Innovation Prize for Bill Cravis Installation

An installation of headline-captioned ceramic mugs by associate professor of Fine Arts Bill Cravis received the “Most Innovative Message” award, along with a cash prize, from ajuried exhibition at Gallery One Visual Arts Centerin Ellensburg, Washington. As part of the “Cups with a Conscience” exhibit (March 5-27, 2021), which features drinking vessel-themed work from around the country, Cravis’ mugs use New York Times banner headlines from the first year of Donald Trump’s administration to impart the artist’s message.

Comprised of 365 mugs occupying 13 sets of shelves, the installation is arranged by calendar months. With each passing month, the mugs diminish in size. “This gradual shift in scale is the essential metaphor of the installation,” says Cravis. “Cups with a Conscience” includes work that draws attention to personal, local and global causes and reflects on aspects of being human in today’s complicated world.