Carol Sedestrom Ross

We are greatly saddened by the news of Carol Sedestrom Ross’s passing. The ATA family sends its condolences to Carol’s family and friends during this difficult time.

Aid to Artisans honored Carol, who was also a former board member, in 2004 with the Artisan Advocate Award at our annual Gala in New York.

Carol’s passion and dedication to craft is evident her her lifetime of work. Carol joined GLM as director of craft marketing in 1992, and for 15 years developed its Handmade division at the NYIGF, as well as at GLM-managed gift shows in San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, Washington, Seattle, Los Angeles and Atlanta.

Prior to joining GLM, she was founder and CEO of American Craft Enterprises (ACE), which she started in 1975 to provide a professional management organization for a regional ACC Craft Fair which had outgrown its volunteer system. She was named senior vice president in charge of membership, development, public relations and special project The Year of American Craft, for ACE’s parent organization, the American Craft Council, following its reorganization in 1990.

Carol also served as a craft consultant to the National Endowment for the Arts, the State Department, the White House and the Corporate Council on Africa, and was chair of the Craft Organization Directors Association, where she spearheaded the first survey to determine the economic impact of crafts on the national economy. In the late 1980s, Carol received a Lifetime Achievement Award at The National Museum of Women in the Arts.

GLM will be honoring Carol during the upcoming New York International Gift Fair. From the GLM press release:

GLM HOSTS MEMORIAL FOR CAROL SEDESTROM ROSS DURING NYIGF
Celebration Planned for Saturday, August 14, at NYC’s Javits Center

WHITE PLAINS, NY, June 16, 2010″¦ GLM is hosting a “Celebration of Carol Sedestrom Ross” at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Saturday, August 14, at 6:15pm. Ross, one of the pivotal figures behind the phenomenal growth that has occurred in the American Craft movement during the past 35 years and GLM’s emeritus director of craft marketing, died unexpectedly of a heart attack on Monday, June 14, in Houston, TX.

The memorial service, which will celebrate her life and her contributions to the American craft movement, will be held at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on the opening day of the summer 2010 New York International Gift Fair. In working with GLM to develop the memorial service, her husband, Adrian, said, “Carol’s daughters and I agree that Javits would be the best place to have the service. Carol logged so many hours and so many miles there that it seems fitting.”

Ross joined GLM as director of craft marketing in 1992, and for 15 years developed its Handmade division at the New York International Gift Fair, as well as at numerous GLM-managed gift shows across North America. Prior to that, she was founder and chief executive officer of American Craft Enterprises (A.C.E.) and senior vice president of A.C.E.’s parent organization, the American Craft Council (ACC).

In 2006, she stepped into “semi-retirement,” becoming a consultant to GLM and moving to San Miguel Allende, Mexico, with her husband, Adrian. In the few years since, Ross remained involved in the crafts industry, while also becoming actively engaged in philanthropic organizations, such as Centro Infantil San Pablo, Feed the Hungry and Hospice, in her local community.

Ross was born in Warren, Ohio. She is survived by her husband, Adrian, two daughters Kirsten Sedestrom and Amy Love, and three grandchildren, Madison, Gus and Gordon.

Memorial gifts may be sent to Centro Infantil San Pablo, a pre-school for underprivileged 3, 4 and 5 year-old Mexican children with which Ross was actively involved. Donations, which are tax deductible, should be payable to Centro Infantil San Pablo, Inc., and mailed to Centro Infantil San Pablo, Inc. PMB 141A, 220 N. Zapata Hwy Ste 11, Laredo, Texas 78043.