• THE ARTFUL MIND April 2016 Interview with Paula Shalan 
  •  APRIL 27, 2016  A Massachusetts ceramic artist, Paula Shalan, won the Honoring the Future® Sustainability Award at last night’s opening of the prestigious 2016 Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington, DC. The national award, which comes with a $1,000 prize, recognizes an artist whose work educates the public about climate change or inspires or models a sustainable response to climate change.
    Shalan aims to “reflect the precious beauty of our varied parks, inspire others, and honor our earth” through her ceramics. She draws inspiration from nature, particularly time spent as an Artist-in-Residence in Acadia National Park, Maine
    Jane Milosch, who directs Smithsonian multi-disciplinary research in history, art, and culture and who formerly served as the Smithsonian Art Museum Renwick Gallery’s chief curator, judged the award, filling in for Lloyd Herman, who had been scheduled to judge but was unable to attend. Milosch noted both the technical sophistication of Shalan’s pit-firing technique and the beauty of the final product. “I could see the forest in your work,” she told Shalan.