About the Award
From Grandfather Mountain to the North Carolina Coast, artists living their legacy have been honored since 1986 with the North Carolina Living Treasures designation by the UNC Wilmington Museum of World Cultures.
This recognition celebrates the value of artists and their craft as well as their contributions to education and society. Since its beginning, the biannual honor has recognized boatwrights, potters, luthiers, marqueters, blacksmiths, gunsmiths, weavers and glass artisans and bookbinders, to name a few. These craft artists reflect talents that were developed over decades of study and work, attaining the highest levels of achievement in their respective fields.
2017 Event
More information regarding the 2017 North Carolina Living Treasures Call for Nomations will be forth coming in January, 2017.
Past Recipients
The following is a list of previous North Carolina Living Treasures. For more information about a recipient, visit the Past Recipients page.
- John Braxton, Gunsmith
- Cynthia Bringle, Potter
- Don Etherington, Bookbinder
- Thayer Francis, Marqueter
- Julian Guthrie, Shipwright
- Bea Hensley, Blacksmith
- Monique Lallier, Bookbinder
- Harvey K. Littleton, Glassmaker
- Sidney G. Luck, Potter
- Sue Marra, Quilter
- Sid Oakley, Potter
- Ben Owen III , Potter
- Mark Peiser, Glassmaker
- Penland School of Crafts, Center
- Robert and Ruth Rigaud, Musical Instrument Makers
- Richard Ritter, Glassmaker
- Norman Schulman, Ceramist
- Hiroshi Sueyoshi, Potter
- Billie Ruth Sudduth, Basketmaker
- Arval J. Woody, Furniture Maker