Lynda LaRoche, associate professor of jewelry and metals in the Art Department, has been selected as Art Educator of the Year by NICHE magazine.
In addition, two of LaRoche's students were selected as finalists in the student division of the NICHE magazine awards competition.
Winners were recognized at the NICHE Awards ceremony in February in Philadelphia. They are also featured on the magazine's website under .
The Art Educator of the Year award was established to recognize those who have dedicated their careers to nurturing and guiding the next generation of craft artists. Professors are nominated by their students, and the winner is chosen based on student essays. It is open to all art educators in North America.
In the essay nominations, LaRoche's students described her as 鈥渘ot only instilling a sense of design and appreciation for craft within everyone,鈥 but also having a 鈥渄esire to push each creative project to the next level.鈥
亚色影库 finalists in the student division of the NICHE awards were Erin Knisley, of Sidman, and Bifei Cao, of China.
Knisley was recognized for her piece 鈥淯ntitled鈥 in the sculpture to wear jewelry category and 鈥淟antern Necklace鈥 in the fine jewelry category. Cao was selected for his piece 鈥淣o Parking鈥 in the metal sculptural category.