The legacy of our generous patron, Sylvia L. Rosen, is reflected in many ways at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. In addition to this gallery dedicated to art in craft, there is a collection of artworks purchased from biennial juried exhibitions over the past thirty-three years. Initially selected by nationally renowned judges to be included in the exhibitions, extraordinary works were then chosen for purchase awards by the museum’s director and curatorial staff and approved by our Art Collection Committee and Board of Trustees. The Sylvia L. Rosen Endowment, created by Sylvia and her husband Nathan in 1987, provided the funds.

In all, twenty-four works by twenty-three artists illustrate the epitome of excellence in clay, fiber, glass, metal, paper, and wood. They range from intimately scaled jewelry to large sculptures, from functional furniture to a wall-hung quilt, from whimsical to philosophical. This exhibition is the first time all the award-winning artworks are exhibited together.

Artists who received Sylvia L. Rosen Endowment Purchase Awards include, in chronological order: Marvin Bjurlin (1988), Bill Stewart (1990), Richard Kegler and Joseph Moran (1992), John K. Tracey (1994), Robert L. Wood (1996), Kathi Roussel (1998), Alex Gabriel Bernstein and Julie York (2000), Jeremy Hatch (2002), Richard Hirsch (2004), Tracy A. Fiegl (2006), Kate Doody, Temi Kucinski, Mahine Rattonsey and Davina Romansky (2009), Trevor Ritchie and Temi Kucinski  (2011), Scott Losi and Tina Vu (2013), Ellen Markel (2015), Emily Bellinger (2017), Kevin Kegler (2019), and Juan Carlos Caballero-Perez (2021). 

We celebrate their creativity and share our appreciation for Sylvia L. Rosen for providing the inspiration and means for developing our art collection in craft media.