Emily Shaffer has won the 2018 Halstead Grant for new jewelry businesses. Shaffer's studio started three years ago in Franklin, Maine and will be moving to a new location in Ellsworth, Maine in October.
Shaffer will receive a $7,500 cash grant, $1,000 in jewelry supplies, a trip to Prescott, Arizona, the cover and a feature spread in the grant publication Reveal, and a feature profile and jewelry showcase in the 2019 Halstead catalog.
"She has a gift for getting all the pieces of business to work together," said Hilary Halstead Scott, Grant founder and Halstead President. "We were impressed with Emily's sophisticated mix of marketing and strategy."
Emily received her B.F.A. in Crafts - Fine Metal Jewelry and B.S. in Art Education from Kutztown University, where she was selected as a student exhibitor in the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Craft Show. She also received the J. Allen Pawling Craft Memorial Award, was named an American Craft Week 30 Under 30 Rising Star and was a Top 5 finalist for the 2017 Halstead Grant last year.
"This year's winner, Emily Shaffer, has a very compelling and marketable body of work supported by a well thought out business strategy and a realistic approach that is sure to propel her forward," Guest judge Michael David Sturlin stated. "I am excited to see her make the next big steps in her continuing success story."
Photo: Cole Rodger