SPECIAL REPORT: SGCD Presents the 2003 Discovery Awards
The Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators (SGCD) sponsors the annual Discovery Awards competition to recognize outstanding decorated ceramic and glassware design and technical achievements. Winners are honored during the awards banquet at the annual DECO trade show and seminar. The 2003 awards featured a total of 150 entries from 30 companies in 15 design and four technical categories. In design categories where both glass and ceramic items were submitted, two awards were presented to allow the glass and ceramic entries to be judged separately.
All entries were displayed in SGCD’s Discovery Room during DECO 2003 in Nashville, Tenn., March 29-April 1, and winners were selected by a panel of judges who reviewed each category and selected winners by consensus. This year’s judging panel included Melanie Wood, ASID, CMG, a design and color consultant; Tony De Masi, executive director of the National Tabletop & Giftware Association; and Christine Grahl, editor of Ceramic Industry. In addition to the design and technical awards, SGCD also honored two Discovery entries with the Vandenoever Award and Judges’ Award for overall merit.
Photos and brief descriptions of each of the 2003 Discovery Award winners follow.
Vandenoever Award:
Central Ceramic Supply & Distribution
Every year, SGCD members and DECO attendees who visit the Discovery Room vote to select a “Best of Show” entry to receive the annual Vandenoever Award. The 2003 recipient is Central Ceramic Supply & Distribution for this Nativity scene, which features laser-etched figures burned into a solid piece of glass.
Judges’ Award:
Kohler Co.
SGCD’s three-judge panel selected its own “Best of Show” recipient after reviewing every entry in the Discovery Room. The 2003 recipient is Kohler Co. for this above-counter lavatory decorated in Serpentine Bronze by Kohler Co. with decals by Beyrand.
Discovery Awards for Excellence in Design
Glass Food Containers: Heinrich Ceramic Decal
Maple syrup jug by Catamount Glass with decals by Heinrich Ceramic Decal.
Sculpted “Ice” vodka bottle by Liquid International Premium Spirits with decals by F.X. Leipold.
“Mambo” Claiborne for Men cologne spray bottle.
Sandcarved column vase by Judith Kay Spindler.
Above-counter lavatory decorated in Serpentine Bronze by Kohler Co. with decals by Beyrand.
Screen-printed Samuel Adams tumbler.
Salesmen showroom plate.
Screen-printed Hawaii souvenir tumbler.
Charger plate and covered box, commemorative limited edition.
Screen-printed commemorative Playboy beer bottle.
Eleanor figurine on bone china by Royal Worcester with decals by F.X. Leipold.
Cobalt vase hand-painted by Martha Reynolds using iridescent polymer paints in an aquatic motif.
President George Bush Bowl by Lenox China with decals by F.X. Leipold.
Reverse painted lamp.
Lithophane lamp with seven-color silkscreen printed in reverse by Schmidt-Failing, Inc., as well as decals by Commercial Decal of Ohio, Inc.
Screen-printed flame design on custom tumbler.
Ceramic faucet by Kohler with decals by Heinrich Ceramic Decal.
Screen-printed festive flute collection.
Casual five-piece place setting of a reproduction of antique dinnerware pattern by East Palestine China with decals by Heinrich Ceramic Decal.
Colonial Tradewind pattern by Lenox China with water-slide decals by Kuhnackl.
Martini glasses with sprayed bottoms.
Prism/Zen/Kiwi, a collection of nature-inspired designs.
Screen-printed black pineapple goblet.
“America” formal charger plate.
Discovery Awards for Technical Excellence
Direct Printed, Glass: Libbey
Multicolor tapestry designs.
American-made navy blue coffee mug.
Tankard by Franklin Mint with decals by Heinrich Ceramic Decal.
Promotional etched flame tumbler for Red Lager.
DARE coffee mug with “Get Life” decoration.
Permanent reproduction of photographs on tile using decals printed from ink-jet printer technology developed by Harry Burnett, Jr.
Editor’s note:
All photos in this article are by Andrew Wagner, Andrew Wagner Photography, Sewickley, Pa.About SGCD:
SGCD was founded in 1963 and now serves a record number of decorators and vendors to the decorating industry. A total of 426 members and their associates attended the annual show and technical seminar in Nashville, Tenn., which included the Discovery Award program. The 2004 awards will be presented in Cincinnati, Ohio, March 28-30. For membership and entry details, call SGCD at (740) 588-9882 or visit www.sgcd.org.SIDEBAR: Frank S. Child and Founders’ Awards
The 2003 SGCD Awards Banquet also featured the presentation of the Frank S. Child Award and the SGCD Founder’s Award. This year’s recipient of the Frank S. Child Award was Louis A. Blanco for his outstanding overall contributions to the glass/ceramic decorating industry. Blanco worked for Commercial Decal for 45 years, and he holds 13 U.S. patents. Among his many accomplishments, he developed thermoplastic coatings for heat release, papers for heat-release printing, printing mediums and covercoats. Blanco also developed one of the earliest heat-release systems for Corning Ware and Corelle, as well as cover fluxes to reduce metal release from glass and ceramic tableware patterns.The 2003 SGCD Founders’ Award was presented to Wayne Zitkus, Syracuse China, to honor his outstanding contributions to the growth and effectiveness of SGCD as an organization. Zitkus has been an industry leader in working with government agencies ever since metal regulatory issues emerged as a major concern for decorators. His efforts have been crucial to the development of reasonable tableware safety standards, and he continues to provide counsel as SGCD considers the possibility of future regulatory actions. Zitkus was SGCD president in 1997-98, and he is currently plant manager at Syracuse China.