” nominated by the University of Texas, Arlington.
- Audrey Wilson; for a course titled “Architectural Approaches;” nominated by Penland School of Crafts.
- Arin Ashley; for graduate research through 12/2017; nominated by the Tyler School of Art of Temple University.
- Katherine Rutecki; for a course at UrbanGlass; nominated by Southern Illinois University.
In 2016 AACG Visionary scholarships were awarded to the following artists:
- Courtney Branam, for the course "Crafts, Clients & Caliphers" at Pilchuck Glass School, WA
- Eric Hess for the MFA research in glass at the University of Texas, Arlington
- Brian McLaughlin for a graduate class at the California School of the Arts, Oakland
- Kit Paulson for "Experimental Glass Engraving at Corning," nominated by Southern Illinois University at Carbondale School of Art and Design.
- Sharise Peacock for "Graduate Projects in Glass" at the Tyler School of Art/Temple University, Philadelphia
- Nate Ricciuto for a Creative Glss Center of America fellowship at WheatonArts, Millville, NJ
- Rebecca Szparagowski for the course "Flameworkinng for Everyone" at Penland School of Crafts, NC
- Jade Usackas, Kimberly McKinnis, and Ali Feeney, for "Screen Printed Powder" at the Chrysler Museum of Art Glass Studio, Norfolk, VA
- Evan Voelbel for "Graduate Class Studio IIA" at the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
In 2015 AACG Visionary scholarships were awarded to the following artists:
- Cheryl Patrice Derricotte, nominated by Penland School of Crafts for the program "Susan Taylor Glasgow - Glass Plus"
- Amy Lemaire, nominated by WheatonArts and Cultural Center for the program "Creative Glass Center of America Fellowship"
- Lisa Demagall, nominated through Pilchuck Glass School for the program "Kiva Ford: The Glass is Half Full"
- Erin Murdock, nominated by Haystack Mountain School of Crafts for the program "Making a Good Impression" with Daniel Clayman
