Local artist Anne Bracker and her late husband, Bill Bracker, are the newest honorees of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts’ Regional Award for Excellence, the organization has announced.

For forty years, Anne and Bill, a former associate professor of design and ceramics department chair at Kansas University, served as “passionate advocates for the arts in Kansas and Missouri,” reads the NCECA news release.

The two were founding members of the KC Clay Guild, active leaders in the Lawrence Potters Guild and frequent participants in art fairs, art education conferences and other advocacy work related to ceramics.

Since her husband’s death in 1993, Anne has continued operations at their Lawrence shop, Bracker’s Good Earth Clays, which has supplied artists in Kansas and surrounding states for more than 30 years.

The NCECA’s Regional Award of Excellence is awarded annually to those who have made outstanding contributions to ceramic arts within their community or region. The Brackers are slated to receive the honor at the NCECA’s 50th annual conference in Kansas City in March.