“Clothesline” Named 2026 American Medal of the Year

The American Medallic Sculpture Association has selected Tracy Mahaffey’s “Clothesline” as the 2026 American Medal of the Year. The double-sided cast bronze piece was chosen from a diverse field of 30 works submitted by talented artists. Measuring a whopping 115mm and weighing 16 ounces, the medal is the first in Mahaffey’s series titled Mundane Medals, which “celebrates all the beauty found daily in the little details of a busy life,” says the artist. The obverse depicts laundry hanging up to dry, while the reverse features two large clothespins, along with a haiku that reads:

Taut line in bedroom,
mom’s wooden –
clothespins in place,
fresh scent memories.

“I’m one who loves to hang dry my laundry year round,” says Mahaffey. “During the winter, I string my clothesline up in my bedroom. When I wake in the early morning, I am always taken by how the first rays of light play over the rhythmic folds of the hanging clothes, creating great shadows, shapes, and texture, almost filling the clothes with life. A feeling of peace and comfort comes over me as memories of my mom hanging our laundry out as kids and the smell of fresh sheets comes rushing back. This feeling is captured in a haiku on the reverse side of the medal.” 

The design received a warm response from the judges, with one remarking that the medal “just elicited fond memories of childhood and warmth. Sometimes, we don’t need deep philosophical meaning and just need to build a pillow fort.” 

Individuals interested in obtaining a medal can contact the artist directly via her website.

About the Artist

Tracy Mahaffey has been a professional sculptor and stone carver for over 25 years. She specializes in hand-carved memorials and gravestones, as well as inscriptional architectural carvings. Having entered the field of memorial arts through her studies in sculpture and relief, she also finds joy in the beauty, expression, and playfulness of letters. Though stone is her first love, Mahaffey has been exploring other materials, such as clay and cast metals, to create smaller, more intimate commemorative work. This is highlighted by her study and practice of medallic art, an art form that she believes has been even more under-appreciated than memorial arts. Mahaffey lives, works, and plays in a cat sanctuary in Greene, Rhode Island.