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Published: 05 August 2014 05 August 2014

Photo: Primitive Artifact by Jean-Robert Béffort

The 2014 CLAY Festival, a Silver City Arts & Cultural District Signature Event, held three unique International Juried Exhibitions, announcing the winners during the festival weekend.

Nawal Motawi, juror for A Tile & A Vessel, gave the following remarks regarding the exhibition:

"I would like to congratulate all of the artists who have pieces on display. It wasn't difficult to recognize the pieces that should be in the show. Choosing the prize winners, on the other hand was tough. I hope that all the artists know that every juror brings their own predilections and preferences to the task. My own are in favor of works that exhibit good technical control of ceramic materials and generally tighter technique. I hereby salute all of the artists for the hours of getting it wrong, that it takes to learn how to get it right----and for the hours of work entailed in the direct creation of the pieces you see here today."

The winners include:


First Place Tad Van der Weele Memorial Award, Pieces of Me by Diego Valles of Juan Mata Ortiz, Mexico
Second Place, Nido-Koo by Andrea Pichaida of Santa Fe, New Mexico
Third Place, Medallones Opuestos by Cesar Elias Dominguez Nunez of Juan Mata Ortiz, Mexico
Tile Heritage Foundation Prize, Fuchsia by Melissa Yungbluth of St. Petersburg, Florida

Archaeologist, Dr. Patricia Crown, served as the juror for the Neo-Mimbreño 2014 Exhibition hosted at the Western New Mexico University Museum and the McCray Gallery on campus, and awarded the following prizes:
First Place, Primitive Artifact by Jean-Robert Béffort of Silver City, New Mexico
Second Place, Mimbreño Millie by Betty Lou McCall of Monticello, New Mexico
Third Place, What Hattie Saw by Paula Geisler of Silver City, New Mexico

The 2014 juried exhibition, Private PrōJECT, proved to be a festive Saturday evening beginning with a street dance on Bullard Street and ending with an outdoor digital exhibition featuring private clay-mosaic installations. Juried by Kathryn Allen, Claude W. Smith III, and Marcia Smith, this year's winner of the $1000 prize is:
Best Residential Installation, Angel Niche by Phyllis Pacin of Oakland, California

The CLAY Festival wishes to congratulate all artists who participated in this year's exhibitions as well as every sponsor and volunteer who made this festival possible.

See all the winners HERE.