The Harris Award

The Harris Award is the Guild’s way of honoring the lifetime contributions of an active member of the Guild of American Papercutters

How it came to be

In 2000, at the Colorado Collection, “The Book” was presented to Dick and Sukey Harris by all members, containing 3″x3″ original paper cuttings from members all over the world. The collection is now in the GAP Museum. At the same Collection, an award was presented to Kerch McConlogue, another of our Guild founders–Kerch’s award was the first of its kind, and was named, in honor of Sukey and Dick, “The Harris Award.” Almost every year since, the Guild of American Papercutters has honored one or more of its members this way. More info on how this decision is made below! Here’s the roll call:

Winners

• 2000 Kerch McConlogue
• 2002 Sharon Schaich
• 2003 Sandy Gilpin
• 2003 Marcia Egan
• 2003 Neil Haring
• 2004 Lynn Askew
• 2004 Nancy Cook
• 2004 Beatrice Corón
• 2004 Angela Mohr
• 2006 Kay Buchanan
• 2007 Dave Shelly
• 2008 Bernice DuPlessis
• 2010 Pat Stuntz
• 2012 Patty Kile
• 2012 Kathy Reed
• 2018 Andrea Martin
• 2018 Marie-Hélène Grabman
• 2020 Dave Reichard

Purpose of the Harris Award

In the Autumn 2005 First Cut, there was a “Harris Award Update” that explained more of the process. Many thanks to Marie-Hélène Grabman for the find! Here is a summary:

The Harris Award is a Life Achievement award. It is not necessarily given annually, although that has often been the case. It is given to honor an active member of the Guild of American Papercutters

• Who has made an outstanding contribution to the Guild of American Papercutters
• And/or who has made a significant contribution to the Mission of the Guild,
• And/or who has contributed something extraordinary to the Art of Papercutting

The Process

The President of the Guild of American Papercutters may invite Nominations from the GAP Membership to be submitted to the President at least 8 months prior to Collection, and may also select a small group from the Board of Directors, or past Board members, or past recipients, known as the Harris Award Committee. Together, the President and the Harris Award Committee may select one nominee to be honored. This decision must be made 6 months before the Collection takes place.

The Award will be a papercutting that will include the words GAP (or Guild of American Papercutters) Harris Award, the name of the recipient, and the date it is presented; this papercutting will be framed before presentation. An active member of the Guild of American Papercutters may volunteer to create the Award. If a Harris Award is to be presented at Collection, it will be presented by the President of GAP, or someone on the Harris Award Committee, or the artist who created the Award.