When asked how he felt about being selected as the latest recipient of the prestigious Amy Award, Adam Bentz’s reply is as sublimely simple and undecorated as his artisan furniture.
“I feel really honored and sort of nervous about the whole thing, to be honest,” Bentz said. “I was a little bit surprised. I had no idea I was even up for an award, so when I got the call I was surprised and excited and just really, really honored to know that a group of people feel my work deserves recognition. It feels really good.”
The 2003 Bainbridge High School grad was recently named the 2017 recipient of the Amy Award for Emerging Artists by Bainbridge Arts &Crafts. Since 2001, the annual cash award has been given to an up and coming artist from Bainbridge under the age of 35 whose work demonstrates “a sense of quality, creativity, exploration and dedication,” said Lindsay Masters, executive director of BAC.
“Adam is such a worthy recipient,” Masters said. “He identified his passion early, and he has worked extremely hard to educate himself, to seek out mentors, and to continually improve his craft.
“And his furniture is gorgeous,” she added. “It’s elegant, beautifully constructed, and reflects a strong vision and voice. I know that he’s going to use this award and this opportunity to further himself in his chosen profession.”
Bentz began his interest in woodworking and making furniture in high school, though he’d long been of an artistic inclination.
“I always felt like I wanted to be an artist ever since I was pretty young, and I always really enjoyed working with my hands and being creative,” he said.
“I really loved the idea of artwork that had a function, artwork that you could use in everyday life. That really drew me in.”
At home as well, Bentz, who now lives in Seattle, said he was always encouraged to pursue his creative impulses.
“I grew up in an environment where I was always encouraged to do art and where it was always recognized that art is so important and an amazing part of all of our lives,” he said.
The artist’s work is characterized by a clean and modern, unadorned style that stresses function and utilitarian use of negative space.
“I love the idea of function in the structure,” Bentz said. “If you’re looking at a piece and you see there’s a negative space and that negative space is filled with, say, a drawer box, and the drawer box actually creates structure in the piece so there’s a reason, there’s always a reason for the design.
“I sort of like to think I reflect the environment around me,” he added. “Nature and the natural world is where I draw a lot of inspiration from. I also really like to play with positive and negative spaces.”
Bentz, who was informed of his selection in January and told to keep it on the down low until BAC officials were ready to make the annual announcement, said the news was validation that he’d made the right choice in pursing his love of art.
“I feel humbled and honored,” he said. “Being recognized in front of my friends and family and other artists, I guess just about the reception, mainly, I just feel a little bit nervous about the whole thing. But I feel great about it. I feel really honored and I feel thankful, especially to Amy’s parents for putting all this together and I really want to thank them in a big way when I see them.”
This year’s $4,000 cash award was funded by an endowment established by David and Caren Anderson, in memory of their late daughter, Amy, who was deeply involved in the visual and performing arts. Recipients are selected in alternating years by Bainbridge Arts &Crafts and Bainbridge Performing Arts. The award is managed by Arts &Humanities Bainbridge.
Previous winners include Wes McClain, Raquel Stanek, Annie Huntley, Jonathan Hallet and Gregory Glynn, among others.
“Working in the performing or visual arts is not an easy way to make a living,” Masters said of the award’s importance. “That’s one of the reasons the Amy Award is so special. The stipulation that it go to an artist under 35, who might be in an emergent stage of his or her career, means that it’s often coming to recipients when they need it most, whether it’s the financial boost or the recognition and encouragement of their talent.
“If you look at the history of Amy Award winners since 2001, nearly all of them have continued to work in the performing or visual arts. It’s wonderful to think that the Amy Award might have played a role in their perseverance and success.”
Bentz will be honored at an upcoming private reception, and his work will be on display at BAC through the first half of the month. Learn more about his work at www.adambentzfurniture.com.
