A celebratory apéro dînatoire was held at the New York home of patrons Warren and Abigail Klem Spector to launch the Spector Craft Prize, a new initiative by the Spector Family Foundation that supports fine craft and its makers through recognition and financial support. The evening was co-hosted by CULTURED Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson and artist Katie Stout, whose ceramics were integrated into the tablescape, and featured a crowd of cultural heavyweights including prize jury chairman Glenn Adamson, jurors Zesty Meyers and Rosanne Somerson, and designers Misha Kahn and Adam Charlap Hyman.
The launch matters because the Spector Craft Prize represents a significant new source of funding and visibility for the fine craft sector, an area often overshadowed by fine art in the contemporary art world. With an upcoming rollout at the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, the prize has the potential to elevate craft practitioners and spark broader conversations about the intersection of function, adornment, and artistic discipline.