This year's honoree Judith S. Schwartz PhD, Professor of Art and Art Education and Head of the Sculpture: Craft Media Area at NYU Steinhardt, is an internationally recognized author, critic and curator of contemporary craft issues. Judith was a resident artist at Clay Art center in the mid-1960's. She was one of the pioneers of CAC and continues to be an ardent supporter today. She is a resident of Armonk.

In her brief speech, she expounded on what Clay Art Center meant to her when she was a young woman just beginning her career in clay: "the Clay Art Center played a pivotal role in my early career - acting as a transition between a ceramic art major in college and a professional life. It was a place to test the waters, develop skills, find a community of friends and, most importantly, put me in the company of role models that showed me that hard work is always required for success in the ceramic world, well, in most worlds for that matter....Clay is knowing about form, gesture, expression, and an atmosphere that conveys a spirit and meaning. It hones students' powers, both of observation and of three-dimensional representation - which are the essential foundation of all art-making. So, I want to take this opportunity to wish the Clay Art Center continued success in this high pursuit. I am grateful for this institution for being around at a time in my life when it was most needed and I know I speak for others who feel exactly the same way as I do."

Click here to see the announcement for Judith's talk at the Clay Art Center.