Gift & Home - August 2010

January 22, 2011. The ARTS Awards is the premier awards program for the decorative accessories industry and is held each January during the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market. The judges are:

Dixon Bartlett is a highly regarded furniture industry executive. Taking over the merchandising and marketing responsibilities for Storehouse in 2000, Bartlett led the team that defined the aesthetic for the “soft modern” look that the entire furniture industry has since emulated. In 2007, along with long-time business associate Caroline Hipple, Bartlett formed HB2 Resources. HB2 provides consulting service in the areas of strategic and tactical business planning, product and showroom design, as well as cultural and employee development.

Mary W. Bloom is a consultant
for independent shops utilizing
merchandising. She has buying
and design expertise gained from
years of domestic and interna-
tional travel and owning her own
store for many years. Some of her
clients include: The Sixth Floor
Museum, Virginia Museum of Fine
Arts, The Nelson-Atkins Museum
of Art, Meadows Museum and
Nasher Sculpture Center. Bloom
has created shops within major
museums designed by well-known
contemporary architects, including
Renzo Piano, Steven Holl and Rick
Mather.

Dr. Laura Prestwood is an associate professor of interior design at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas where she serves as the director for Lighting Education and Women’s Studies. Dr. Prestwood has given research presentations at national and international venues. She is a registered interior designer in the state of Texas and continues her professional development with involvement in professional organizations such as International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), and the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ).

Joe Ruggiero is a pioneer on the
topic of home design in television.
Ruggiero produces and hosts on
the Home and Garden Television
(HGTV) network. He has worked
on the PBS award-winning series
“This Old House”, ABC’s “Good
Morning America” and “The Liv-
ing Magazine” sponsored by
Ethan Allen for the Lifetime Cable
Network. Ruggiero launched his
own home collection, The Joe Rug-
giero Collection, which celebrated
its 10th anniversary in April 2010.
Ruggiero’s home furnishings de-
signs have received accolades
from the design industry, includ-
ing the American Society of Fur-
niture Designers Pinnacle Award,
The American Furniture Award
for outstanding achievement in
furniture design, ADEX Platinum
Award for textile design, and In-
ternational Furnishings and De-
sign Association (IFDA) “Star of
the Year” award.

Shannon Streater is the CEO of DG Publishing, Inc., the Dal-las-based publisher of the Design Guide family of high-end resource guide publications and Web sites. Titles include the Dallas-Fort Worth Design Guide, Austin-San Antonio Design Guide and The Texas Wedding Guide. Streater is responsible for the company’s overall business strategy and implementation including oversight of the sales, creative and publishing staff, as well as increasing revenue and market share. Streater’s depth of experience is a result of working across multiple industries including finance, corporate furnishings, consulting and publishing.

Also, new this year is the Green
Award, which will be judged by
Susan Inglis. The Green Award
recognizes excellence in sustain-
able practices and standards. Ing-
lis is the executive director of The
Sustainable Furnishings Council
and founder of From the Moun-
tain. She has more than 20 years
experience as a producer, import-
home furnishings, fashion and
gift industries. Inglis has worked
in 19 countries on five continents
providing services ranging from
identifying procedures for ensur-
ing the sustainability of a natural
resource base to market-led product
development and accessing new
markets effectively.

The ARTS Awards finalists will be announced in August. Next, they must submit a detailed portfolio about their company, business philosophies and products. In November, the judges meet at Dallas Market Center for two days to separately review products and portfolios submitted by each company or individual. The judges’ ballots are sealed and sent to a designated accounting firm for tabulation. The Awards are announced at the ARTS Awards gala on January 22, 2011.

The 22nd annual ARTS Awards are sponsored by Contract Lighting, Gifts & Decorative Accessories, HFN, Home Accents Today, Home Fashion & Hospitality, Home Lighting & Accessories, Overcoffee, Residential Lighting and the Sustainable Furnishings Council.