Pennsylvania Guild Of Craftsmen

Artist Eugene Burkhart wins traditional American crafts award

His work is showcased in the August 2011 issue of the magazine, available on newsstands.

He has won the award four years in a row.

Burkhart ranks top in his field, according to a panel of national experts convened by the magazine.

The experts include curators from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; George Washington's Mount Vernon; Hancock Shaker Village; Kent State University; the National Council on History Education; National Trust for Historic Preservation; Old Sturbridge Village; Southern Highland Craft Guild; and Winterthur Museum — as well as antiques dealers, independent scholars and professional instructors.

Burkhart's handcrafted pressed botanical showed mastery of the art form, heritage techniques, and workmanship, according to the judges.

Early American Life is a national magazine focusing on architecture, decorative arts, period style and social history from Colonial times through the 19th Century.

For the past two decades, curators at living history museums, owners of traditional homes and motion picture producers have used the directory to find artisans to make period-appropriate furnishings and accessories.

"The judges look for authentic design and workmanship, whether the piece is a faithful reproduction or the artisan's interpretation of period style," said publisher Tess Rosch. "Scholarship, as well as use of period tools and techniques, is particularly valued in this competition."

A lifetime member of the Reading-Berks Guild and the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen, Burkhart is recognized internationally for his work and his involvement in the arts.

He has a studio in the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in Reading.

He has also appeared at the Kutztown Folk Festival for 18 years and will be there again this year (July 2 through July 10), featuring his traditional arts and his new lines of note cards, flower jewelry, bookmarks, ornaments and other designs. He will share a stand with his fellow Guild craftsmen, Terry and Judy Boyer, Robesonia, internationally known for their miniature log homes and wall hangings.

Most recently he was the best-of-show judge for pressed flower entries at the 2011 Philadelphia International Flower Show. He received the Berks Arts Council's Pagoda Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts and won a major honor in the 1st International Pressed Flow Art Exhibition in Japan.

His book, ‘Pressed Flower Art', is now available in Spanish and titled ‘El Arte Las Flores Prensadas' (DARC Books). The English edition is published by Stackpole Books and be available later this year in an electronic version.