Since 1987, the Board of Directors annually honors an individual who has demonstrated a sustained and extraordinary commitment to the organization.

Frankie Slaughter is a mixed-media artist who works with a variety of materials including paint, encaustic, textile, paper, and porcelain. Over the years, she's taken countless classes at VisArts-in every studio but the wood shop-and has served on our board of directors.

Since 2001, VisArts' staff annually selects one member of its faculty to receive the Shelly Shepherd Master Teacher Award. This award goes to an instructor each year who exemplifies the organization's mission through their excellence, creativity, and dedication to their students. To be considered for this award, the teacher must also meet various criteria, including a minimum of four seasons of teaching at VisArts.

"Since graduating in 1994 from the Fine Crafts department of VCU, I have pursued glass art as a career. In 1995 I founded Pearson Glass Studio as a furnace working studio and participated in craft shows around the country. Upon the birth of my children, I scaled back and focused on smaller scale work through lampworking. During this time, I was also a scientific glass blower for Research Glass Inc. where I got to develop my torch skills and learn from some older masters of glass working. In 2005 I began to teach lampworking both to local beginning students and around the country with advanced skills workshops for more advanced artists. I have had the honor of being a speaker at several of the International Society of Beadmaking conferences along with The International Lampwork Festival in Japan. My current work focuses mainly on larger art marbles. After 30 years as a part-time artist and a full-time work-from-home parent, I am working to focus more on growing as a full-time artist and teacher."