Thompson to Receive Award from the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts

Professor of Art Lydia Thompson will receive a 2024 National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Honorary Member Award at the organization’s annual conference in Richmond, Virginia, this month. The Honorary Member Award has a history of over five decades of recipients and recognizes individuals “whose commitments to creativity, scholarship, activism, or professionalism have made transformative contributions to the ceramic arts.” The award ceremony will take place on March 20.

NCECA is a global organization that works to engage and sustain a community around ceramic arts through teaching and learning. NCECA aims to deepen knowledge within the field of ceramic arts while also cultivating the next generation of ceramic artists and enthusiasts. NCECA has some 4,000 members in more than 20 countries and reaches thousands of additional individuals yearly through programs, events, exhibitions, publications, and resources.

Thompson is the former chair of the Department of Art & Art History. Among many other achievements throughout her career, she has served as both a juror and curator for exhibitions around the country and has worked with youth groups in her community. Her work has been featured in galleries, museums, and art centers around the world, and she has conducted workshops and taught lectures across the United States. In 2022 she was the Constellation CLT artist at the Mint Museum of Art.

In addition to Thompson, current student Teriyana Wright will also be honored at an NCECA event on March 20. Wright received an NCECA Multicultural Fellowship, an all-expenses-paid trip to attend the 2024 NCECA conference. Wright is working towards a B.F.A. in Art with a concentration in 3D art and plans to graduate this year. The High Point native hopes to create and make things for the rest of her life and build a safe space for artists to be themselves without judgment.

Article by Will Loyd. Pictured right: “Midnight Dreams: Releasing the Shackles,” by Lydia Thompson.