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Keiko Kubota-Miura, Save Our Planet from Covid-19. 6″ x 6″ x 3″, Copper and 24K gold leaf .
Merriam Webster has its “Word of the Year,” the World Press its “Photo of the Year,” and Time magazine its “Person of the Year.” The American Medallic Sculpture Association (AMSA) has its “American Medal of the Year (AMY).” Founded in 1982, AMSA works to encourage the creation, study, and appreciation of the American Fine Art Medal. In 2014, it established the American Medal of the Year award to foster and recognize America’s own thriving medallic art scene.
Keiko Kubota-Miura won the 2022 American Medal of the Year award for her innovative work, Save Our Planet from Covid-19. Kubota-Miura describes her work as “a self-portrait medal” from the time when New York City was deep in the Covid-19 pandemic. She is the plant growing strong with others in the midst of the troubles. She adds, “Our lives must also change to protect this planet of ours. And live in symbiosis with all things, solid and alive, not defeated by Covid-19—Save Our Planet.”
The medal is made from copper, rounded with a hammer and chisel. The plants inside and the club-shaped spikes, representing Covid-19, are made from copper rods. The rods are assembled by soldering and electric welding. The production process naturally oxidizes the copper color, and each piece is patinated in hues of deep brown and green/blue. For finishing, Kubota-Miura applies 24-karat gold leaf. The medal measures 6″ x 6″ x 3.”
The medal fits well with her “Planet Plant” series, in which she uses various plant forms as a symbol of natural energy. Two medals from that series were recently on display at The Money Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Kubota-Miura also exhibits in Japan, where she was born and raised. She moved to New York in 1987 and earned a MFA degree specializing in metal from the State University of New York-New Paltz in 1989.
The seven-person judging committee for the AMY consists of notables from the numismatic world: Philip Attwood, Curator of Medals, Department of Coins and Medals, British Museum; Cory Gillilland, Member of the Consultative Committee of Federation Internationale de la Medaille d’Art (FIDEM); Barbara Gregory, former editor-in-chief of The Numismatist; Arthur Houghton, former curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum; Steve Roach, editor of Coin World and former paintings specialist at Christie’s; Dr. Alan Stahl, Curator of Numismatics, Princeton University, and one of the founders of AMSA; and Ben Weiss, medal collector, author, and member of the Advisory Board of Medal Collectors of America.
Jim Licaretz, John Lewis. 3 ½″, bonded bronze.
For 2022, the committee also selected Jim Licaretz’s John Lewis and Eva-Maria Wohn’s Pandemic Selfie as runners-up.
Licaretz discovered personal medals through AMSA: “I was a sculptor engraver at the United States Mint in 1986 and a friend, Eugene Daub, introduced me to that organization. Many years later I served as president of that group. It was through this tribe, and later FIDEM, that I became aware of medals as personal statements rather than the traditional creation of medals as a way to commemorate or celebrate a particular person or event.”
Licaretz’s first series, celebrating those who have enriched his life, depicted composers including Camille Saint-Saëns, Mozart, and Puccini. He has since represented writer Kurt Vonnegut, Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, British Neurologist Oliver Sacks, and Japanese Shunga art for its amazing graphic and erotic sensibilities. This year, as a film buff, he is celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Godfather in medallic form. For his John Lewis medal, Licaretz selected the quote, “When you see something that is not right, not fair not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.” Inspiring words not just for Licaretz, but for everyone.
Wohn’s 4″ x 2″ medal is cast in hydro-stone and hand-painted. For her, “Pandemic Selfie is a portrayal of helplessly watching the next disaster unfold. The red eyes and nose represent the weariness we are all experiencing with the unrelenting cycle of bad news, which continues unabated. It’s humorous because we all recognize the feeling of ‘oh no, what now?’ and because of the resignation and detachment of the face in contrast to how actively the unlit matches recoil from the fire that could consume them. It’s symbolic of how one little spark, one incident, can destroy and affect so many.”
Wohn loves the medallic art form for its ability to tell a story in a limited space—one that can be hand-held. When creating a medal, Wohn enjoys “finding the perfect composition, the push-pull of what to highlight and what to drop back, and always that search for light and dark.” She finds like-minded sculptors at AMSA; as Wohn describes it, “AMSA is full of artists and art lovers who are kind and generous with their time and knowledge to anyone interested in learning more about the beautiful art of the sculptured medal.”
The American Medal of the Year award is an opportunity for American medallic artists to proudly showcase their work and raise appreciation for American medallic art. The award is open to all AMSA members, U.S. citizens, and residents of five years or more. The nominations can come from mints, medalists, judges, AMSA members, or anyone else. Submission details for the yearly March 1st deadline can be found at amsamedal.org. •
Eva-Maria Wohn, Pandemic Selfie. 4″ x 2″, hand painted hydro-stone.
