Join us for Archives of the American Arts’ Free Webinars on Craft History, Research, and Exhibitions 10/29/26 and 12/2/26

We invite you to join us for two special webinar presentations by Handwork 2026 partner, the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art.

The Archives of American Art is the world’s preeminent and most widely used research center dedicated to collecting, preserving, and providing access to primary sources that document the history of the visual arts in America.

We are honored that they have designed the following presentations specifically for Handwork: Celebrating American Crafts 2026:

Craft at the Archives of American Art

Thursday, October 29
12-1 PM PST | 3–4 PM EST

Join the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art and Craft in America’s semiquincentennial initiative, Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026 for a webinar exploring the history and breadth of craft holdings at the Archives. With more than 365 craft-related collections and over 360 oral histories, the Archives offer capacious windows into the artists, communities, schools, and movements that have shaped the field of craft. This program will explore the history of craft collecting, exhibitions, education, techniques, and communities at the Archives and will introduce participants to the type of archival materials that bring craft history to life. Whether you are a researcher, educator, artist, student, or simply curious about American craft, discover how the Archives can become a starting point for new ideas, connections, and stories.  

Register for Craft at the Archives of American Art

Exhibiting Craft History through Archival Research  

Wednesday December 2
12-1 PM PST | 3–4 PM EST

What can archives reveal about the nature of craft and makers beyond objects themselves? Join the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art and Craft in America’s semiquincentennial initiative, Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026 for a conversation about the archival research behind the exhibition Materials, Methods, Meanings: Craft in the Archives of American Art (November 6, 2026–April 16, 2027) with associate curator Chyna Bounds. This exhibition explores how makers have reshaped craft history through inventive approaches to materials, innovative ways of sharing knowledge, and objects carrying social, cultural, and personal significance. Discover how archival research opened new pathways into the human and communal stories of American craft and helped bring the exhibition’s themes of materials, methods, and meanings to life.

Register for Exhibiting Craft History through Archival Research

We hope you can experience these windows into such rare and inspiring resources! 

Please register at your earliest convenience and email any questions to handwork@craftinamerica.org.