Jun 10, 2008

20th Annual Arts Awards Announces Judges

DALLAS — Dallas Market Center (DMC), the world’s largest wholesale merchandise resource, and the Accessories Resource Team (ART), the trade association representing the decorative accessory industry, announced the 20th annual ARTS Awards judges. This distinguished judging panel will select the winners of the awards to be presented during a gala event on January 17, 2009.

The ARTS Awards is the premier awards program for the home decorative accessories industry and is held each January during the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market.

This year’s judges are:
Mark McMenamin is the senior editor at Interior Design magazine. For the past two decades, Mark has acted as writer, reporter and/or editor for various publications including InFurniture, HFN and Home Accents Today, and his authority on style and business trends have been featured in publications ranging from The New York Times to Real Simple. His awards include the American Furniture Manufacturers Association’s Home Award for journalistic excellence, and Fairchild Publications’ B2B Impact Award. Mark graduated with a degree in journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia and is currently celebrating 76 years as a definitive voice for the interior design, contract furnishings, and hospitality industries.
Janace Clarke is an associate professor of fashion merchandising at Texas Christian University, (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas. She serves as the chair of the Department of Design, Merchandising and Textiles at the university, and the author of Developing and Branding the Fashion Merchandising Portfolio. Originally from New York, Janace holds an undergraduate degree in Merchandising and Design from State University of New York at Oneonta, a Masters in Fashion Design, and Ph.D. in Fashion and Textiles from Texas Woman’s University. Her scholarly interests include branding, product design and development.
Rawlins Gilliland is a full service consultant to wholesale and retail industries in apparel, gift and home venues. His past experiences as a top salesperson, national director of sales and product, and in-store personal shopper at Neiman Marcus led him to be an authority on style and fashion. Rawlins is a columnist for The Dallas Morning News and Pegasus.com online news, and is a nationally featured commentator on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and “Morning Edition.” His humor and anecdotes make him a favorite for seminars, workshops and talks on service and sales.
Helen Erdman is founder of Helen Erdman Interiors and an advocate of addressing green and sustainable issues within commercial and residential interior design. She is a member of various interior design organizations including the American Society of Interior Designers and is a registered interior designer. Helen has acted as chair and roster chair to Dallas Design Community and her writing has been published in Natural Home magazine. Helen graduated with a degree in Interior Design from El Centro College and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from The University of Texas at El Paso.
Pat Mayfield is the founder and president of a business consulting company, Pat Mayfield Consulting, LLC, which boasts a national client base. Author of Giving and Getting: Tips on Negotiating, Manners for Success, Please Don’t Drink from the Finger Bowl!, Business Tips and Techniques, and Competitive Circle, Pat specializes in body language and negotiation, as well as customer service, leadership and business protocol in the workplace. Her writing has been featured everywhere from Yahoo.com to Blueprint for Success. Most recently Pat launched ProfessorSales.com, a Web site focusing on business training for the professional world. Pat holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Arkansas, a M.A. from Columbia University, and a M.B.A. from St. Mary’s College.

After the nomination deadline at the end of June, finalists are 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 binders submitted by each company or individual. The judges’ ballots are sealed and sent to a designated accounting firm for tabulation. Make plans now to attend the next Total Home & Gift Markets in Dallas on June 18 – 24 and Sept. 13 – 15. Attendees may contact the Dallas Market Center’s in-house travel agency, MarketTravel, for substantial travel and hotel discounts by calling 1-800-DAL-MKTS.