ARTS Awards Judges Announced
—Distinguished panel to adjudicate industry’s highest accolade for 32nd event—
DALLAS/CHARLOTTE – October 7, 2021 – Dallas Market Center and ART, the creative home furnishings network, have announced the judges for the 32nd ARTS Awards, taking place at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas on Friday, January 7, 2022. The ARTS Awards, presented annually during the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, acknowledges preeminent manufacturers, retailers, interior designers, product designers, and sales representatives.
The esteemed judging panel will select winners from digital submissions that vary based upon category and may consist of product development, marketing, merchandising, company differentiation examples, or professional information.
In November, the judges will convene in Dallas for two days to review each individual or company submission. Once all components of judging are complete, a designated accounting firm tabulates and secures the scores until the winners are announced for the first time at the ARTS Awards gala.
The 32nd ARTS Awards judges are:
Caroline Biggs, Market Editor at Business of Home. She was formerly the Chief Writer at Domino magazine, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Architectural Digest, Apartment Therapy, Refinery29, Martha Stewart Living, Wirecutter, and more. A maximalist at heart, she believes that every object should have some sort of function in a home—even if it’s just to be beautiful and interesting.
Sandy Hughes, partner and Chief Creative Officer at Steelyard, the trade-only online product resource that seamlessly connects interior designers in the residential, commercial, and contract realms with top design-centric brands. As CCO, she oversees site and editorial content, member engagement, brand messaging, and marketing. She researches and views thousands of Steelyard products every month, introducing new brands and products exclusively to design professionals. It is also Sandy’s priority to make Steelyard’s commitment to professional and product education continually relevant and important to the designers Steelyard serves and to help elevate the interior design trade at large.
Susan Inglis, executive director of Sustainable Furnishings Council and founder of From the Mountain, has over 25 years of experience working with artisans and promoting sustainable manufacturing in the home furnishings, fashion, and gift industries. Under Inglis’ direction, SFC has gained national attention and brought the organization widespread recognition as the primary source for verified sustainable home furnishings. Most recently, SFC opened an office in High Point, North Carolina. For the ARTS Awards, Inglis exclusively serves as the Green Award judge and reviews only the manufacturing finalists’ submissions.
David Landis, designer and principal of David Landis Design, Inc., which creates lighting fixtures for many of the top North American companies in the market today. He combines more than 35 years of experience with a taste for fashion, function, and marketability. His design work translates the integrated vision of both his client’s wants and needs and his own designer’s lens. He is able to interpret, share, and offer concepts and innovative solutions based on current trends.
Connie Post, chief executive officer of Connie Post Affordable Design Solutions. She is renowned as a retail design strategist, author, trend translator and developer of both product and brands. Connie has built a career on understanding where consumers are, what they want most, and where they are going next. As the standard bearer of visual marketing in the home furnishings industry for the past three decades, she is responsible for the look of more than 22 million square feet of retail and wholesale space around the globe.
Cheminne Taylor-Smith, principal, Cheminne.com. She is a creative thinker and idea generator who specializes in branding, strategy, licensing, relationship marketing, promotion, social media, and content creation. Known for her insight and straight talk, she’s helped home furnishings companies and solopreneurs take their brands to the next level and improve their businesses including Elle Decor, High Point Market, Showtime cable network, Christie’s, Metropolitan Home, Conde Nast, Galerie Magazine, Bernhardt, Hudson Publishing, and more.
Reservations for the ARTS Awards opened October 1. Tickets are $145 for ART members and $170 for non-members. Tables are also available. Reserve here.
Sponsors for the 32nd ARTS Awards include Aspire Design & Home; Business of Home; Designers Today; D Home; Furniture, Lighting & Décor; Furniture Today; Gifts & Decorative Accessories; Home Accents Today; Home Textiles Today; Interior Design Society, and Sustainable Furnishings Council.
For more information, visit the ARTS Awards website. Keep up-to-date with Dallas Market Center events and happenings on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and use #ARTSAwards to stay connected.