Wearable Art Designer Mary Holland Named a 2010 NICHE Awards Finalist

Baltimore MD (November 6, 2009) – Wearable art designer Mary Gwyneth Holland of Colton, NY is a finalist in the prestigious 2010 NICHE Awards for her one-of-a-kind piece entitled “White Peacock Coat”.  The artisan learned this week that her entry in the Fiber: Surface Design category was selected by a panel of expert judges for the exclusive North American trade publication NICHE magazine.  The magazine is published by the Baltimore-based Rosen Group for independent retailers of fine craft in the United States and Canada.

Holland is one of only 161 entries out of nearly 1,000 submissions overall that were named as finalists in this year’s competition.   Her dramatic hand-beaded two-piece bolero-coat is made of white silk charmeuse and textured all over with couched quilting in champagne-colored silk and rayon chenille yarn.

“I am honored to have been chosen by NICHE as a finalist,” said Mary Gwyneth Holland.  “Growing up on a farm in northern New York State, my family had a majestic pet peacock.  It was stirring those childhood memories of the extraordinary romantic beauty and other-worldly elegance of these birds that inspired me bring the rare white peacock to fabric and beadwork in the White Peacock Coat.”

Judging is based on three main criteria:

Technical excellence, both in surface design and form
Market viability
A distinct quality of unique, original and creative thought

Winners of the 2010 NICHE Awards will be announced at a ceremony in Philadelphia on Friday, February 12, 2010, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, held in conjunction with the Buyers Market of American Craft.

Mary Gwyneth Holland is mentored by the Northern Adirondack Trading Cooperative – a partnership with the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce and PathStone Enterprise Center (formerly known as Rural Opportunities Inc.) – which incubates rural entrepreneurs and assists them with bringing their products to a global marketplace.  The program was established several years ago with the collaboration of former U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and now Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

“NATC is tremendously excited to see the success of this talented designer,’ says Ruby Sprowls, Senior Business Development Officer of the NATC.  “Mary Gwyneth Holland’s creative designs and unique sense for fashion and wearable art is fabulous.  This national recognition by NICHE is very reflective of her talents and secures her a bright future globally in wearable art design.”

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Sidebar:   A premiere meet the designer and open-gallery of Mary Gwyneth Holland’s 2010 Originals Collection designs will be shown in affiliation with the Saint Lawrence County Art’s Council Artists’ Studio Tour on Saturday and Sunday, November 7-8, 2009 from 10am – 4pm at the artist’s home at 365 Hanson Road, Colton NY 13625.

More information about Mary Gwyneth Holland and her collection is available on her recently launched website at www.marygwyneth.com

Background:   NICHE magazine, www.NICHEmag.com, is the exclusive trade publication for independent retailers of American and Canadian fine craft. NICHE is published by The Rosen Group, a Baltimore-based arts marketing, publishing and advocacy firm. The Rosen Group also publishes AmericanStyle magazine, www.AmericanStyle.com, an arts lifestyle magazine for enthusiasts, collectors and travelers, and produces the Buyers Market of American Craft, www.AmericanCraft.com, the nation’s largest wholesale tradeshow of fine craft made by U.S. and Canadian artists, as well as the new NICHE: The Show exposition at Bally’s Las Vegas in June 2010.

Photo Credit:  Sauro Photographic Art, Syracuse NY