September 17, 2026 | New York, NY — The Spector Craft Prize, in partnership with Crystal Bridges, and with adviser and jury chairman Glenn Adamson, is pleased to announce the inaugural prize recipients. The inaugural Spector Craft Prize is awarded to Sharif Bey, a Syracuse-based artist and educator whose ceramic sculptures investigate the cultural and political significance of adornment, identity, and material history. As part of the award, Crystal Bridges will acquire Bey’s work, Raptor Return, for its permanent collection through funding provided by the Spector Family Foundation. "One of the great strengths of craft is its ability to carry knowledge from one generation to the next through the act of making," said Bey. "I'm honored to receive this recognition from the Spector Craft Prize, whose commitment to artists and to the future of craft reflects the enduring importance of that tradition." In addition, five early-career artists have been selected as recipients of the inaugural Spector Craft Prize for Emerging Artists: Merryn Omotayo Alaka, Japheth Asiedu-Kwarteng, Demetri Broxton, Vivian Chiu, and Luke-Thomas Tokimasa Henderson. Each artist will receive a $10,000 financial award, participate in the inaugural Spector Craft Summit, and gain access to mentorship and professional development opportunities designed to support the next generation of craft practitioners. Together, the six honorees represent a broad spectrum of contemporary craft practices, spanning ceramics, textiles, beadwork, woodworking, and paper arts, while demonstrating the field's extraordinary capacity to impart cultural knowledge, personal histories, and new forms of artistic expression. "The Spector Craft Prize initiative was created to strengthen the entire ecosystem of American craft," said Warren Spector, co-founder of the Spector Craft Prize. "By recognizing established artists through museum acquisitions, supporting emerging makers at pivotal moments in their careers, and bringing the community together through the annual Summit, we hope to help ensure that craft receives the institutional recognition and sustained investment it deserves." "What unites this remarkable group of artists is the way they transform cultural inheritance into something entirely their own," said Abigail Klem Spector, co-founder of the Spector Craft Prize. "Their work draws on traditions that span generations, places, and communities while expanding what contemporary American craft can be. Together, they reflect the richness, diversity, and continued evolution of our shared cultural heritage." Following nominations from the Spector Craft Prize Advisory Board — comprised of artists, curators, scholars, and craft leaders — Bey was selected through a collaborative process between the Spector Family Foundation and Crystal Bridges, with guidance from Glenn Adamson. Drawing inspiration from modernism, functional pottery, Oceanic art, and the art of the African diaspora, Bey has developed a singular visual language that challenges conventional understandings of function, ornament, and identity. His work is held in major museum collections across the country, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Carnegie Museum of Art, and the Dallas Museum of Art. The acquisition of Raptor Return by Crystal Bridges further underscores the initiative’s commitment to advancing craft within the broader narrative of American art. The Spector Craft Prize is structured around an institutional partnership model, collaborating each year with a different American museum to recognize contemporary craft practice. Crystal Bridges serves as the inaugural partner in this framework. “A central aim of the Spector Craft Prize is to advance the field of craft through institutional collaboration, ensuring that works of exceptional artistic achievement are recognized within leading museum collections,” said Glenn Adamson. “The acquisition of Sharif Bey’s Raptor Return by Crystal Bridges reflects that commitment, bringing his work into a public context where it can be encountered as part of the evolving story of American art.” “Bey’s work Raptor Return speaks to the extraordinary power of contemporary craft to engage questions of identity, history, and community,” said Jen Padgett, Windgate Curator of Craft at Crystal Bridges. “We are honored to welcome Sharif Bey's work into the collection and to celebrate this remarkable group of artists whose practices reflect the vitality and future of the field.” The inaugural Emerging Artists cohort reflects the breadth of contemporary craft practice in America today. Their work also speaks to the diversity of American cultural experience and craft traditions, in a country uniquely shaped by immigration and defined by a continually evolving shared heritage expressed through making
About The Spector Craft Prize:
The Spector Craft Prize initiative seeks to reinforce American craft as a vital and enduring art form while creating new pathways for artists at every stage of their careers. Through three interconnected programs, the Spector Craft Prize champions makers at pivotal moments in their careers through awards, mentorship, and community building—investing in those who will shape the future of American craft. The Spector Craft Prize is awarded to a single established artist in the United States whose work exemplifies excellence in craft and a sustained commitment to the field. The Spector Craft Prize for Emerging Artists recognizes five early-career artists with financial awards, mentorship, and visibility. Finally, the Spector Craft Summit convenes awardees, artists, curators, scholars, interior designers, and the public in a vibrant exchange of ideas at that year’s host museum, strengthening the craft ecosystem by fostering intergenerational dialogue and community.
