Smithsonian 2024 Visionary Award Presented to Dan Dailey

WASHINGTON DC — World renowned glass artist Dan Dailey has been honored as one of the two recipients of the 2024 Smithsonian Visionary Award for his innovative and captivating glass sculptures. Dailey has a unique ability to fascinate with narratives of human experience and expression, inviting viewers into a world of imagination.

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Meroe Park, Deputy Secretary of the Smithsonian, presenting Dailey with the the 2024 Visionary Award.

Dailey employs “imagery, high contrast, simplicity of form” and symbolic rather than representational elements in his artwork. He pushes the boundaries of traditional glass composition by incorporating metal into many of his sculptures. In the 2020 Dailey retrospective at the Chrysler Museum of Art, it was stated that he is “known as one of the most unique voices within the field of contemporary glass.”

Stained glass artist Judith Schaechter was also honored as a 2024 Smithsonian Visionary, because of her unique creative vision and exceptional artistry. The Smithsonian Visionary Award is presented annually by the Secretary of the Smithsonian at the Smithsonian Craft Show to American artists who are deemed by experts in the field to have risen to the pinnacle of sculptural arts and design, who have works in major museums, and who have demonstrated distinction, creativity, exceptional artistry and, of course, vision in their respective medium.

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Dan Dailey at the Smithsonian Craft Show, May 1, 2024. The National Building Museum's Corinthian columns are among the largest in the world.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds one of the world's largest and most inclusive collections of art, from the colonial period to the present, made in the United States.

James Renwick Alliance 2014 Distinguished Educators Awards

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dan Dailey, along with fellow awardees Peter Held, Glen Kaufman and Patti Warashina, was honored with the Distinguished Educator Award at a special brunch event at the St. Regis on Saturday. A celebration of craft education honoring four educators, the Awards Brunch was part of the James Renwick Alliance’s 2014 Spring Craft Weekend.

The James Renwick Alliance presents the Distinguished Educator Award every other year, honoring up to five educators for their outstanding ability to increase awareness and appreciation for the history and traditions within the field of craft, a reputation for excellence and innovation in education and for significant contributions to American education in the craft field. 

James Renwick Alliance Panel Discussion – Materialism: The Medium or the Message

WASHINGTON D.C. — The Smithsonian American Art Museum hosted a panel discussion in the McEvoy Auditorium on Saturday as part of the James Renwick Alliance's 2014 Spring Craft Weekend. An audience of over 125 heard from leaders in their fields: the 2014 JRA Distinguished Educator honorees Dan Dailey, Peter Held, Glen Kaufman, Patti Warashina and moderator Elisabeth Agro, the Nancy M. McNeil Associate Curator of American Modern and Contemporary Crafts and Decorative Arts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The panel discussion, titled "Materialism: The Medium or the Message" was centered on the material focus of the four artists, and the development of a still unnamed art movement. Each artist illustrated a history of involvement with their chosen material and their unique process of work. The event streamed live on the Smithsonian American Art Museum website and Youtube.

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Barbara Wolanin (Chair), Giselle Huberman (JRA President), and panelists Glen Kaufman, Peter Held, Patti Warashina, Elisabeth Agro and Dan Dailey.

The discussion was inspired by Dailey's "Materialism" interview and lecture series (2009 – ongoing) created in collaboration with Joe Rapone, Associate Professor at UArts in Philadelphia. Materialism defines a late 20th century art movement where studio artists gained a mastery of materials traditionally employed by artisans using clay, glass, fibers, wood and metal. Following introductory presentations by the artists, Dailey made a presentation showing artists he has interviewed as subjects of his lecture series. 

Ms. Agro's perspective as a curator gives her key insights to this art movement's relevance in the history of art. Her thought provoking questions elicited fascinating responses from the artists that kept the audience engaged throughout the discussion. Many educators, scholars and art dealers in attendance participated and expressed their own views about the development of the material art movement. Watch the entire event below.

Glass Art Society Lifetime Achievement Award

CHICAGO, IL — Dan Dailey was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday as the Glass Art Society began their 43rd Annual Conference. The ceremony honoring Dailey at the Palmer House Hilton featured presentation from Dailey on his body of work, and a keynote address by Chicago artist Theaster Gates. Three days of workshops, seminars, demonstrations, exhibits and other events began Thursday and continued through Saturday, March 22.

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Albert Paley delivers the Wilson Lecture.

Albert Paley delivered the Willson Lecture, focused on the melding of glass and steel in his work. Paley is a Philadelphia native who began his career as a jeweler and began working with iron in 1970. Paley's ironwork pays homage to European art nouveau and American abstract expressionism. He is recognized in the metalsmithing community for his extraordinary work with ferrous metals. 

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Benjamin Moore, Dante Marioni, Aaron Baigelman, Preston Singletary, Dan Dailey, Margy Trumbull, Rich Royal and Brent Rogers attend the Glass Art Society 43rd Annual Conference at Ignite Glass Studios in Chicago, IL.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is the Glass Art Society's highest honor, given in recognition of significant and sustained contributions to the field of glass art, technical innovation, exemplary leadership, dedication to education, and support for and promotion of glass art.