It’s tempting to classify the 43-year-old Bahamian designer and Future Perfect Prize recipient Anina Major as a ceramicist, but there’s more to her practice. The RISD alumna and Saint Heron Ceramics Residency mentor works in clay, but her creations are informed by the basket weaving traditions of her country of origin. Through her vessels, sculptures, and installations—which range in size from handheld to large-scale—Major questions the history and value with which craft is regarded in the context of self and place.
According to The Future Perfect founder David Alhadeff it was Major’s “technical mastery” and “visionary spirit” that captivated the jury and resulted in her recognition as the inaugural winner of the prize. “Her approach,” he says, “goes on to redefine the art of weaving.”
The prize awards Major with an unrestricted $20,000 grant from the design gallery, as well as its support in creating an entirely new body of work that will debut with a solo exhibition at the in their West Village flagship. “Receiving this form of support and recognition from the esteemed panel of professionals and The Future Perfect gallery is an honor,” she tells Surface. “In many ways, it reflects the hard work that brought me here on my journey. It’s motivating! I hope it inspires others.”
