Announcing the SMG Project Grant Selection Committee
Our selection committee includes
Meet the Selection Committee for the 2026 Seattle Metals Guild Project Grant
Applications for the Seattle Metals Guild Project Grant close at midnight Pacific on August 31, and this year's $2,500 award will be selected by three jurors from outside our membership, each bringing a different vantage point on contemporary jewelry and metals. Visit https://www.seattlemetalsguild.org/2026-grant-app to submit.
Sarah Darro is a curator, writer, and visual anthropologist working at the intersection of contemporary art, craft, and design. She serves as Curator and Exhibitions Director at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and is the founder of Green Room Gallery, a moveable kunsthalle. She was the 2022 Jentel Foundation Art Critic at the Archie Bray Foundation and the 2019 American Craft Council Emerging Voices Scholar Awardee. She holds an MA in visual, material, and museum anthropology from the University of Oxford and a BA from Barnard College of Columbia University. IDP Education Glasstire
Anya Kivarkis is Department Head, Ann Swindells Chair, and Professor at the University of Oregon School of Art and Design, where she also coordinates the Jewelry and Metalsmithing program. She received a BFA in jewelry and metalsmithing from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and an MFA from the State University of New York at New Paltz. In 2007 she received the Sienna Gallery Emerging Artist Award. Her work is held in collections including the Tacoma Art Museum, the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.
Biba Schutz is a studio jeweler based in New York City. Trained as a graphic designer and printmaker, she is a self-taught metalsmith known for combining unexpected materials with metal in her wearable work. Her pieces are held in the collections of the Racine Art Museum, the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Rotasa Foundation. She received the American Craft Council Award of Excellence in 2008 and the Award of Excellence in Jewelry at the Smithsonian Craft Show in 2009. Siennapatti
Each juror reviews and scores every application independently, then the three convene to select the recipient. Applications are evaluated on the strength of the proposed project, not on career history or exhibition record.
Share your idea with industry leaders
Your proposal will be read closely by three people with deep experience in contemporary jewelry and metals. These are people who spend their working lives thinking about where this field is going.
About the Grant
The Project Grant replaces the Seattle Metals Guild's previous alternating Established and Emerging Artist grants. Rather than recognizing past achievement or career credentials, this grant is built around a single question: what would you do with $2,500 to support your artistic practice and share the experience with your community?
We encourage all eligible members to apply and look forward to seeing what our community creates.
How to Apply
The 2026 Project Grant application and full details are available at https://seattlemetalsguild.org/2026-grant-app, now through August 31st, 2026.
Questions about the program can be directed to Grants Committee Chair Lyndsay Rice at grants@seattlemetalsguild.org.
