Award of Excellence

The American Tapestry Alliance Award for Excellence was established to recognize weavers who pursue tapestry with the intention of achieving excellence in design, creative concept and technical execution.

Award for Excellence Criteria

The Award for Excellence may be presented at any show either physical or online in which the number of tapestries exhibited comprises at least 10% of the total entries accepted to an exhibition or a minimum of four entries. The juror for the Award of Excellence must have a knowledge of contemporary tapestry and ensure each tapestry considered for the award meets ATA’s definition of tapestry: a handwoven weft-faced fabric with discontinuous wefts. The juror may select the most deserving tapestry based on excellence in design, creative imagery, technical execution, and the usage of color.  The juror may decide that no work reaches the required degree of excellence, and not make an award. Organizations are requested to contact the Awards Director at ataaward(at)americantapestryalliance.org before the exhibition dates with details of the name and email address of the juror.

ATA reserves the right not to present an award if, in the opinion of the juror: 1) no piece meets the definition of tapestry; 2) no tapestries show an understanding and accomplished execution of the art form, or; 3) if the number of tapestries does not comprise at least 10% of the total entries accepted or a minimum of four entries.

The Award

The winner will receive a certificate, a color catalog of one of the exhibitions sponsored by ATA, and a one-year membership in the American Tapestry Alliance. Award winners who are not ATA members will receive a one-year Basic level Membership. Award winners who are current members will have their membership extended for one year at their current level of membership. In addition, the tapestry will be featured on ATA’s digital platforms and in Tapestry Topics, ATA’s triannual publication. A presentation statement will be sent to the exhibition organizers prior to the opening of the exhibition.

Presentation of the Award

The award should be mentioned on the wall label for the winning tapestry. ATA requests that a brief announcement be made at the awards ceremony or general meeting of the conference. The presentation statement can be located here: ATA Award for Excellence Presentation Statement (pdf).

Follow Up

Once identified, the awardee must complete the Biography/Artist Statement Information Form. Use our online form to submit this information. The catalog, certificate, and membership information will be sent to the award winner upon receipt of the Biography/Artist Statement Information Form.

Information: ataaward(at)americantapestryalliance.org

Current Award of Excellence Artist Statement

Connie Lippert received the Award of Excellence for her work, Disruption, exhibited at the Hudgens Center for Art and Learning in Duluth, GA, from August 16 to October 18, 2025, as a part of the Chattahoochee Handweavers Guild juried exhibition. Disruption addresses the decline in wilderness and the rise in atmospheric carbon. For 10,000 years before the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric carbon was at 280 parts per million. There has been a disruption to the planet’s natural ecosystems. We cannot continue to consume our natural resources until the support for Life on Earth collapses. Connie’s work has been exhibited nationally, and she has received several artist grants from the South Carolina Arts Commission. Connie’s work is represented in museum, corporate, academic, and private collections and has been widely published. Her online article “Contemporary Interpretation of an Unusual Navajo Weaving Technique” (University of Nebraska, Lincoln, digital commons) has been downloaded over 12,000 times. Connie has taught wedge weave workshops and given seminars in California, New York, Michigan, Colorado, New Mexico, Georgia, Florida, New Jersey, South Carolina, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Texas, Tennessee, Kansas, Wisconsin, and Idaho. Connie Lippert’s work is available through the Blue Spiral 1 Gallery in Asheville, North Carolina.

Past Award of Excellence Recipients