Outstanding Student Awards 2026, Part 1 (of 4)
July 10, 2026
The winners of SDA’s Outstanding Student Awards were recently announced for the students who have demonstrated excellence in fiber arts. The work of these artists embodied inventive and innovative use of technique, materials and concepts not only in fibers and textiles, but in printmaking, sculpture, and more. It is an honor for the Education Committee to be able to see student work, review it, and learn more about the personal and societal issues they are tackling through their work. We will be spotlighting our Outstanding Student Award Winners throughout July. Be sure to follow them and support their practices. Congratulations to all 44 awardees!
Gracia Abadie (she/her), La Casa, 2026. Printed walpaper with watercolor and weave samples, dimensions vary. Photo by the artist. Undergraduate, Savannah College of Art and Design. graciaabadie.com | @graciabadie_designs
Maham Akhtar (she/her), Bridging, 2025. Woven reed and cotton yarn, 35 x 98 inches. Photo: Jason Phillip Greenberg. Graduate, The New School. mahamakhtar.com | @mahkhtar
Sarah Ambrosius (she/her), Eroding Echos, 2026. Handwoven and hand-painted cotton, tencel, linen and paper yarn, 16 x 16 x 1.5 inches each. Photo by the artist. Undergraduate, University of Wisconsin-Madison. sarahambrosius.com | @sarahambrosiuss
Taylor Baxley (she/her), The Bunkbed Room, 2025. Sewn reclaimed fabric, thread, botanical dye and ink, 105 x 75 x 12 inches. Photo by the artist. Graduate, University of Florida. @grey.baxley_art
Alison Bergman (she/her), Summer Weaver, 2026. Ceramic relief sculpture with porcelain, stoneware, underglaze, clear glaze, housepaint, wood, paper, wallpaper paste, and handwoven lawn chair, 8 x 8 x 2.5 feet. Photo: Zara Shahi. Graduate, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. artandjoyinvermont.com | @alisonmbergmanart
River Berry (she/her), Carrying, Wrapping, Waiting, Remembering, 2025. Digital Jacquard woven cotton thread, 2.5 x 37 feet. Photo: Andy Maticorena Kajie. Graduate, The University of Michigan. riverfberry.com | @r.forestberry
Meiyin Chen (she/her), The Soft and Hard of Me, 2026. Needle-woven leather, copper wire, lace, cotton yarn and stone beads, 4 x 12.5 inches. Photo by the artist. Graduate, Savannah College of Art and Design. meiyinchen.myportfolio.com | @meiyinchencatalog
Amber Coppings (she/her), All the December Suns, 2025. Natural-dyed, machine- and hand-sewn quilt with silk organza dyed with safflower, indigo, butterfly pea flowers, madder root, red hibiscus, cranberry hibiscus, 42 x 46 inches. Photo by the artist. Graduate, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. ambercoppingsstudio.com | @ambercoppingsstudio
Katherine Coyne (she/her), This Is How She Lives, 2025. Wrapped, bound, stitched and welded steel, studio scraps, various yarns and threads, and collected costume jewelry, 34 x 34 x 58 inches. Photo by the artist. Graduate, Clemson University. katherinecoyneart.com l @KatherineCoyne_art
Jules Dembinski (they/them), DO YOU FEEL THE WARMTH? OR IS THAT THE SUN WARMING METAL AND FRAME?, 2026. Rust-printed and natural-dyed with ferrous indigo linen, cotton and polyester thread, 46 x 93 inches. Photo by the artist. Undergraduate, Sheridan College. @jules.dembinski.textiles
Rocky Easton (they/them), Euphoric, 2026. Woven cotton and pima yarn, 30 x 60 inches. Photo by the artist. Undergraduate, Savannah College of Art and Design. @mrufowuzhere
For more information check out the Grants & Outstanding Student Awards page.
