KRQE shares: New Mexico artists, museums featured in PBS show “Craft in America”
New Mexico artists, museums featured in PBS show “Craft in America”
by: Fallon Fischer
Nov 14, 2023
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Artwork from the New Mexico Museum of Art’s collection and the Museum of International Folk Art’s collection were featured in the PBS series “Craft in America.”
The Museum of International Folk Art will host the national premiere screening of the episode, followed by a panel discussion in the museum’s Vernick Auditorium. There will be free museum admission all day, including to the screening and panel discussion.
“Craft in America” staff and film crew traveled to New Mexico twice in 2022 to film the “MINIATURES” episode. The public broadcast of “MINIATURES” on PBS will take place on Dec. 29, 2023. All episodes are available for streaming on the PBS App, craftinamerica.org, and pbs.org/craftinamerica.
Read the full article here.
For more information on the event, click here.
Craft in America Premieres New Season with episodes: Play & Miniatures
[Los Angeles] – PLAY and MINIATURES premiere on PBS December 29 at 9pm and 10pm, respectively (check local listings).
Streaming starts December 1st on the PBS App, pbs.org/craftinamerica, and craftinamerica.org.
The episodes comprise the newest season of Craft in America. The Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated documentary series has produced 15 seasons since 2007, discovering the beauty, significance and relevance of handmade objects and the artists who make them.
“Craft in America…[has a] knack for telling big stories… about the formation of culture, the purpose of creativity, the idea that the pursuits of beauty and utility are foundational to humanity.” – New York Times
PLAY
PLAY explores the intersection of play and artistry. From puppets to piñatas to unicorns, this hour reveals how artists use the tools of childhood to inspire imagination, celebration and wonder. The featured artists and institutions are Lorena Robletto, Roberto Benevidez, Calder Kamin, Schroeder Cherry, Skirball Cultural Center Noah’s Ark & Puppet Festival and Cotsen Children’s Library.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Lorena Robletto and Roberto Benavidez (Los Angeles, CA)
PLAY opens in Los Angeles with two artists’ distinct takes on the art of the piñata. Lorena Robletto creates festive and creative piñatas with fair labor practices at her business, Amazing Pinatas, while Roberto Benavidez takes a sculptural approach to the piñata, making work inspired by Hieronymus Bosch and medieval illuminated manuscripts.
Calder Kamin (Breckenridge, CO)
From Los Angeles, we travel to Colorado to Calder Kamin’s art installation at the Breckenridge International Arts Festival. She is committed to reusing and recycling in her art and sculpts from discarded plastic, creating a unicorn with old Mardi Gras beads and engaging the community to learn sustainable art methods.
Schroeder Cherry (Baltimore, MD)
In Baltimore, artist and museum educator Schroeder Cherry introduces us to his cast of handmade puppets. Cherry puts on puppet shows to share African American history with children and adults alongside his practice as a painter and collage artist.
Skirball Center Noah’s Ark and Puppet Festival (Los Angeles, CA)
Crossing back to the West Coast takes us to the Skirball Cultural Center, a Jewish educational institution that is hosting their annual puppet festival. This year, artist Chris Green joins to revisit one of the centerpieces of their children’s programming, Noah’s Ark, a vast installation featuring hundreds of animals crafted from found objects.
Cotsen Children’s Library (Princeton, NJ)
We track the legacy of one of the founding Board members of the Skirball, Lloyd E. Cotsen, to the Cotsen Children’s Library at Princeton University. Cotsen was a collector and philanthropist and the Cotsen Children’s Library now houses his vast collection of children’s books. We learn how children’s books enrich the lives and minds of the community and all of us through play and imagination.
MINIATURES
MINIATURES explores the world of tiny objects and the artists that make them. From folk art to marionettes to tiny furniture, the artists of MINIATURES reveal what motivates them to work at a scale that demands a masterful attention to detail. The featured artists and institutions are Mark Murphy, Alexander Girard, the International Folk Art Market, Leandro Gómez Quintero and Gustave Baumann.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Mark Murphy (Astoria, OR)
We meet Mark Murphy, a miniaturist living and working in Astoria, Oregon. Mark shares his process for creating intricately detailed miniature furniture. We travel with him to the Chicago International Miniatures Show and connect with his community of other remarkable miniature artists.
Alexander Girard (Santa Fe, NM)
We visit Santa Fe, New Mexico, to reveal the iconic 20th-century designer Alexander Girard’s passion for folk art through the “Multiple Visions” exhibition at the Museum of International Folk Art. In the 1980s, Girard transformed his collection of over 100,000 pieces of miniature folk art from all over the world into one expansive exhibition that has been displayed exactly as he designed it for over 40 years.
International Folk Art Market (Santa Fe, NM)
We travel the globe at the annual International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where artists and makers from around the world including Mexico, Peru, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Eswatini, and more share their practices and culture through miniature folk art and other craft traditions.
Leandro Gómez Quintero (Baracoa, Cuba)
From IFAM, we cross the continent and ocean and follow the model vehicles of artist Leandro Gómez Quintero to his home in Baracoa, Cuba. Leandro crafts his faithful recreations of vehicles like the iconic Willys Jeep with intricate detail and accuracy, using found materials to tell the story of Cuba and her people through his art.
Gustave Baumann (Santa Fe, NM)
Finally, we celebrate the prolific multidisciplinary artist, Gustave Baumann, who created paintings, woodblock prints and marionettes in the first half of the 20th century. Baumann was deeply inspired by the landscape and people of Santa Fe, and the city keeps his legacy alive today with their yearly Christmas marionette show.
ARTIST & INSTITUTION BIOS: PLAY
Lorena Robletto
Lorena Robletto is a Los Angeles based piñata artist. After serving as a social worker for immigrant families and consulting for immigrant-owned businesses, Robletto turned her focus towards the artistry of piñatas and set up a shop, Amazing Pinatas, in the Los Angeles Piñata District. Her studio and storefront is now located in Mid City, where her team creates custom piñatas of any scale along with ready-made piñatas and various signature designs. She frequently makes props and commissions for the entertainment industry and other branded events.
Roberto Benavidez
Roberto Benavidez is a figurative sculptor originally from South Texas, specializing in the piñata form. After moving to Los Angeles, he rediscovered his passion for the visual arts and studied figure sculpting and bronze casting at Pasadena City College. Benavidez later switched to paper, a more accessible material than bronze, deciding to focus on the piñata technique, a familiar form from childhood. Benavidez plays with underlying themes of race, ephemerality, beauty and sin, layered with his identity as a mixed-race queer artist, with a focus on impeccable craftsmanship. Some of his otherworldly creatures could have stepped out of Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights. Currently, one of Benavidez’s ‘Painting Piñatas’ is on display in all LA Metro buses under the Through the Eyes of Artists poster series, and another landscape is on view at LAX Terminal 1.5 in Craft in America’s LA Scenes exhibition.
Calder Kamin
Artist, educator and advocate, Calder Kamin transforms trash into beautifully crafted creatures and opportunities to inspire others to be creative and courageous about the future. Nature’s endless ability to reuse and adapt motivates her to eliminate waste and reimagine it as art. Kamin’s creative reuse art projects and public workshops have traveled to museums across the states including The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, The American Museum of Natural History, The Contemporary Austin, The i.d.e.a. Museum, and The Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Plastic Planet, her 2016 solo exhibition at Women & Their Work, was supported by a Mid-America Arts Alliance Artistic Innovations Grant and the subject of an episode for the PBS series Arts In Context. She was the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art’s Art Truck Artist, the first AIR at the Beach Museum of Art, and Artist-in-Residence at BreckCreate, Landmark Apartments, the DoSeum and San Antonio’s Children’s Museum. Kamin is a board member of Austin Creative Reuse, a non-profit that diverts community waste to artists, crafters and educators as resources.
Schroeder Cherry
Dr. Schroeder Cherry, a native of Washington, DC, is now a Baltimore-based artist working with puppets, paintings and mixed media assemblages. Dr. Cherry captures everyday scenes of African American life, often set in barbershops and utilizing repurposed materials. He has worked in museums across the US, including The Art Institute of Chicago, Smithsonian Institution’s Anacostia Museum, Studio Museum of Harlem, J.Paul Getty Museum, The Baltimore Museum of Art and Maryland Historical Society. He has held senior grant maker positions at Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. He is the Museum Curator at the James E. Lewis Museum of Art and currently teaches museum studies at Morgan State University. His works “are open-ended narratives inspired by travel, music, literature, folklore, and everyday events.”
Skirball Cultural Center
The Skirball Cultural Center is a place of meeting guided by the Jewish tradition of welcoming the stranger and inspired by the American democratic ideals of freedom and equality. They welcome people of all communities and generations to participate in cultural experiences that celebrate discovery and hope, foster human connections, and call upon us to help build a more just society. Open to the public since 1996, the Skirball is one of the world’s most dynamic Jewish cultural institutions and among the leading cultural venues in Los Angeles.
Chris Green
Chris Green is a Brooklyn-based designer, director and performer. His theatrical and installation works have been presented nationally and internationally in venues including the Skirball Cultural Center, Lincoln Center, New York City Center, St. Anne’s Warehouse, Geothe Institute (Delhi), National Geographic Museum, La Jolla Playhouse, Teatro del Lago (Chile) and BAM Harvey. Since 2005, his design studio, Chris Green Kinetics, has received awards of excellence from the American Association of Museums, TEA, and a Regional Design Award from AIA. Recent projects include Firebird, with ten puppeteers and a full orchestra, Hagoromo, a puppetry and dance collaboration with David Michalek, David Neumann and Wendy Whelan, and This Is Hunger, a multi-media installation about hunger in America traveling across the country in an expanding tractor-trailer.
Cotsen Children’s Library
The Cotsen Children’s Library, a unit within Princeton University Library’s Department of Special Collections, is the benefaction of Lloyd E. Cotsen, ’50, and Charter Trustee, Emeritus. The curatorial division administers the research collection of illustrated children’s books, manuscripts, original artwork, prints and educational toys, hosts academic conferences on children’s books and publishes their proceedings, and sponsors fellowships for research. The outreach division of Cotsen serves children of all ages, families, librarians and educators. Campus visitors can explore Bookscape, a whimsical reading environment with its two-story bonsai tree, Wall of Books, exhibition space, and attend free weekly story hours and special events.
ARTIST & INSTITUTION BIOS: MINIATURES
Mark Murphy
Mark Murphy is a miniaturist who specializes in Arts & Crafts furniture including Greene & Greene and Japanese furniture. He studied at Ohio State University, with an emphasis on sculpture. He finished his studies at the Philadelphia College of Art with a BFA in woodworking and furniture design. Shortly after that, he moved to San Francisco where he started making scale furniture models. It was at that time he met the miniature house builder Pam Throop and started making pieces for her period American and English houses. Mark also does collaborative work with several other miniature artists including Mary O’Brien, Patricia Hartman, Patricia Richards, Lee-Ann Wessel and Annelle Ferguson. A Fellow of the International Guild of Miniature Artisans, Mark has been teaching miniature furniture construction since 2000. He shows his work at miniature shows (The Guild Show in Hartford, CT, The Good Sam Showcase of Miniatures in San Jose, CA and the Chicago International Miniatures Show). His work is in private miniature collections and miniature museum collections including the Gateway Center in Maysville, KY and the Toy and Miniature Museum in Kansas City, MO.
Alexander Girard
Alexander Girard (1907–1993) was a highly influential and prolific interior and textile designer in the 20th century. He designed interiors for restaurants, homes, offices, and aircraft. He created textiles, typography, and tableware. His work extended to exhibitions, toys, and an entire city street in Columbus, Indiana. Folk and pop art were inspirations for his bold, colorful and whimsical artwork. Girard was a defining figure in the history of the Museum of International Folk Art. He donated more than 100,000 objects from his and his wife Susan’s folk art collection. In 1981, this became the museum’s permanent exhibition, “Multiple Visions: A Common Bond.”
International Folk Art Market
The mission of the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, NM, is to create economic opportunities for and with folk artists worldwide who celebrate and preserve folk art traditions. IFAM envisions a world that values the dignity and humanity of the handmade, honors timeless cultural traditions, and supports the work of artisans serving as entrepreneurs and catalysts for positive social change. Recognized globally as the largest market of its kind, IFAM provides an event for some of the finest folk artists to gather in one location, exhibit their artwork that is rooted in tradition and culture, and partake in cross-cultural artistic exchange. The earnings generated from the Market return to the home communities of the artists, creating long-term economic opportunity.
Leandro Gómez Quintero
Leandro Gómez Quintero uses paper, cardboard and found objects to create models of American cars and Jeeps, all of which are used as methods of transportation in his hometown of Baracoa, Cuba. They are individually hand painted and detailed to mimic the original vehicle. His sculpture represents Willys Jeeps from 1942–1955, as well as Dodge Power Wagons, GMCs, and Fords from the era. These sculptures are representations of what his community sees on a daily basis, and Leandro hopes to preserve and offer knowledge through his art, as well as reflect the history of transportation and everyday life in Cuba. Quintero says, “They bring humor and call attention to the fact that we are an isolated community within a country that has been isolated for many years. By showing the people a part of their everyday lives in a lighthearted way, they come to appreciate and can smile at some of the difficulties that we encounter in just trying to live our lives and getting from one place to another.” (Courtesy of International Folk Art Alliance, 2017)
Gustave Baumann
(1881–1971) was an American printmaker and painter, and one of the leading figures of the color woodcut revival in America. While still a young boy, Baumann emigrated with his family from Magdeburg, Germany, to Chicago. He returned to Germany to study at Kunstgewerbeschule in Munich, and later attended the Art Institute of Chicago. After moving to Santa Fe in 1918, he became a leading member of the art community. Baumann was appointed area coordinator of the Public Works of Art Project of the Works Progress Administration beginning in the early 1930s. During this time, he also carved and decorated a large number of marionettes, with which he, his wife and other artists toured the state, acting out Hispanic and Native American folk stories.
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.
ABOUT CRAFT IN AMERICA
Craft in America is the Peabody Award-winning series on PBS exploring America’s creative spirit through the language and traditions of the handmade. The series takes viewers on a journey to the artists, origins and techniques of American craft. Each episode contains stories from diverse regions and cultures, blending history with living practice and exploring issues of identity, ritual, philosophy and creative expression. Craft in America’s organizational efforts include educator guides that adhere to national standards and the Craft in America Center in Los Angeles.
OUR MISSION
To promote and advance original handcrafted work through programs in all media
OUR GOALS
To document the importance of handmade objects and the artists who make them
To provide a gateway to discover, explore and experience craft
To celebrate our nation’s cultures through craft
CRAFT IN AMERICA, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
CONTACT
Lauren Over or Terry de Castro
press@craftinamerica.org
Craft in America Premieres New Season with episodes: Inspiration & Home
November 1, 2022 (Digital Release) December 16, 2022, 9pm and 10pm (PBS Broadcast Premiere)
(check local listings)
[Los Angeles] – INSPIRATION and HOME stream on the digital platforms of PBS and Craft in America starting November 2022, and premiere on PBS December 16 at 9pm and 10pm, respectively (check local listings). The episodes comprise the newest season of Craft in America. The Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated documentary series has produced 14 seasons since 2007, discovering the beauty, significance and relevance of handmade objects and the artists who make them.
“Craft in America…[has a] knack for telling big stories… about the formation of culture, the purpose of creativity, the idea that the pursuits of beauty and utility are foundational to humanity.” – New York Times
INSPIRATION
November 2022 (Digital Release) December 16, 2022, 9pm (PBS Broadcast Premiere)
featuring artists who impact and influence
INSPIRATION premieres during the holiday season when inspiration and human authenticity are at the fore. Fittingly, INSPIRATION visits communities and distinguished artists of varied disciplines impacting new generations of makers through their work. The featured artists and organizations are Diedrick Brackens (Los Angeles, CA), Hmong Community – Suzanne Thao, Tousue Vang, Chef Yia Vang, and Mandora Young (St. Paul, MN), Ayumi Horie (Portland, ME), Maddy Inez Leeser, Mary Little, Simon Rodia and the Watts Towers, Alison Saar, and Betye Saar (all of Los Angeles, CA).
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
- Simon Rodia and Watts Towers (Los Angeles, CA)
The episode opens with the iconic Watts Towers—a monumental structure designed by Italian immigrant, Simon Rodia. We visit the Watts Towers Arts Center Campus, a vibrant community hub in the Watts neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles. Its extensive programming, classes, and education outreach serve as a local anchor for creativity.
- Alison Saar, Betye Saar, Maddy Inez Leeser (Los Angeles, CA)
We spend time with Alison Saar and three generations of the Saar family—Betye, Alison, and Alison’s daughter, Maddy Inez Leeser—who inspire each other as a close-knit family of artists. In the segment, Alison shares her many influences, including her mother Betye, one of the most impactful artists of the last half century.
- Ayumi Horie (Portland, ME)
On the other side of the country, in Portland, ME, ceramic artist Ayumi Horie exemplifies the way the internet has impacted contemporary craft—creating practical, usable ceramics combined with unapologetic activism.
- Hmong Community – Suzanne Thao, Tousue Vang, Chef Yia Vang, and Mandora Young (St. Paul, MN)
The episode turns its attention to the significant impact of immigrants on American creative culture, focusing in particular on the Hmong community of St. Paul, Minnesota. Viewers learn how the ancient practice of paj ntaub embroidery is an artistic and economic foundation for the Hmong, and how their culture continues to thrive and evolve.
- Mary Little (Los Angeles, CA)
Mary Little creates evocative, sculptural wall hangings inspired by landscapes from her childhood in Ireland.
Textile artist Diedrick Brackens explores identity and race, among other narratives, drawing from the past to retell profound histories in his weavings.
HOME
November 2022 (Digital Release)
December 16, 2022, 10pm (PBS Broadcast Premiere)
visits environments filled with artistry and meaning
The idea of Home has taken on heightened importance in recent years. Craft in America’s new episode embraces its many meanings—from the physical structure, to the belongings we cherish, to the meals we share with family and friends. “Through the artists and stories represented in this episode, HOME honors the significance of our surroundings, while also acknowledging the challenging histories that have shaped our ideas of it,” shares Carol Sauvion, Executive Director of Craft in America. Executive Producer Patricia Bischetti adds, “HOME offers a nuanced exploration of the environments we make and the personal, historical, and creative influences that shape them.” The featured artists and organizations are Syd Carpenter, Helen Drutt English, Wharton Esherick (all in Philadelphia, PA), Biskakone Greg Johnson of the Ojibwe Tribe (Wisconsin), North House Folk School (Grand Marais, MN), and Sim Van der Ryn and the Outlaw Builders (Northern California).
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
- Ojibwe Tribe (Wisconsin)
Our exploration of handmade environments and hand built homes begins with the Ojibwe wild rice harvest in northern Wisconsin. Members of the Ojibwe tribe have been living in this region for centuries, and tribal member and craftsman Biskakone Greg Johnson shares his mastery of the crafts and traditions of his people.
- North House Folk School (Grand Marais, MN)
Our crew then films the construction of a timber frame house at the North House Folk School. Here, Scandinavian and northern European traditions and techniques are taught to craftspeople of all skill levels interested in building and living a well-crafted life.
- Syd Carpenter (Philadelphia, PA)
We meet sculptor Syd Carpenter whose work sheds light on the obstacles faced by African American farmers who want to remain landowners. Carpenter’s work speaks to the systemic racism that continues to threaten the homes of many communities throughout the nation.
- Wharton Esherick (Philadelphia, PA)
We explore the life and legacy of Wharton Esherick, one of this country’s most innovative artists who reimagined “home” through the creation of his hand-built house, studio, furniture, utensils, and other objects that expressed his commitment to artful living.
- Outlaw Builders (Northern California)
Viewers are then introduced to a series of experimental buildings from visionary architect Sim Van der Ryn and the “Outlaw Builders,” an irreverent group who flourished in the 1960s and early 70s. We take our cameras to Inverness, CA, where on a remote ridge the group constructed a remarkable example of this sensibility that still stands today.
- Helen Drutt English (Philadelphia, PA)
To conclude the episode, we turn our attention inward, to the handmade objects that fill our homes and the histories that impact our sense of place. In Philadelphia, Helen Drutt English, considered the “godmother of craft and a global ambassador,” shares her remarkable collection, which reflects the culmination of handmade objects at their finest.
ARTIST BIOS – INSPIRATION
Photo: Carol Sauvion.
Diedrick Brackens (Los Angeles, CA)
Diedrick Brackens is a textile artist drawing from many influences, including techniques from around the globe, his upbringing in a small Texas town, and poetry. He received his BFA from the University of North Texas, Denton, TX in 2011 and his MFA from California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA in 2015. Brackens has exhibited in solo and group shows including the Hammer Museum (Los Angeles, CA), the New Museum (New York, NY), Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts (Cambridge, MA), and NOMA (New Orleans, LA). His work can be found in various museum collections, including the Brooklyn Museum (New York, NY), Crystal Bridges Museum for American Art (Bentonville, AK), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY).
Hmong Community – Suzanne Thao, Tousue Vang, Chef Yia Vang, and Mandora Young (St. Paul, MN)
In the mid-1970s, thousands of Hmong refugees from Laos came to the United States after the US withdrew from Vietnam. Despite the many obstacles they faced, they managed to create vibrant, thriving communities in California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, among other areas. Craft is an artistic and economic foundation of Hmong communities as evidenced by their intricate, colorful textile traditions. They have also made significant contributions in the areas of art, culture, cuisine, and history. St. Paul, Minnesota has the largest Hmong population in the United States.
- Suzanne Thao is a master maker and instructor in the tradition of paj ntaub (“flower cloth”), a needlework technique practiced by Hmong women. She has been practicing and teaching the technique for over 50 years, having learned it from her grandmother, mother, and aunts starting at age 7. Deeply committed to preserving Hmong art, Thao has shared the technique with her daughter, Chuayi Yang, and is the inaugural instructor of Project Paj Ntaub, a free paj ntaub workshop offered through the Hmong Museum in St. Paul, MN.
- Tousue Vang is a Hmong American, storyteller, and image maker who has worked in the field for over ten years. Growing up, Vang was surrounded by traditional Hmong story quilts and is continually inspired by the art and tales of his heritage. Vang’s practice combines traditional narrative with new visual language to tell unique stories.
- Chef Yia Vang was born in a Thai refugee camp and lived there until his family was able to resettle in Wisconsin. He is a renowned chef and founder of the Union Hmong Kitchen, an award-winning restaurant in Minneapolis that brings Hmong cuisine and food traditions to the local community. Chef Yia is a James Beard Award finalist and has been featured in Bon Appétit magazine, CNN, and National Geographic, among other honors.
- Mandora Young is an artist and educator specializing in traditional paj ntaub textiles. She teaches classes and workshops for all ages at libraries and schools, welcoming both Hmong and non-Hmong community members. Young is committed to passing down the paj ntaub cloth embroidery techniques as well as conveying the significance and history of the art form.
- Ceramic artist Ayumi Horie believes that handmade objects hold power, and together with the stories that accompany them, can drive change. Horie has taught and lectured widely, including at the International Ceramics Research Center (Denmark), the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts (Deer Isle, ME), and the Archie Bray Foundation (Helena, MT). She was awarded the 2015 “Distinguished Fellow in Craft” by United States Artists and an Honorary Membership at NCECA in 2020 for her outstanding contributions to the field. Her work is in museum collections, including the Museum of Art and Design (New York, NY). Horie holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College, a BFA in ceramics from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, and a MFA in ceramics from the University of Washington in Seattle.
Ayumi Horie (Portland, ME)
Ceramic artist Ayumi Horie believes that handmade objects hold power, and together with the stories that accompany them, can drive change. Horie has taught and lectured widely, including at the International Ceramics Research Center (Denmark), the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts (Deer Isle, ME), and the Archie Bray Foundation (Helena, MT). She was awarded the 2015 “Distinguished Fellow in Craft” by United States Artists and an Honorary Membership at NCECA in 2020 for her outstanding contributions to the field. Her work is in museum collections, including the Museum of Art and Design (New York, NY). Horie holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College, a BFA in ceramics from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, and a MFA in ceramics from the University of Washington in Seattle.
Ayumi Horie (Portland, ME)
Ceramic artist Ayumi Horie believes that handmade objects hold power, and together with the stories that accompany them, can drive change. Horie has taught and lectured widely, including at the International Ceramics Research Center (Denmark), the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts (Deer Isle, ME), and the Archie Bray Foundation (Helena, MT). She was awarded the 2015 “Distinguished Fellow in Craft” by United States Artists and an Honorary Membership at NCECA in 2020 for her outstanding contributions to the field. Her work is in museum collections, including the Museum of Art and Design (New York, NY). Horie holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College, a BFA in ceramics from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, and a MFA in ceramics from the University of Washington in Seattle.
Mary Little (Los Angeles, CA)
Mary Little is an Irish-born artist whose career began after graduating from the Royal College of Art in London as an avant-garde furniture maker creating one-of-a-kind pieces. She is now producing wall artworks inspired by her childhood memories of Ireland. Her work has been exhibited at Craft Contemporary, L.A., the Textile Museum (Washington D.C.) and the Übersee-Museum (Bremen, Germany). Her pieces are in the permanent collections of the Vitra Design Museum in Basel; Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris; Victoria & Albert Museum, London and have been reviewed in Fabrik, New York Times, Luxe magazine and Architectural Digest.
Alison Saar, Maddy Inez Leeser, and Betye Saar (Los Angeles, CA)
- Alison Saar is a multi-disciplinary artist working in sculpture, installation, and mixed media. Through her practice, Saar explores a multitude of themes, including gender, race, and spirituality from personal, societal, and historical perspectives. Influenced by her mother, artist Betye Saar, and her father, ceramicist and restorer Richard Saar, Saar demonstrates a deep understanding of materiality and craft, and her work is often rooted in folk art traditions. Saar received her BA in art history and studio art from Scripps College in 1978, and her MFA from Otis College of Art and Design in 1981. She is the recipient of numerous awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship and multiple National Endowment for the Arts Artist Fellowships. She has exhibited in solo and group shows, including Galerie Lelong (Paris, France) and the National Museum for Women in the Arts (Washington, D.C.). Her work can be found in the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, MN), and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, among many others.
- In addition to Maddy Inez Leeser‘s ceramics practice, she self-identifies as an educator, animal caretaker, committed family member, faith keeper, investigator, magical practitioner, witness, and friend. In 2016, she received her BFA from Pacific Northwest College of the Arts in Portland, OR. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows, including Damp Earth at Harawik (Los Angeles, CA) and Possibility Made Real: Drawing & Clay at Gallery 12.26 (Dallas, TX). She has attended residencies at Conduit (Portland, OR) and the Vermont Studio Center.
- With a career spanning 60 years, Betye Saar (b. 1926, Los Angeles, CA) has made an indelible impact on our nation’s artistic and broader cultural landscape through her prints, collages, assemblages, and installations. Saar’s signature themes are African American identity, spirituality, mysticism, and American social and political context. Her assemblages powerfully address racist histories and propel us into a future of reclamation and change. Saar’s work has been exhibited and collected by countless museums and arts institutions, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art Center, and the National Gallery of Art.
Simon Rodia and Watts Towers (Los Angeles, CA)
The Watts Towers are the world’s largest single construction created by one individual—artist and Italian immigrant Simon Rodia. He built the towers by hand over 25 years, completing them in 1948. The Watts Towers Arts Center Campus grew out of a call from local residents to create a meaningful relationship between the L.A. neighborhood of Watts, and the towers themselves. The realization of this community hub was led by Noah Purifoy, John Outterbridge, and Mark Steven Greenfield, as well as the continuing leadership of Rosie Lee Hooks. The arts center provides multidisciplinary classes, including visual and performing arts, gardening, and other multi-media arts. The center’s tours, lectures, and exhibits attract visitors from around the world.
ARTIST BIOS – HOME
Syd Carpenter (Philadelphia, PA)
Syd Carpenter sculpts with clay to tell stories of African American culture, US history, legacy, and courage. The medium feeds naturally into her exploration of African American land ownership, farming, and gardening. She is Professor Emerita of Art and holds the Peggy Chan Professorship in Black Studies at Swarthmore College. She earned her BFA and her MFA from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. Her work can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the University of Illinois, the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Fuller Craft Museum, and many more collections both private and public.
Helen Drutt English (Philadelphia, PA)
Helen Drutt English has championed and promoted American craft internationally and helped to elevate studio craft into the realm of fine art. Her home is filled with the finest examples of craft objects and reflects her life-long commitment to studio craft at its best. Drutt English is a curatorial consultant, art historian, educator, and author. In addition, she founded the Helen Drutt Gallery in Philadelphia in 1973. She has received numerous honors for her profound impact on the field, including Honorary Fellow of the American Craft Council and the Lifetime Achievement in Crafts award from the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
Biskakone Greg Johnson and Ojibwe Tribe (Lac du Flambeau, WI)
Members of the Ojibwe tribe have been living in the Lac du Flambeau, WI region for centuries, and tribal member and craftsman Biskakone Greg Johnson is a cultural practitioner and educator committed to learning and teaching the traditional methods and crafts of the Ojibwe. He has revived the crafts of beadwork, winter bark basket making, weaving winnowing baskets and cedar bark mats, moccasin making, and canoe building. He is an instructor at the North House Folk School, teaching the skills and knowledge of his culture. He is also an Ojibwe language teacher.
Wharton Esherick (Philadelphia, PA)
Wharton Esherick (1887–1970) was a woodworker who worked and lived in Paoli, PA, where his hand-built home and studio stand today as the Wharton Esherick Museum in Malvern, PA. He was one the artists of the early 20th century who defined uniquely American handwork.The majority of his works, including the massive ones for which he is most famous, were produced with hand tools similar to those used by eastern Pennsylvania’s original settlers. The museum is a must-visit for anyone interested in woodwork or craft history.
North House Folk School (Grand Marais, MN)
The North House Folk School was founded in 1997 with a dedication to traditional craft and cooperative learning. The school has grown over the years, now hosting over 3,000 students per year and offering over 350 classes. Located in the Minnesota Northwoods on the shore of Lake Superior, it is one of the few places in the world where timber framing is being practiced and taught.
Sim Van der Ryn and the Outlaw Builders (San Francisco, CA & Northern California)
Visionary architect Sim Van der Ryn designed and built California state government’s first energy efficient and climate-responsive building, while serving as State Architect under Governor Jerry Brown. This work placed Van der Ryn at the vanguard of the Green Architecture and Sustainable Design movement. He is the President of the Ecological Design Collaborative and author of several influential books, including Design for an Empathic World: Reconnecting People, Nature, and Self, Sustainable Communities, and Ecological Design. While working as a professor of architecture at UC Berkeley for 40 years, he founded the “Outlaw Builders,” an irreverent group who flourished among the counterculture of the 1960s and early 70s. Their driving principle was good design, with disregard for building code, rules, and regulations. A remarkable example of this sensibility was built by the group in Inverness, California, where it still stands today.
ABOUT CRAFT IN AMERICA
Craft in America is the Peabody Award-winning series on PBS exploring America’s creative spirit through the language and traditions of the handmade. With 14 seasons produced since 2007, the series takes viewers on a journey to the artists, origins and techniques of American craft. Each episode contains stories from diverse regions and cultures, blending history with living practice and exploring issues of identity, ritual, philosophy and creative expression. Craft in America’s organizational efforts include educator guides that adhere to national standards, and the Craft in America Center in Los Angeles. Learn more at craftinamerica.org
OUR MISSION
To promote and advance original handcrafted work through programs in all media
OUR GOALS
To document the importance of handmade objects and the artists who make themTo provide a gateway to discover, explore and experience craftTo celebrate our nation’s cultures through craft
Building the Essentials: Ferne Jacobs (4/2/2022–6/18/2022)
(LOS ANGELES, CA) – The Craft in America Center is pleased to present the first ever retrospective of Los Angeles artist Ferne Jacobs. Jacobs has been at the forefront of the revolution in fiber art since the 1960s. This exhibition will span more than fifty years of pivotal work and include approximately 30 artworks created by Jacobs between the mid 1960s and 2022. This momentous survey will be on display in Los Angeles, where Jacobs has lived and practiced for decades, yet rarely exhibited her work. It will explore Jacobs’ overall evolution, highlight her unrelenting search for meaning in structure, and provide insight into the impetus for her work.
This exhibition will also highlight Jacobs’ role as an innovator in the advancement of fiber as a field for artistic exploration. Technically, Jacobs is recognized for her mastery of material and process. Reinventing and advancing traditional techniques used for basketry, including knotting, coiling, and twining, Jacobs has generated an entirely new language of sculptural art. Her acute sense of color melded with her poetic and intuitive approach set her work apart.
This gathering of Jacobs’ work will be an opportunity for the public to experience the force of her fiber sculptures and to glean inspiration from what she has accomplished artistically. Every piece of Jacobs’ work represents a personal artistic journey. Her path is revealed as she constructs the form and this is a revelatory process that she translates thread by thread. Jacobs continues to evaluate and investigate her practice and to discover new solutions with exceptional dedication.
The exhibition will include key works from the entire span of Jacobs’ career and each of her artistic phases. Rarely seen pieces will be gathered together from collections that are scattered across the U.S. This exhibition will be a holistic look at the development of a singular artistic voice as it thrives in its prime.
Related Programming:
In addition to the physical exhibition, Craft in America will create a virtual exhibition that will expand engagement and be accessible online to anyone unable to visit the Center in person. The exhibition will be accompanied by a range of public programs, including an artist talk, demonstration, and specialized hands-on workshop. Students from our Craft in Schools program with underserved K-12 LA schools will have the chance to visit the exhibition and learn about Jacobs’ artistic creations firsthand, which will open their eyes to the possibilities of working in the artistic medium of fiber.
About the Artist:
Ferne Jacobs, who moved to Los Angeles at an early age, has devoted herself to fiber art since the mid-60s when she took a weaving workshop with the artist Arline Fisch. She received her M.F.A. from Claremont Graduate University in 1976 and has been featured in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad. She was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships in 1973–74 and 1977– 78. Jacobs is the recipient of the Flintridge Foundation Award for Visual Artists, and in 1995 she was named a Fellow of the College of Fellows by the American Craft Council. Jacobs’ work can be found in numerous public collections, including the Smithsonian National Museum of American Art (Washington D.C.), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City), the Museum of Arts and Design (New York City), the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), the de Young Museum (San Francisco), and the Rhode Island School of Design (Providence).
Please direct all media inquiries to:
Lauren Over, Communications
press@craftinamerica.org
Craft in America Center
8415 W. Third St., Los Angeles, CA 90048
Hours: Tues – Sat, 12:00pm – 6:00pm
tel: (323) 951-0610
www.craftinamerica.org/center
Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration, 9/4/21 – 12/4/21
Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration
9/4/21 – 12/4/21
(LOS ANGELES, CA) – This fall, the Craft in America Center will present Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration, an in person and virtual exhibition that will focus on the overlooked craft of handmade piñatas and piñata-based art objects. Piñatas, ubiquitous and often the focal point of parties and festive occasions across the U.S., are handcrafted and ephemeral objects that signify happiness, joy, and celebration. This show will explore how they are designed, constructed and executed, and the integral role that they play in modern material culture. It will present the work of traditional piñata artisans alongside artists who reinvent and reinterpret the piñata through their engaging sculptural practices and strong political expressions.
The contemporary artists featured in this exhibition reconsider the techniques, materials, form, function, and concept of the piñata to create sculptural art. For example, Los Angeles artist Roberto Benavidez creates exquisite fantastical beasts, creatures, and animals through a cut and applied paper process that stems from piñatas, but that carries them into a new world of imagined possibilities. Other participating artists, including Giovanni Valderas in Texas, amplify the materiality and performative aspects of piñatas to address the displacement and mistreatment of Latinx communities in the United States. Binational San Diego/Tijuana artist Diana Benavidez’s trio of Vehiculos Transfronterizos is a group of remote control cars that use the piñata as a form of political resistance.
Yesenia Prieto, third generation artist-maker, makes vibrant custom piñatas for parties, events, concerts, and performances across Hollywood. Prieto, like several makers in the exhibition, is dedicated to bringing the beloved yet under-recognized and underpaid work of piñateros, many of whom are immigrants, to the forefront.
Piñatas are a rooted Mexican tradition that has become widespread and dispersed across the world. The intent of the exhibition is to bridge communities through the engaging, accessible nature of the piñata as an art form and popular cultural artifact. Considering the popularity of piñatas in our lives and how many memories are made around piñata play, this form of cultural craft has been relatively unexamined and the show will expand that conversation.
Piñatas are intertwined with childhood experiences, gatherings of family and friends, and moments of happiness—all of which became more rare and precious over the past year and a half. As markers of these events, piñatas have new contemporary meaning. They continue to be shaped to reflect changing times. This exhibition will spotlight makers who creatively generate these objects in response to our shifting world.
As creators of material culture, craft makers design and build the relics of our everyday, modern world. This exhibition touches on the ephemeral and performative nature of certain forms of craft. Craft today plays a part in our traditions, our celebrations, our relationships, and it deepens how we experience life. This exhibition will engage people of all ages and backgrounds, including children and families, in an effort to expand awareness of the handmade, craft of the everyday, and views of what art can be.
Participating artists include:
Alejandro Arredondo, Diana Benavidez, Roberto Benavidez, Sita Bhaumik, Amorette Crespo, Dignicraft, Justin Favela, Francisco Palomares, Yesenia Prieto, Josue Ramirez, Isaias Rodriguez, Lorena Robledo, Ana Serrano, Giovanni Valderas and others.
Virtual Programming:
Curatorial Walk-through—Wed., Sept. 15 at 11am PDT
Giovanni Valderas & Isaias Rodriguez on the Poetry & Politics of Piñatas—Fri., Sept.17 at 11am PDT
All Ages Piñata Workshop with Isaias Rodriguez—Sat., Sep. 25th at 11am PDT
Yesenia Prieto & Lorena Robledo: Labor of Love: the Economics of Piñata Making—Fri., Oct. 15 at 11am PDT
Global Origins of the Piñata with Dr. Yong Chen—Friday Nov. 12 at 11am PST
Casita Triste: Piñata Workshop with Giovanni Valderas—Sat., Nov. 13 at 11am PST
In-Person Programming: Piñata Workshop with Yesenia Prieto—Thurs., Oct. 21 at 6:30pm PDT
Check the Craft in America website for more information about upcoming events.
Please direct all media inquiries to:
Lauren Over, Communications
press@craftinamerica.org
Craft in America Center
8415 W. Third St., Los Angeles, CA 90048
Hours: Tues – Sat, 12:00pm – 5:00pm
tel: (323) 951-0610
www.craftinamerica.org/center
OUR MISSION
To promote and advance original handcrafted work through programs in all media
OUR GOALS
To document the importance of handmade objects and the artists who make them
To provide a gateway to discover, explore and experience craft
To celebrate our nation’s cultures through craft
CRAFT IN AMERICA, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
This project is supported by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, www.culturela.org.
NOW STREAMING: Harmony & Jewelry Episodes on PBS
New Episodes NOW STREAMING on the PBS Video App, craftinamerica.org and pbs.org/craftinamerica
PBS broadcast premiere December 10, 2021 at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.
(check local listings)
(Los Angeles) Craft in America, the Peabody Award-winning series that explores America’s creative spirit through the language and traditions of the handmade announces a two new episodes:
HARMONY bridges the art forms of music and craft, celebrating the joy of music and the creation of handcrafted instruments. JEWELRY explores the history, artistry, and impact of personal adornment.
HARMONY features accordion maker Marc Savoy and the Savoy family; bow maker Susan Lipkins; luthier Doug Naselroad and the Appalachian Artisan Center Culture of Recovery program; and artist Richard Jolley, whose monumental glass sculpture inspired the commission of a violin concerto.
JEWELRY features classic jeweler Tom Herman; artist Harriete Estel Berman who creates jewelry using recycled materials; the co-editors of Ornament Magazine; the legacy of modernist jeweler Art Smith; nature-inspired artist Gabrielle Gould; and Navajo/Hopi master jeweler Jesse Monongya.
For more information, artist bios, and to watch full episode: Craft in America: HARMONY
HARMONY press images: dropbox.com/sh/ymhy044og601qrl/AACAnfPaYd7S-Pzrt1n5RH3Ba?dl=0
For more information, artist bios, and to watch full episode:
Craft in America: JEWELRY
JEWELRY press images:
dropbox.com/sh/jrdt6n8a80lpjyh/AABlX6RD3ZU0pPhq7D2UHJhBa?dl=0
Work by the featured artists will be exhibited at the Craft in America Center
from December 11, 2021 through March 19, 2022.
Craft in America Center
8415 W. Third St., Los Angeles, CA 90048
Hours: Tues–Sat, 12:00pm–5:00pm
tel: (323) 951-0610
www.craftinamerica.org/center
There is a great deal more to share with viewers on craftinamerica.org and pbs.org/craftinamerica. The expanded journey continues with episodes to stream, video clips, resources, virtual exhibitions, events, education guides for K-12 students and more.
For all press inquiries and artist interviews please contact:
Lauren Over, Communications
press@craftinamerica.org
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov
OUR MISSION
To promote and advance original handcrafted work through programs in all media
OUR GOALS
To document the importance of handmade objects and the artists who make them
To provide a gateway to discover, explore and experience craft
To celebrate our nation’s cultures through craft
CRAFT IN AMERICA, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Craft in America Awarded $100,000 Inaugural Prize for Excellence and Innovation by the Decorative Arts Trust
Craft in America’s Free Online Video Dictionary of Decorative Arts Techniques Will Connect the Past to the Present
Craft in America’s video dictionary will be a free resource for researchers, art historians, students, and the public serving as an evergreen and widely accessible tool to demonstrate handmade techniques and production.
View the Craft Video Dictionary proposal
(Los Angeles, CA) December 9, 2020 – Craft in America has been named the inaugural recipient the Decorative Arts Trust’s Prize for Excellence and Innovation. As part of the Decorative Art Trust‘s dedication to nurturing academic and educational programs, Executive Director Matthew A. Thurlow announced that Craft in America would receive the award in a special presentation this week. Established in 2020, the $100,000 Prize for Excellence and Innovation recognizes scholarly endeavors undertaken by a non-profit organization to advance the public’s appreciation of decorative arts, fine arts, architecture, or landscape design. Craft in America was one of four finalists: Cincinnati Art Museum, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
Craft in America is preparing a free online video dictionary of tools, techniques, and materials spanning all decorative arts media. This free resource for researchers, art historians, students, and the public will serve as an evergreen and widely accessible tool to demonstrate handmade crafts production. Each dictionary “entry” will consist of a short video of a professional artist-maker explaining and documenting a specific process. “The inaugural Prize is a watershed moment for our organization,” Matthew Thurlow notes. “We are proud to be one of the few organizations able to offer $100,000 in support of a decorative arts project at this critical moment in the cultural sector. In recent years, we have helped hundreds of students and young professionals make strides toward their careers in the arts, and the Prize will reinforce the value of their dedication.”
“Craft in America will blend the contemporary with the historic by sharing the techniques of talented living craftspeople who represent a continuum of artisanship that stretches back centuries,” shares Matthew Thurlow. “The project is scalable, malleable, inclusive, and accessible in a manner that will continue to draw interest in and promote the importance and artistry of objects. Craft in America has an impressive history of producing video and narrative of the highest quality. We are proud to reach across the country to support a smaller organization that will make an incredible contribution to further appreciation for the decorative arts.”
“This project will organically demonstrate the ongoing continuity of historic craft processes in modern life,” explains Emily Zaiden, Craft in America Center Director. “The beauty and core of this project is that it captures precisely how historic craft and decorative arts processes are very much alive in the hands of contemporary makers and craft artists. It will demonstrate our connection with the past, with the work of the hand, and our inherent connection with tactile objects and the material culture of our world. These videos will bring to life, in this modern, tech-dominated era, the age-old techniques from our craft heritage. We could not be more thrilled and honored to receive this support from the Decorative Arts Trust.”
About Craft in America
Craft in America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to advancing original handcrafted work through the Peabody Award-winning documentary series on PBS nationwide and the free-to-the-public Craft in America Center in Los Angeles. With 25 episodes produced since 2007, CRAFT IN AMERICA takes viewers on a journey to the artists, origins and techniques of American craft. Each episode contains stories from diverse regions and cultures, blending history with living practice and exploring issues of identity, ritual, philosophy and creative expression.
Our websites craftinamerica.org and pbs.org/craftinamerica provide all episodes, hundreds of online videos and interactive learning materials, as well as exhibitions, artist information, and the book Craft in America: Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects and other Craft in America publications.
The Craft in America Center is an exhibition and learning space in Los Angeles. We give voice to traditional and contemporary craft through artist talks, K-12 education programs, workshops, catalogs and a permanent collection. Our reference library contains over three thousand books and is free to the public. 8415 W. Third St., Los Angeles, CA 90048.
About The Decorative Arts Trust
Incorporated on May 16, 1977, the Decorative Arts Trust has a long history of promoting and fostering appreciation and study of material culture by exchanging information through domestic and international programming, collaborating and partnering with museums and preservation organizations, and underwriting internships, research grants, and scholarships for graduate students and young professionals. The Decorative Arts Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. To learn more about the Trust or to become a member, please visit decorativeartstrust.org.
STORYTELLERS artist bios
STORYTELLERS premieres on PBS December 11, 2020 (check local listings)
George Rodriguez
George Rodriguez is a Seattle-based ceramic artist and sculptor who, throughout his career, has used oversized ceramic personalities he creates to tell universal stories. He was born and raised in El Paso, where he received a BFA in ceramics from the University of Texas. He received a Bonderman Travel Fellowship, in 2009 through which he traveled extensively, expanding his studies of global culture and ceremony. He combines his Chicano heritage with Thai, Peruvian, Bolivian, Mongolian, Egyptian, Taiwanese, and Indonesian civilization and mythologies. His work is the manifestation of the individual against the backdrop of community, and the modern world against the backdrop of the ancient. He holds an MFA in ceramics from the University of Washington, and his work has been widely exhibited in museums in the Pacific Northwest, including the Foster White Gallery in Seattle, The Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem, Oregon, and can be found Eutectic Gallery in Portland and the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago.
Linda J. Mendelson
Linda J. Mendelson is a fiber artist whose techniques include knitting, crochet, sewing, and felting. Melding words, graphic designs, and color, Mendelson makes wearable pieces that challenge the distinction between fine art and utilitarian objects. Her art to wear pieces are inspired by poetry and writing, as well as the myriad modern art movements that precede her; including, constructivism, minimalism, and abstract expressionism. From 1975 to 2013, Mendelson was represented by Julie Artisans Gallery on Madison Avenue in New York, owned and operated by gallerist and craft historian Julie Schafler Dale. Mendelson now lives and works in Yonkers, where her apartment doubles as her studio. Her work can be found in numerous private and museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Nicholas Galanin
Nicholas Galanin is a native Alaskan artist of Tlingit and Unangax̂ ancestry. He apprenticed with Indigenous master carvers and jewelers, earned his BFA in Jewelry Design from London Guildhall University and his MFA in Indigenous visual arts at Massey University in New Zealand. Galanin offers perspectives rooted in connection to land and broad engagement with contemporary culture. He embeds incisive observation into his work, investigating intersections of culture and concept in form, image and sound. Galanin’s works embody critical thought as vessels of knowledge, culture and technology. His art has been exhibited throughout the United States and internationally, including the Native American Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, the 2020 Australian Biennale and the 2019 Whitney Biennial, and the National Museum of the American Indian. His work is in private collections, as well as the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada, Portland Art Museum, and Denver Art Museum. Galanin currently lives and works with his family in Sitka, Alaska.
Christina Bothwell
Christina Bothwell is a self-taught, experimental glass artist who explores her interest in birth, death, and renewal while imbuing her work with a sense of wonder and hope. She was born in New York City and currently lives in Stillwater, Pennsylvania with her husband and teenage children. In this rural setting, nature is the main source of inspiration for her work. She employs a unique approach to the medium, and her figurative sculptures often contain another figure within: “I try to express more than our bodies. My ongoing interest in the spiritual infuses my work and runs parallel to the narrative I’m creating.” Her work can be found in the public collections at the Corning Glass Museum in New York, the Glasmuseet Ebeltoft in Germany, Museum of Contemporary Glass in Denmark, Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Glass Art (SMOG), Racine Art Museum, Cincinnati Museum of Art, Fuller Craft Museum, and the Smithsonian Museum of Art’s Archives of American Art, Oral History Collection, Mobile Museum of Art, and Palm Springs Museum.
________
CRAFT IN AMERICA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to advancing original handcrafted work through the Peabody Award-winning documentary series on PBS nationwide and the free-to-the-public Craft in America Center in Los Angeles. With 25 episodes produced since 2007, CRAFT INAMERICA takes viewers on a journey to the artists, origins and techniques of American craft. Each episode contains stories from diverse regions and cultures, blending history with living practice and exploring issues of identity, ritual, philosophy and creative expression. Our websites craftinamerica.org and pbs.org/craftinamerica provide all episodes, hundreds of online videos and interactive learning materials, as well as object exhibitions, artist information, and the Random House book Craft in America: Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects and other Craft in America publications.
The Craft in America Center is an exhibition and learning space in Los Angeles. We give voice to traditional and contemporary craft through artist talks, K-12 education programs, workshops, exhibits and concerts. Our reference library contains over three thousand books and videos and is free to the public. We invite you to stop in and to join us for upcoming events and exhibitions – 8415 W. Third St., Los Angeles, CA 90048.
For more about Craft in America:
craftinamerica.org pbs.org/craftinamerica facebook.com/craftinamerica youtube.com/craftinamerica instagram.com/craftinamerica twitter.com/CraftinAmerica
Please contact for art and interviews: (310) 659-9022
Lauren Over, Communications: press@craftinamerica.org
STORYTELLERS Press images: dropbox.com/sh/yxk0qivo1qa849v/AACv4FEz5zY8GSUYj7uS5s_Ba?dl=0
STORYTELLERS PBS premiere Dec 11, 2020
STORYTELLERS premieres on PBS Friday, December 11, 2020 (check local listings)
[Los Angeles] – Craft in America, the Peabody Award-winning documentary series discovering the beauty, significance and relevance of handmade objects and the artists who make them, announces STORYTELLERS premiering on PBS Friday, December 11, 2020 at 9:00PM (check local listings).
For more than a decade, Craft in America has taken viewers on cultural journeys across this nation, honoring the multiplicity of traditions that have come to define our country.
Craft in America: STORYTELLERS highlights artists who use narrative to communicate personal and universal truths, creating a uniquely powerful expression of our human experience.
The episode begins with Seattle-based sculptor George Rodriguez. He makes oversized ceramic figures that are both personal to Rodriguez and universally resonant. The sculptures are human expressions, influenced by mythology, global civilizations, a spirit of play, and his Chicano heritage.
Then we explore the Art to Wear movement with gallerist and craft historian Julie Schafler Dale. Dale walks us through the Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibition Off the Wall: American Art to Wear and introduces textile artist Linda J. Mendelson, who draws inspiration from poetry and pushes the boundaries of wearable art.
We then go to Alaska, where we meet one of our nation’s most important multidisciplinary artists, Nicholas Galanin. Galanin creates works layered in meaning and visual language. Descended from a family of Native Alaskan Tlingit and Unangax̂ artists, he challenges the displacement of indigenous art and cultural disruption, offering perspective rooted in connection to land while investigating and expanding intersections of culture and concept in form, image, and sound.
Lastly, STORYTELLERS highlights artist Christina Bothwell. Through her unique approach to glass, Bothwell explores her interest in birth, death, and renewal, while imbuing her work with a sense of wonder and hope. Bothwell’s glass figures, rooted in the physical realm, are also imbued with layers of spirituality. We record her technique – a process never before documented by Craft in America – and tour the natural landscapes of her home in rural Pennsylvania that influence her work.
The stories these artists tell us through their creations bring us together in ways that defy cultural boundaries and offer new ways of understanding even the most complex mysteries of our existence.
________
CRAFT IN AMERICA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to advancing original handcrafted work through the Peabody Award-winning documentary series on PBS nationwide and the free-to-the-public Craft in America Center in Los Angeles. With 25 episodes produced since 2007, CRAFT INAMERICA takes viewers on a journey to the artists, origins and techniques of American craft. Each episode contains stories from diverse regions and cultures, blending history with living practice and exploring issues of identity, ritual, philosophy and creative expression. Our websites craftinamerica.org and pbs.org/craftinamerica provide all episodes, hundreds of online videos and interactive learning materials, as well as object exhibitions, artist information, and the Random House book Craft in America: Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects and other Craft in America publications.
The Craft in America Center is an exhibition and learning space in Los Angeles. We give voice to traditional and contemporary craft through artist talks, K-12 education programs, workshops, exhibits and concerts. Our reference library contains over three thousand books and videos and is free to the public. We invite you to stop in and to join us for upcoming events and exhibitions – 8415 W. Third St., Los Angeles, CA 90048.
To view the Artist Bios: craftinamerica.org/release/storytellers-artist-bios
For more about Craft in America:
craftinamerica.org pbs.org/craftinamerica facebook.com/craftinamerica youtube.com/craftinamerica instagram.com/craftinamerica twitter.com/CraftinAmerica
Please contact for art and interviews: (310) 659-9022
Lauren Over, Communications: press@craftinamerica.org
STORYTELLERS Press images: dropbox.com/sh/yxk0qivo1qa849v/AACv4FEz5zY8GSUYj7uS5s_Ba?dl=0
DEMOCRACY artist bios
DEMOCRACY premieres on PBS December 11, 2020 (check local listings). DEMOCRACY is now available to stream on the PBS Video App, pbs.org/craftinamerica and craftinamerica.org, giving viewers the opportunity to watch the episode as part of PBS election programming.
Robert L. Lynch
Robert L. Lynch is the president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, an organization that seeks to make connections between individuals, leaders, organizations, communities, and businesses in order to advance and cultivate the arts in America. Lynch’s unwavering commitment “to ensure that every American has access to the transformative power of the arts” has seen the organization grow to more than 50 times its original size in services and membership, all during his more than 35 years of leadership. He had been the director of the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies for 12 years when, in 1996, he oversaw the merging of that organization with the American Council for the Arts to form Americans for the Arts. That same year he also created the Americans for the Arts Action Fund, a national advocacy group that fights for arts funding and education. Lynch is on the board of the American Craft Council and the Commission on the Arts of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has also been a board member of the Independent Sector and the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. The NonProfit Times Power & Influence Top 50 recognized his passionate and highly effective leadership by selecting him on five occasions as one of the 50 most influential executives in the nonprofit sector for five years.
https://www.americansforthearts.org/about-americans-for-the-arts/staff/robert-l-lynch
Sammy Little
Sammy Little is a calligrapher with over 30 years of professional experience. She has applied her skillful hand to projects for the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, the US Supreme Court and presidential inaugural luncheons. Her work exemplifies the importance of cursive handwriting in our nation’s democratic traditions and as a record of our history. She was a teacher and lecturer of calligraphy and is a founding officer of the Washington Calligrapher’s Guild. Her work has appeared in numerous publications and has been shown in exhibitions all over the world.
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Renwick Gallery is home to the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection of contemporary craft and decorative art, one of the finest and most extensive collections of its kind. The museum’s home is a National Historic Landmark, the first building erected expressly as an art museum in the United States, and is named in honor of its architect, James Renwick, Jr. It has been a branch of the Smithsonian since 1972. The Renwick exhibits the most exciting works by artists exploring traditional and innovative approaches to making, emphasizing craft as an approach to living differently in the modern world. Collections, special exhibitions, and scholarship highlight how extraordinary handmade objects have shaped the American experience and continue to impact our lives.
Carla Hemlock
Carla is a textile and mixed media artist who lives in Kahnawake Mohawk Territory. Her work has been included in group exhibits in the United States, Canada, Germany, Russia and France. She was the recipient of the 2017 Excellence in Iroquois Arts from the Iroquois Museum in Howes Cave, New York. Her work ‘Tribute to the Mohawk Ironworkers’, was included in the 2019 ‘Smithsonian American Women, Remarkable Objects and Stories of Strength, Ingenuity and Vision from the National Collection.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is a Smithsonian Institution museum. Its founding had been in the concept phase since the early part of the 20th century, but Congressional opposition stalled its progress for decades. After years of advocacy and effort, the museum’s construction was authorized in 2003 by George W. Bush. In September 2016, Barack Obama led the ceremony that officially opened the museum at its permanent location on 24th Street and Constitution Avenue NW on the National Mall in Washington DC. NMAAHC has collected more than 36,00 objects and numerous interactive exhibits covering the arts, slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, athletics, music, and much more. Lonnie G. Bunch III, the museum’s founding director states, “The African American experience is the lens through which we understand what it is to be an American.”
National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian is a Smithsonian Institution museum dedicated to “advancing knowledge and understanding of the Native cultures of the Western Hemisphere—past, present, and future—through partnership with Native people and others.” NMAI has three separate facilities: the museum on the National Mall in Washington DC; the George Gustav Heye Center in New York City; and the Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, Maryland. Through these facilities the organization hosts exhibitions, conducts research, and operates educational and arts programs. In 1989 the National Museum of the American Indian act Act was passed (amended in 1996), and the NMAI officially became part of the Smithsonian Institution and called for the repatriation of specific Native cultural objects. The museum’s vast collection – which contains Native artifacts, photographs, archives, and media – along with its diverse programming, serves to exemplify and highlight the rich diversity of Native people and Native culture in the contexts of both American history and contemporary American life.
Harvey Pratt
Harvey Pratt is an accomplished Native American master artist and a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. He began his career as a forensic artist, and for over 50 years has worked with law enforcement to complete thousands of witness description drawings and hundreds of soft tissue reconstructions. His art practice is multi-disciplinary, including painting, sculpture, wood carving, mural painting, bronze, architectural design, and graphic design. His work is a blend of his unique experience in forensic art and law enforcement with Native American cultural themes. Pratt’s Warrior’s Circle of Honor was selected as the winning design for the forthcoming National Native American Veterans Memorial at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. His design incorporates fire, water, wind, drums, the cardinal points, and the circle shape to create an interactive and intimate gathering space. In addition to his artistic practice, Pratt lectures frequently and aids investigations through training classes.
Veterans History Project
Part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the Veterans History Project is an archive of interviews, photographs, memoirs, illustrations, and other historic documents that gives voice to the personal experiences of US war veterans. Housed in the Library of Congress, this vast collection provides firsthand accounts of the realities of war, making them accessible to the public and preserving them for future generations. The United States Congress introduced legislation to create the project in 2000, and it was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on October 27, 2000.
Eudorah Moore
Eudorah Moore (b. 1918, d. 2013) was a curator and champion of California craft and design. Moore moved to Pasadena in the 1940s, where she was deeply entrenched in the arts community. In the early 1950s, she established the Pasadena Arts Alliance and served as its founding president. In 1957, she became Board president of Pasadena Art Museum (now the Norton Simon Museum of Art) and was later appointed Curator of Design in 1962. During her tenure at the Museum, she helped to highlight handcrafted arts and California design, blurring the distinction between art and craft. Moore transformed the Museum’s California Design exhibition series from an annual presentation of contemporary furniture to an encompassing triennial, showcasing the diversity and artistry of California craft. Moore curated three iterations of California Design for the Museum, and then two additional shows after leaving the institution. Shortly before her departure, Moore curated the seminal show Islands in the Land, exhibiting works by craftsmen from the Southern Appalachians and the Valley of the Rio Grande in New Mexico. Between 1978 and 1981 she was the crafts coordinator at the National Endowment for the Arts, where she campaigned for greater craft recognition and increased financial support for artists. In recognition of her longstanding and visionary commitment to craft, Moore received numerous honors including the Smith College Medal and an honorary doctorate from California College of the Arts.
Berea College
Berea College is a private liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky. Founded in 1855, Berea College is recognized for its no-tuition promise, providing free education to every student. The College has been a leader in the Appalachian Crafts movement since the 1890s, when it established the Berea Student Craft Program. Beginning with Weaving in 1893, the school has since added Woodcraft in 1895, and Broomcraft and Ceramics in 1920. The Student Craft Program is a part of Berea’s broader Labor Program, which requires every student to contribute to the operations of the school through a number of job opportunities, including craft. Over 100 students work in the Student Craft Program, and their work is available for sale in person and online through the Berea College Visitor Center and Shoppe. All proceeds go back to supporting Berea College programs and its Tuition Promise.
Stephen Burks
Stephen Burks is a designer, educator, and traveler based in Brooklyn, New York. Burks believes in a pluralistic vision of design that is inclusive of all cultural perspectives. Man Made – his design practice – bridges the gap between authentic developing world production, industrial manufacturing, and contemporary design. His projects often embrace hand production as a strategy for innovation. He works independently, with artists and non-profits worldwide, and is frequently commissioned to develop collections for design-driven brands. Burks headed the Crafting Diversity project Berea College. He worked with students to design products for the Student Craft Program, ensuring that the amazing diversity of Berea’s student body was represented in the craft they created. In addition to his work with Berea College, Burks works with Harvard University as a Design Critic in the Harvard Graduate School of Design Engineering program and as an Expert-In-Residence at the Harvard Innovation Lab.
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CRAFT IN AMERICA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to advancing original handcrafted work through the Peabody Award-winning documentary series on PBS nationwide and the free-to-the-public Craft in America Center in Los Angeles. With 25 episodes produced since 2007, CRAFT IN AMERICA takes viewers on a journey to the artists, origins and techniques of American craft. Each episode contains stories from diverse regions and cultures, blending history with living practice and exploring issues of identity, ritual, philosophy and creative expression. Our websites craftinamerica.org and pbs.org/craftinamerica provide all episodes, hundreds of online videos and interactive learning materials, as well as object exhibitions, artist information, and the Random House book Craft in America: Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects and other Craft in America publications.
The Craft in America Center is an exhibition and learning space in Los Angeles. We give voice to traditional and contemporary craft through artist talks, K-12 education programs, workshops, exhibits and concerts. Our reference library contains over three thousand books and videos and is free to the public. We invite you to stop in and to join us for upcoming events and exhibitions – 8415 W. Third St., Los Angeles, CA 90048.
For more about Craft in America:
craftinamerica.org pbs.org/craftinamerica facebook.com/craftinamerica youtube.com/craftinamerica instagram.com/craftinamerica twitter.com/CraftinAmerica
Please contact for art and interviews: (310) 659-9022
Lauren Over, Communications: press@craftinamerica.org
DEMOCRACY Press Images: dropbox.com/sh/1ycckh06jsxm284/AABmL6i2-1KqNBd_gdBbwnOga?dl=0