First Place

Sculptural Tactile Wearable
felting, sewing

by Sugandha Gupta, an independent artist from New York City, NY

First Place in the Sculpture category is Sugandha Gupta, an independent artist from New York City, NY for “Sculptural Tactile Wearable.”

Measuring 30 by 15 by 1 inch, this wearable artwork is made with a creamy, beige-colored Blue Face Leicester and Tussah silk wool fibers. The base fabric was hand felted, cut into strips, and sewn by hand to create the completed piece. The felt strips are combined together and twisted in regular intervals to create this piece. The piece is formed in an infinity loop and therefore can be worn on the body in any direction or orientation. Each angle of the piece is not only visually different, but also feels different, and encourages the wearer to interact with it through touch. It is very soft, luxurious, and yet has a regal structure to it. This artwork is ready to be modeled at New York Fashion Week! 

Second Place – Tie

Pixie Glitter Garden
mixed media

by Michelle Krupa, an adult artist from the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults in Sands Point, NY

Second Place: Tie in the Sculpture category is Michelle Krupa, an adult artist from the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults in Sands Point, NY, for “Pixie Glitter Garden.”

Pixie Glitter Garden measures 4 by 8 ½ inches by 3 inches long, making for the coziest garden for any pixie that is flying through for a visit! Constructed from three mini tree stumps, they stack upward like a pyramid, adorned with moss and clay sculpted flowers, mushrooms, and leaves, complete with a ladybug and butterfly resting. The clay plants have an enchanted quality about them, sprinkled throughout the moss in shades of iridescent pink, lavender, yellow, green, and blue. Not all flowers are the same; some resemble roses, while others resemble carnations. Makes you want to curl up into a flower and take a quick pixie nap, doesn’t it?

Second Place – Tie

Mr. Sunny Daze
paperclay, metal, airbrush

by Travis Allen, an independent artist from Lisbon, IA

Second Place: Tie in the Sculpture category is Travis Allen, an independent artist from Lisbon, IA, for “Mr. Sunny Daze.”

Measuring 37 by 40 by 5 inches, this sculpture was constructed out of paper clay, metal, and airbrush paint, creating a bright, big sun with an enormous, dimpled grin on its face. Metal sun rays ripple outward, giving the effect that bright light beams outward from the sun itself. On the outermost edges, the sun is a pale yellow, but as the viewer follows the sun’s rays to the center, the color fades into an orange, as though reflecting a possible sunset. Taking up most of the sun’s face is its classic, mischievous grin, but above, the sun has a nose that takes center of the piece, and large, wide open amber eyes. His eyebrows raise upward, as though he is about to tell you a playful secret…

Thrid Place – Tie

Mother Ethiopia
ceramic

by Almaz Haile, an adult artist from the Braille Institute of America in Los Angeles, CA

Third Place: Tie in the Sculpture category is Almaz Haile, an adult artist from the Braille Institute of America in Los Angeles, CA, for “Mother Ethiopia.”

Measuring 13.5 by 10.5 by 10 inches, Mother Ethiopia depicts a striking, dark skinned woman with arms outstretched above her head, up to the sky. A ceramic artwork, she poses with a powerful, celestial-like expression, as though in deep concentration. She appears seated, the sculptor taking care to shape her captivating curves, outstretched fingers, and ringlet curls that tuck away behind her ears. She wears a green, red, and yellow threaded yarn necklace, depicting the Ethiopian flag. 

Third Place – Tie

Perkins Brailler
mixed media

by Amelia Lillie, an independent artist from Louisville, KY

Third Place: Tie in the Sculpture category is Amelia Lillie, an independent artist from Louisville, KY for “Perkins Brailler.”

Measuring 10 by 5 by 5 inches, the artist shaped out a spot-on depiction of the classic Perkins Brailler, complete with keys and an entrance for feeding braille paper! Constructed out of cardboard, paint, wine wood, paper, and glue, the brailler is blue, with shimmering silver keys to accompany it. The paper, fed in at the top, reads “Perkins Brailler” in braille!