The National Council on Education of the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) is the leading academic organization relating to the field of ceramic art in the country. NCECA’s membership is nearly five thousand strong and includes artists, educators, historians, scientists, students, dealers, and collectors all of whom share a deep interest in the field of ceramics.
The ceramic work of three Tabor seniors – Phillip Eisner, Nicole McLaughlin, and Thomas Kelly – was chosen by juror, noted potter, and educator Jack Troy to be included in the National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition. This exhibition was part of the annual conference organized by the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts that was held in Kansas City, Missouri, from March 16-19, 2016.
An excerpt from the NCECA website clarifies the significant accomplishment this recognition represents:
The annual National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition is the premier juried ceramic competition for kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) students in the United States. Designed to showcase the best K-12 ceramic work made in the country, the exhibition takes place in a different city each year in conjunction with the annual conference of The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). The NCECA conference is the preeminent ceramic event in the U.S. annually, gathering professionals from universities, colleges, museums, art galleries and the ceramic arts world to a host city to view exhibitions, demonstrations, talks and other ceramic events. For that week, the host city is the world capital of ceramics.
Not only were all three Tabor students who submitted ceramic work to this juried exhibition accepted (there was approximately a ten percent acceptance rate), but they all won awards! Phillip Eisner won the Bailey Pottery Award (cash prize). Thomas Kelly won the Pottery Making Illustrated Award (subscription) and the Lookout Mountain Pottery Award (cash prize). Nicole McLaughlin received an Honorable Mention Award from the juror and the Ingrid Mahan Foundation Scholarship Award ($1000 per year renewable scholarship for college study).