Sophie Glenn wins Mineck Furniture Fellowship

Sophie Glenn, a woodworker, sculptor, metal worker and furniture designer in Reading, Pa., won the 2022 John D. Mineck Furniture Fellowship and its $25,000 cash award from the Society of Arts and Crafts. The fellowship recognizes emerging furniture makers whose work is contemporary and functional. Glenn calls the award “life changing”.

“Winning the Mineck Fellowship has been an incredible experience, and I am touched by the number of positive responses I have received from friends and fellow makers,” she tells Woodshop News.

“Receiving this fellowship means that I can expedite a process that would have otherwise taken years, or perhaps decades to complete. I’ll be able to purchase machines and tools that are both necessary to my practice and will also allow for a greater exploration of forms and processes. And I will also be able to create a photo/gallery space within my studio, where I can continue to document my work, as well as host studio visits for potential clients, galleries, and other artists.”

Originally from New York, Glenn earned a BFA in sculpture and drawing from the State University of New York’s Purchase College, and an MFA in Furniture Design and Woodworking from San Diego State University. She has completed residencies at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tenn., and Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, Tenn. She earned a full-time position as visiting assistant professor of sculpture at Mississippi State University and currently works at the Wharton Esherick Museum in Malvern, Pa.

For more information about the annual award and Glenn, visit societyofcrafts.org and sophieglenn.com.  

This article was originally published in the December 2022 issue.