The Kentucky Arts
Councils Kentucky Craft Marketing Program and the Kentucky Museum of Art and
Craft honored master fiber artist Marie Emlen Hochstrasser of
Lexington, Kentucky with the Rude Osolnik
Award for 2005. The award honors its namesake, Rude Osolnik, the nationally
acclaimed wood turner from Berea, Kentucky, who devoted
his life to the development of his craft and teaching. This prestigious award recognizes
artists for their contributions to the craft community, preservation of craft
traditions through teaching and sharing, and exemplary workmanship. Previous
recipients are Alma Lesch, Emily Wolfson, Arturo Alonzo Sandoval, Homer Ledford,
Joseph Molinaro, Stephen Rolfe Powell, Byron Temple, Tim Glotzbach, and Lysbeth
Wallace.
Marie has been a teacher, a business owner, an active member of national
and local organizations, and an active artist. She has taught at Transylvania University in Lexington, Asbury
College, and the University of Kentucky. In 1978 she helped start Yarn
and Fiber Art as co-owner, and she individually opened the still in operation
Kentucky Looms & Wheels Outlet in 1991. She has served as president in
multiple local organizations, such as the Lexington Art League, the Kentucky
Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, and the Lexington Council for the Arts, as well
as being one of the founders of the Kentucky Fiber Guild. Nationally, Marie has
served as the official Kentucky representative to the American Craft
Council Southeast Regional Assembly since 1977, and currently serves as the
Kentucky Representative to the Handweavers Guild of America. She has also
published numerous articles in magazines such as Handwoven, Arts Across
Kentucky, and The Crafts Report.
Marie has also retained her emphasis on education. She says, my goal has
always been to encourage young and old to explore the arts, just as it
invigorates my live. We want to pursue excellence in the medium and we need to
get all ages started down this path. She has been awarded numerous grants to
develop and teach a variety of projects in Kentucky school systems. Some of the results
include Tapestries in the School Art Room Setting for 4th and
5th grade students in Jessamine County schools, and the Warp Six
Exhibition at the Lexington Childrens Museum for Youth Art
Month.
Arts Across Kentucky editor Nancy Bronner says of Marie, often times,
when someone contributes so much to an effort over a long period of time and
often in a low profile, we forget how much that individual has done. We have no
idea what the arts in Kentucky would be like if Marie hadnt been
offering her time and energy all these years.
In recognition of her service to the arts community, Marie Hochstrasser
will be honored at a dinner Friday evening, August 12.
