The Roycrofters-at-Large welcomes Tami Fuller as its new executive coordinator, marking the first change in leadership in two decades. Fuller replaces Deborah Muniak, who announced her retirement in September, after serving the association for over 20 years. Muniak put forward Fuller as her successor and the two have worked closely in the transition in leadership.
Fuller is a known presence within East Aurora and the larger arts community and works with the NY Council on the Arts as a 2022 Creatives Rebuild NY artist, a program defining culture-makers working to promote and revitalize the arts landscape in WNY post-COVID. She is a writer, editor, curator and arts educator and has significant ties to both the Arts & Crafts movement and the larger WNY arts community.
Fuller has worked closely with RALA for several years in a volunteer capacity, having curated and exhibited “The Evolution of Roycroft” at the Grove Park National Arts & Crafts Conference in 2022 and currently serves as the chair of the Roycroft Emerging Artists Program, one that she piloted and implemented with the assistance of the board in 2021. Her previous work with the organization, deep background in the Western New York arts community and experience in print and electronic media will be valued as she builds upon the legacy that Muniak established during her tenure.
Said President Peter Potter, “We are very grateful for Deb’s service and we will all miss her skills. We wish the best for her and her family. We are excited about working with Tami and look forward to a productive association as our organization approaches its 50th year in 2026.”
RALA is looking forward to an exciting new period of growth and evolution of RALA as a critical arts service organization under Fuller’s watch and is looking forward to expanding its presence and support services to its Artisans, the East Aurora arts community and the larger Arts & Crafts community nationwide.
The Roycrofters At Large Association was founded in 1976 with the mission to keep the Arts & Crafts Movement alive guided by principles set forth by founder Elbert Hubbard. Roycroft Artisans have been accepted by the Roycrofters At Large Association’s Master Artisans based on their high standards of work through a Juried process. Artisans proudly display the registered double R mark representing the quality of their work and are the only modern working artists permitted to represent themselves as “Roycrofters,” representing the very strongest in quality workmanship and design core to the values of Elbert Hubbard and the original artists of South Grove Street in East Aurora. RALA is proud to carry this tradition forward and consider themselves stewards of the respected “R.”
The Roycrofters-at-Large Association’s annual Winter Festival concludes on Dec. 3 on the grounds of The Park School in Amherst. Earlier this year, RALA was approached with the opportunity to collaborate with Park School, and subsequent conversations revealed considerable mission overlap and a shared history in the Arts & Crafts movement, making the decision to hold this year’s Winter Festival on the grounds of the school an easy one. This temporary change in venue is an exciting opportunity to connect the Roycroft Renaissance and the modern Roycroft Artisans with a broader segment of Western New York Arts & Crafts collectors who may have been prevented from traveling East Aurora in previous years. This location’s proximity to both the Northtowns and the City of Buffalo is in keeping with RALA’s mission to promote and further the evolution of Roycroft.
Information on the Roycrofters-at-Large and membership options can be found online at www.ralaweb.com.
