Summer 2024: Building Blocks, Woodworking, and Family Fun!
Summer’s here and school’s out! Even while our Craft in Schools program takes a short summer break, our Craft in America Center team is hosting all kinds of eclectic crafting workshops, artist-musician events, and talks – not to be missed!
Drop-In Fun: Summer ‘24 Family Activity Sheets
We welcome young creatives, their friends and families to come enjoy our AC alongside this summer’s Building Blocks: Process & Wood exhibition (all free of charge). We’re excited to host some creative and fun activities, suitable for youth ages preK-8th grade; with past times that will entertain young visitors with (pictured below):
- a drawing/coloring station
- a playful scavenger-hunt through our exhibition
- an intro to woodworking ideas
- short technique-video clips on how craft artists make their art in studios
- & small surprise prizes!
![various coloring and game-worksheets with a basket of coloring supplies sit on a wooden table with colorful craft and woodwork magazines](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Summer-CVD-Building-Blocks-Family-Activities.Wood-Package1.jpg)
![one variation of family fun worksheet for Summer '24 Woodwork exhibition, featuring question to colorful carpentry/woodwork pictures and phrases](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Summer-CVD-Building-Blocks-Family-Activities.worksheet1.jpg)
![another one variation of family fun worksheet for Summer '24 Woodwork exhibition; showing woodwork techniques and fill in the blank phrases](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Summer-CVD-Building-Blocks-Family-Activities.worksheet2.jpg)
For more explorative crafters and learners, we encourage taking an inspirational dive into our PBS Craft in America docuseries: full episodes, and artist storytelling shorts. In between summer adventures and much needed rest ~ we hope you’ll drop by and connect with us soon!
Summer Library: Woodwork, Design & Craft Video Dictionary
This summer Craft in America invites you to the Center’s woodwork, furniture, and historic design exhibition. Our Building Blocks: Process in Wood show highlights both regional and international artistry across cultures and time periods, focused on handworked wood fabrication. Complementing this dynamic show, we encourage visitors to learn more about our dynamic and educational Craft Video Dictionary woodworking videos and library-magazine woodworking displays.
Library Highlights on Woodworking
Our easy-access craft art library features regularly rotating displays, and our range of materials span from rare books, artist monographs, exhibition catalogs, art-magazines, to craft-techniques/technical manuals.
This summer’s featured woodworking books on display range from the 18th Century American Shakers woodworking and legacy designs, to American Mid-Century Modern legacy schools of woodworking (a la The Furniture of Sam Maloof, header image), to more internationally renown sculptural/vessel focused approaches to wood fabrication (a la Keiko Hirohashi’s design book Wood Package). We’ve also pulled woodworking periodicals dating back decades, including magazine runs from 1970’s-2020’s American Craft, 1980’s Woodworker’s Journal, 1980’s Fine Homebuilding, Fine Woodworking 1980’s-90’s, Woodworker West (2007-2023), and more — all previewed below!
The American Shakers and Their Furniture in (1982) black and white format, boasts fascinating historic perspectives on this ascetic, minimalist-design oriented religious community’s contributions to woodworking and design over the last 200 years. This book features dynamic, near timeless diagrams, measurements, and instructions for recreating their highly functional and visually stunning wood-based pieces centuries later. Nodding to this lineage, our Woodwork exhibition also features artist Ryan Taber’s Stofa Pattern #2 after Tony Smith’s Batcave 1969-1971 and the Shaker Super Heater, 1820-1830; made from White Pine.
![Hand-caned geometric seat cushions found within The American Shakers and Their Furniture book, by John G. Shea](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Library-Shakers-5.jpg)
![diagram and gridded measurement instructions for how to build a candle sconce-shelf from the book The American Shakers and Their Furniture, by John G. Shea](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Library-Shakers-4.jpg)
![Greyscale photos of wooden spindle wheel, and various wooden desk and chair furniture photographed with notes; from The American Shakers and Their Furniture book](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Library-Shakers-1.jpg)
![Greyscale photo of stretcher table photographed with diagram of measurements and fabrication notes; from The American Shakers and Their Furniture book](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Library-Shakers-2.jpg)
![black matted Shaker-style wooden stove with 4 distinct legs](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Library-Taber.Stove-copy-2.jpeg)
![greyscale photo of Hanging Dish Shelves diagram and measurements wooden shelf photograph; from The American Shakers and Their Furniture book](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Library-Shakers-3.jpg)
Wood Package, highlights innovative Keiko Hirohashi’s design and surreal woodwork. Much like Martin Alexander’s own cultural woodwork homage and nod to the playful interpretation of wood as both a sculptural and playfully reverent “Florecita” vessel, Hirohashi’s work explores whimsical and diasporic design of wood containers. Wood Package asks each viewer to consider how woodworking forms and their outer layers are just as important (vessels) as to what is housed within.
![book cover of Wood Package by Keiko Hirohashi](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Library-Wood-Package-3.jpg)
![multicolored, surreal colorful wood boxes with various wheels and bauble details; from Wood Package book, by Keiko Hirohashi](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Summer-Wood-Package-5.jpg)
![black and red/maple ornate figurine boxes in the shame of silhouettes, body parts, and jumping cats; from Wood Package book, by Keiko Hirohashi](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Library-Wood-Package-4.jpg)
![more greyscale photos of finely carved wood boxes recessed as a "wall pocket" and as animal figurine forms](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Library-Wood-Package-2.jpg)
![greyscale photos of Wooden curved ornamental delicately carved boxes photographed; from Wood Package by Keiko Hirohashi](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Library-Wood-Package-1.jpg)
Come visit us and browse our extensive craft library! With over over over 3000 books, exhibition catalogs, and more than 2000 periodicals dedicated to the art of craft and related topics — there’s something here to delight any curious reader. Come visit us this summer and explore the expansive world of craft art and woodworking!
![Colorful magazine covers of Crafts, Woodwork, Fine Woodworking, and various Furniture woodworking journals](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Library-Periodicals.jpg)
Sunday “Gayle on the Go!”, June 9th, 2024
June 9, 2024
KTLA 5
Woodworking Network: Craft in America Launches Craft Video Dictionary
5/13/24
Full, original article by Dakota Smith on Woodworking Network here.
Craft in America has launched the first-ever Craft Video Dictionary (CVD). The CVD is an online resource that gives the public a direct, close-up view of craft processes and techniques. Instead of words and images, CVD definitions are conveyed via video. Clear and concise, these videos are edited to focus on the artists’ movements and the transformation of materials. The project was initiated with support from The Decorative Arts Trust through their Prize for Excellence and Innovation in late 2020.
The first rollout of this new reference tool includes an initial batch of one hundred video definitions. This initial collection of videos begins to flesh out the ins and outs of art and craft making across a range of materials and media. Two hundred videos will be posted in total later this year.
The CVD includes techniques as demonstrated by artists with expertise in ceramics, metal, wood, fiber, glass, and more. Each video captures an artist manipulating material with their hands and tools through methods that are traditional, historic, and also very much still alive. “The CVD videos are intended to clearly define a craft technique, rather than demonstrate a how-to process. We hope this project will be useful to educators, museums, and everyone interested in craft,” says CVD project producer Denise Kang.
Thus far, 14 artists have been filmed across Southern California, and many of them are teaching artists at colleges in the region. The CVD includes definitions of terms ranging from sgraffito, which is a ceramics process, to glass blowing, and from cabinet making and joinery, to spindle turning, and blacksmithing.
By providing an intimate lens into the artist’s studio, CVD video definitions provide a sense of how the objects in our world come to be and what their craft entails. On creating the videos, CVD Project Director Emily Zaiden noted, “each artist during filming was able to take a step back from their second nature process and think about what someone unfamiliar with their craft might need to see and understand their work.”
Americans For The Arts: Americans for the Arts Teams Up With Handwork 2026 To Celebrate Legacy of America Craft in Lead-up to U.S. Semiquincentennial
![Handwork 2026 Logo](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/handwork-1024x423.jpg)
Full article by the Americans for the Arts here.
(WASHINGTON, DC— April 18, 2024)—Americans for the Arts (AFTA) announces its participation in Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, a national Semiquincentennial initiative to showcase the importance of the handmade, both throughout our history and in contemporary life. Handwork 2026 is a yearlong collaboration among organizations, educators, and makers to celebrate the diversity of the crafts that define America, bringing compelling stories and underrepresented art and artists into the spotlight.
“Americans for the Arts is honored to serve as an awareness partner for Handwork 2026,” said Nolen Bivens, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “Handmade artistry holds a special place in U.S. history, and we are eager to highlight the diverse stories and work that represent American craftsmanship. Handwork 2026’s yearlong initiative aligns with the values of Americans for the Arts by promoting vibrant arts communities and fostering dialogues to strengthen our unique, collective cultural identity.”
AFTA is pleased to join Handwork 2026 lead partners Craft in America, the national organization promoting and advancing original handcrafted work through programs in all media, and the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the national museum dedicated to American craft, which will host the core exhibition for the project, opening in 2026.
“As the flagship museum of American craft, the Renwick Gallery is the driving force in the national conversation about the dynamic landscape of contemporary craft,” said Stephanie Stebich, the Margaret and Terry Stent Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. “We are delighted to be a lead partner with Craft in America for Handwork2026. Together we will showcase the artworks being created now by innovative makers that help us better understand ourselves, each other, and the world around us.”
Woodworking Network: Craft in America Announces Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026
![Handwork 2026 Logo](https://www.craftinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/handwork-1024x423.jpg)
5/13/24
Original post by Dakota Smith at Woodworking Network here.
LOS ANGELES – Handwork 2026 will be a year-long collaboration among organizations, educators, and makers to celebrate the diversity of the crafts that define America, bringing compelling stories and underrepresented art and artists into the spotlight.
Craft in America announced the launch of Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, a national Semiquincentennial initiative to showcase the importance of the handmade, both throughout our history and in contemporary life.
Handwork 2026 will be a year-long collaboration among organizations, educators, and makers to celebrate the diversity of the crafts that define America, bringing compelling stories and underrepresented art and artists into the spotlight.
The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the national museum dedicated to American craft, is the lead partner for the initiative and will host the core exhibition for the project.
Americans for the Arts, a non-profit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, is the Awareness partner for this project.
Urban Glass: John Luebtow and Stephen Edwards return to Los Angeles
4/23/24
Read the original article by Kinshasa Peterson on Urban Glass.
John Luebtow and Stephen Edwards return to Los Angeles for an exhibition and discussion at the Craft in America Center
The Craft in America Center in Los Angeles, which is exhibiting a dual-artist exhibit entitled “Between the LInes” through May 25, will host a conversation with the artists John Luebtow and Stephen Edwards on Saturday, April 27 from 3 PM to 4 PM PST. Both in-person and streamed on Zoom and Facebook Live, the talk will bring together two prolific creators who shaped a legacy of glassmaking in Southern California, and who are regarded nationwide as influential educators and artists. Moderated by Craft in America curator Emily Zaiden, the discussion will provide perspective on the major retrospective of their work now on view at the museum.
Luebtow and Edwards both create artwork at differing scales, from intimate forms to powerful works in the public sphere. In addition to their artistic careers, Luebtow and Edwards are both well-known educators who have a shared passion for glass with generations of students in California and New York State, where they established programs for learning in the medium, respectively. Their first meeting, in fact, came when Luebtow was Edwards’ high-school teacher, and the two formed a bond that has spanned decades.
Excerpts from Luebtow’s recently published monograph, Glass: A Lifetime of Creating, were featured in the Spring 2024 issue of Glass: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly, on sale at newsstands and online. The article can be purchased along with our digital edition.
The accompanying exhibition, Between the Lines: John Luebtow and Stephen Edwards, is on view at the Craft in America Center through May 25.
ArtCentron: Stunning Glass Artistry of Two Outstanding Master Glass Sculptors
4/16/24
Read the full article by Kazeem Adeleke on ArtCentron
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA- Transforming glass into exquisite and alluring art requires skill, creativity, innovation, and glass artistry. Currently, the Craft in America Center hosts an extraordinary exhibition that showcases these important elements. Titled Between the Lines, the exhibition highlights the remarkable work of master glass sculptors John Luebtow and Stephen Edwards. It offers a profound exploration of the captivating world of glass artistry from their unique perspectives and techniques.
In addition to showcasing their existing works, Between the Lines features new pieces created specifically for this exhibition. These new sculptures demonstrate the ongoing creativity and innovation of both artists as they push the boundaries of their craft.
John Luebtow is revered amongst his contemporaries for his precision and creativity. His ability to shape molten glass into intricate works of art reveals an exemplary and rare skill. His sculptures often feature intricate patterns and shapes, showcasing his mastery of the glassblowing process.
One of Luebtow’s notable works is “Venus Vitae,” located in Century City, California. This captivating public art integrates glass elements into water features, creating a unique visual relationship between internal and external geometries. At night, when illuminated, the sculpture assumes a spiritual essence, dispelling dark shadows.
Glass Sculpting and the Transmutation of Matter
“Linear Form Series,” is an another important example of Luebtow’s creativity. A Maquette Study for Nestlé/Carnation Commission created in the late 1980s, Luebtow combines wavy glass strands with solid shapes and stainless steel to capture the relationship between light, people, and the environment. This piece reveals not just his deep understanding of form and shape, but also how they exist and interact with their surroundings.
Stephen Edwards approaches glass sculpting with a focus on the transmutation of matter and his medium. He draws inspiration from nature to create massive sculptures that balance structure and fragility. His meticulous process involves using molds carved from styrofoam to cast molten glass, creating surfaces that mimic textures found in nature, such as water ripples and cliff faces.
Vulnerability to Hubris
Edwards’ ability to create exceptional sculptures rich with symbolism is evident in many of the works on display in this exhibition. One of them is “Icarus 2024.” Crafted from cast glass and steel, the sculpture vividly portrays the repercussions of hubris using a saturated red hue. Drawing inspiration from the myth of Icarus, Edwards depicts a figure bursting forth. Adorned with wings on his back, the artist creates the illusion of Icarus poised for flight, heedless of the warnings that his wings, fashioned from wax, will melt if he ventures too close to the sun. The sculpture’s reflection of viewers serves as a poignant reminder of our shared vulnerability to hubris.
Edwards’ impact on the world of glass artistry extends far beyond his own creations. As a teacher and mentor, he has influenced countless aspiring artists, helping to shape the future of the medium. His work can be found in public collections and prestigious institutions around the world, including prestigious institutions. They are in National Art Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution and the Corning Museum of Glass.
Celebrating Glass Artistry of Two Master Glass Sculptors
Between the Lines is a rare opportunity to appreciate the beauty and complexity of glass sculpture through the lens of these two masterful artists. It celebrates their enduring contributions to the world of glass sculpture, inviting viewers to experience the transformative power of art.
The juxtaposition of Luebtow’s precise, geometric forms with Edwards’ organic, nature-inspired sculptures creates a dynamic visual experience. It allows viewers to appreciate the beauty and complexity of glass artistry. Above all, it serves as a poignant reminder of the marvels within the natural world and the transformative power of art.
de la Torre Brothers: Upward Mobility Exhibition at the McNay Museum
March 1, 2024 – September 15, 2024
Located in the Tobin Exhibition Galleries
de la Torre Brothers: Upward Mobility presents works that explore culture on both sides of the United States-México border. Brothers Einar and Jamex de la Torre live and work in the Guadalupe Valley in Baja California, México, and San Diego, California. After developing individual artistic practices they began to collaborate in the 1990s after discovering a shared passion for blown glass. de la Torre Brothers: Upward Mobility highlights their distinct maximalist aesthetic through four galleries of glass sculpture, lenticular prints, video, and installations.
The brothers use motifs from Aztec mythology, Catholic iconography, popular culture, and art history to build symbolically loaded imagery. Their mixed media works playfully incorporate humor and satire into critiques of consumption and indulgence. de la Torre Brothers: Upward Mobility embraces contradiction and multiplicity, inviting the viewer to form their own opinions and responses.
de la Torre Brothers: Upward Mobility is organized by the McNay Art Museum and co-curated by René Paul Barilleaux, Head of Curatorial Affairs, and Lauren Thompson, Curator of Exhibitions, with assistance from Mia Lopez, Curator of Latinx Art.
The brothers recently completed a separate site-specific installation at the McNay, de la Torre Brothers: Latin Exoskeleton. On view through Sept. 15, 2024, the work transformed the AT&T Lobby wall through a combination of tromps l’oeil wallpaper and lenticular images. Their presentations at the McNay are their first exhibitions in San Antonio.
The de la Torre brothers were featured in the Pilchuck Glass School segment in the COMMUNITY episode.
More images and information here.
Smithsonian Craft Show May 1-5, 2024
THE SHOW
National Building Museum
May 2-4, 10:30 am-5:30 pm
May 5, 11 am-5:00 pm
TICKETS
Daily general admission: $20
Groups (10 or more) & students: $15
Preview Night Party: $250
Early Entry & Visionary Reception, Preview Night Party: $500
For tickets and more information, visit smithsoniancraftshow.org
PREVIEW NIGHT, May 1
From 5:00 pm-6:00 pm
First Look and Visionary Reception
Meet Smithsonian Visionary and SWC Delphi Award winners as you enjoy drinks and hors d’oeuvres.
From 6:00 pm-9:00 pm
Preview Night Party
Meet the artists. See and shop their work. Enjoy joyful cuisine from around the world.
EVENTS
May 2, 1:00 pm-2:00 pm
Panel Discussion: Trio in Glass
Moderated by Stephanie Stebich, director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, this talk will feature Visionary and Delphi award winners Dan Dailey, Judith Schaechter and Norwood Viviano. Registration required.
May 4, 11:30 am-1:30 pm
Saving Culture and Art in Crisis
Light Lunch and Presentation by Dr. Richard Kurin, the Smithsonian’s Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-large and founder of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, discusses their vital efforts to preserve cultural heritage under threat in our country and around the world. Cost: $50 includes Admission to the Show.