Niche Award....and HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK!

(Above: My 2011 NICHE Award in the category of "decorative fibers" and the packet that came with it.)

I almost kissed the mail lady.....not really! I had to actually open my mail to see the NICHE Award and read the incredible press release. I also had to tear open the letter stating that I was selected as the August Artist-in-Residence (AIR) at Hot Springs National Park! I'm so excited. The national park AIR program is highly competitive.

Steve said I should write my own press release and sent it to the newspaper. It felt really, really strange....like bragging or something....but I did it. Below is the "content" part...mostly an exercise of "copying and pasting" from the sent information!

Niche Award: Artist Susan Lenz of Columbia, SC has been named a winner in the 2011 NICHE Awards for the piece entitled Window I in the Fiber: Decorative category. Winners were announced in a ceremony held during the Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft on Friday, February 18, 2011. Only 179 entries out of nearly 1,000 submissions were named as finalists in this year’s professional competition. Of that group, 47 entries won awards in several categories including ceramics, wood, basketry, metal, jewelry, fibers and glass. The NICHE Awards program is sponsored by NICHE Magazine, the exclusive trade publication for North American retailers of American craft. The awards program began in 1990 to recognize the outstanding creative achievements of American and Canadian craft artists who produce work for craft galleries and retail stores. Susan Lenz is represented by the Grovewood Gallery in Asheville, NC: the South Carolina Artisan Center in Walterboro, SC; and Mouse House, Inc. in Columbia, SC.

Hot Springs National Park: Artist Susan Lenz of Columbia, SC has been selected as the August Artist-in-Residence at Hot Springs National Park. The highly competitive selection process identifies finalists on the basis of entry materials, participation in national juried shows and publications, and the artist’s ability to relate and interpret experiences through their work. Interviews narrowed the field for final selection. Lenz will be creating fiber work during the month stay, one of which will become part of the National Park Permanent Art Collection.