Art In The Pearl is proud to announce the recipient of the inaugural Mel Stiles Award for Creative Achievement in Craft. This award was created to honor the memory of Melissa “Mel” Stiles — a beloved artist and former board member whose vision, dedication, and creativity helped shape the spirit of our festival.
This year’s recipient, Nicholas Stelter, has been shaped by a lifetime of creativity and a deep respect for craft. From learning precision and patience in his grandfather’s woodworking shop to watching his mother shape clay into art, Nicholas developed not just skill with his hands but an eye for beauty and form.
He began working with glass in 2000, first exploring stained glass and later venturing into stone, concrete casting, and wood. Today, Nicholas sculpts glass within the kiln, letting the material guide him to its truest form. Each piece is then cold worked, polished, and paired with a pedestal he designs and fabricates himself — creating a complete, unified sculpture. His work is marked by a purity of form, a balance of strength and delicacy, and a profound respect for the materials he works with.
As part of the award, Nicholas’s work will be featured in Art In The Pearl’s promotions for next year’s festival, and he will be invited to exhibit without going through the jury process — allowing our community to experience more of his remarkable artistry.
Please join us in congratulating Nicholas Stelter, the winner of the first-ever Mel Stiles Award for Creative Achievement in Craft!
Art in the Pearl couldn’t happen without the help of our dedicated, community-minded, and fun volunteers! Click here to Sign Up Now.
As a volunteer, you’ll be a part of Portland’s vibrant art scene and experience one of the nation’s best Fine Arts & Crafts events. You’ll get to peek behind the curtain and work alongside the artists – learning about them, their art and discovering what the art festival life is all about. We encourage you to bring friends, family and/or co-workers to make the experience even more fun!
Additional perks include a commemorative t-shirt, complimentary sodas & snacks AND a chance to win $50 in “Pearl Bucks” Friday-Sunday, with a mega-prize on Monday! (Pearl Bucks are good for purchases in our artists’ booths, you must volunteer that day to be eligible to win).
Our 3-day event needs 100 or more volunteers and we hope that you’ll be one of them. SIGN UP today!
Volunteer opportunities during the Art In The Pearl Festival abound! We would love to have you come down and help us make our 19th show our best ever. And there are PERKS! You get a lovely t-shirt in the size of your choice, access to incredible artists and lots or excellent responsibilities. You can sign up now HERE.
Best of Show winners for our 2014 Festival are Patty Roberts, Glass; Lisa Burge, Painting/Printmaking; and Ann Munson, 2D Mixed Media. Congratulations to all of our 2014 artists for making this one of our best shows ever. We hope to see you next year.
Our schedule for our all-new Art In The Pearl Stage is now posted online. Here is the link. We are very excited about presenting a great line-up of Singer-Songwriters performing original work this year. This online casino should be a special year at our stage and we look forward to getting your feedback about the new format.
Every year the AIP line-up for the World Music Stage is richer and more wonderful, to the point that as many visitors come for the music as for the visual art.
Music from Japan to Africa, Brazil to India, there’s a sound for everyone. Returning this year is Al-Andalus, a world –renowned group creating an andalusian style that is a mix of music from the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.
Also on stage will be Hank Araki who is a master of all things flute, Japanese and Celtic. Check the schedule and plan on enjoying the tunes!
complimentary sodas & snacks AND a chance to win $50 in “Pearl Bucks” Friday-Sunday, with a mega-prize on Monday! (Pearl Bucks are good for purchases in our artists’ booths, you must volunteer that day to be eligible to win).
