Tennessee Tech School of Art, Craft & Design assistant professor receives statewide award
A faculty member in Tennessee Tech University’s School of Art, Craft & Design is the latest recipient of a major award from the Tennessee Arts Commission.
Damon MacNaught, assistant professor of glass, received the commission’s Individual Artist Fellowship Award for fiscal year 2026.
According to the commission, the award “recognizes MacNaught’s decades-long contribution to the state’s cultural vitality through his work in glass” and comes after a highly competitive selection process, during which “only a few of Tennessee’s most talented and creative individuals have been selected to receive this prestigious fellowship award.”
“I’ve been working in glass for 30 years. So, to get that recognition for the work and effort that I’ve put into my field, it’s really quite an honor,” MacNaught said.
While MacNaught says the award itself is plenty gratifying, it also comes with a cash prize of $5,000, which recipients can use to support career aspirations or personal projects.
“I wanted to use the award to purchase materials and to pursue some collaborative projects with some of my peers,” MacNaught explained.
A self-described “lifelong learner,” MacNaught enjoys working with his colleagues and students to discover creative ways to use his chosen medium – glass – to create beautiful art.
“That never gets old,” he said.
Originally from upstate New York, MacNaught first came to Tech on a two-year appointment as an artist in residence at the Appalachian Center for Craft. He went on to continue his education out of state and moved back to Tennessee to develop his own hot glass studio, BareGlass, which opened in 1997. He later returned to Tech as a full-time faculty member.
“I’ve really been enjoying coming full circle and being able to teach and help the students in their careers, because the Craft Center was fundamental in helping me move forward as a professional artist,” MacNaught said.
According to MacNaught, Tech’s supportive climate and world-class facilities foster an environment that brings out the best in faculty and students alike.
When MacNaught isn’t teaching classes, he can be found working in his glass studio on his farm in Silver Point.
Learn more about Tennessee Tech’s School of Art, Craft & Design at https://www.tntech.edu/fine-arts/art/.