Art Faculty and Thorne Gallery Director Miles Warner recently won an Ewing Arts Award for his work in 3D Visual Art.
According to its website, the Ewing Art Awards “bring hometown recognition to local, world-class artists.” The awards were founded by Ruth and James Ewing, and honor artists in mediums like Performing Arts, 3D Visual Arts, 2D Visual Arts, Interdisciplinary Arts and other categories like Lifetime Achievement and a Student Award.
“These awards seek to recognize excellence in the creative community, and to acknowledge how these artists give back to their communities and their professions through their work,” states the Ewing Arts Award website.
Warner said that after he was nominated, he had to submit a number of materials.
“They’re pretty standard materials when you’re applying for an award or an exhibition,” Warner said. “A list of your accomplishments or your academic record in terms of commitment to the arts, and then your research as well, which is images of your artwork, exhibitions you’ve had and what those look like, grants you may have obtained, other awards you may have obtained.”
“And then there was a really wonderful write-up that my nominator had put together about my work, both as an educator and an artist at Keene State,” he added.
Warner said that 3D Visual Art is his preferred art medium, having two degrees with a focus in sculpture.
“That’s been my whole career dating back to undergrad, so it’s something that I pride myself on teaching now, and it’s still really the foundation for all my creative research,” he said.
Warner said that he felt extremely honored to win the award.
“We know that the people in the arts are here because they love it and they can’t do anything else, not because they can’t, but because they have to do this,” he said. “It’s a really passion-driven kind of experience, so to be honored in this way, it’s a wonderful thing.”
“We work really hard, and every once in a while something like that allows you to pick your head up and look around and go ‘Wow, this last decade’s worth of work really has paid off,’” he added.
Warner said that he thinks it’s important for art to be recognized in ways like the Ewing awards. “This is not stuff we’re producing for any reason other than to produce it,” he said. “Art is so beautiful because real art has no other purpose, no other function than to be art.”
“Being recognized in this way for commitment to my research makes me really proud,” he said.
Emily Sloane can be contacted at
esloane@kscequinox.com
