Smithsonian Craft Show Opens April 23: Juried Fine Craft Show Celebrates American Artistry
March 25, 2026
The 44th annual Smithsonian Craft Show will take place April 22–26 featuring the work of recognized masters and outstanding innovators of American craft. A panel of expert jurors has selected 120 American artists representing all facets of contemporary craft and design, including basketry, ceramics, decorative fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed-media, paper, wearable art and wood. The works will be on display and for sale. Serious collectors and casual shoppers will find one-of-a-kind pieces at a wide range of prices.
The show will be held at the National Building Museum, located at 401 F St. N.W. in Washington, D.C. Admission is $25, and group sales of 10 or more are $20 each, both of which can be purchased in advance or online.
The show’s Preview Night Benefit April 22 offers an early opportunity to view and purchase crafts while enjoying cocktails and dinner. Tickets and more information are available on the craft show website.
The 2026 honorary chair is Carol Sauvion, the former executive director of Craft in America, and the guiding force behind Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, a nationwide initiative to showcase 250 years of American craft.
A highlight of the Preview Night Benefit will be the presentation of the Smithsonian Visionary Award to Wayne Higby for his significant achievements in sculptural art and design. Ceramic artist Cristina Córdova will receive the Delphi Award from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee for her exceptional mid-career artistry and promise.
The Smithsonian Women’s Committee produces this show to celebrate the finest in American contemporary craft and design. All proceeds go back to the Smithsonian through grants to multiple museums, research centers and the Zoo. To date, the organization has awarded more than $15 million to the Institution for projects that support innovative education and enhance knowledge, research and outreach in areas of culture, arts, mysteries of the universe, biodiversity and the American experience.
About the Smithsonian Women’s Committee
The Smithsonian Women’s Committee is an all-volunteer organization of 180 members that raises funds through its annual Smithsonian Craft Show and Craft2Wear Show to fund its grants and endowment programs to support the initiatives of the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo and numerous education, research and conservation centers in the Washington, D.C., area and around the world.
Visionary crafts movement leader plans to retire
By Edwin Folven
November 5, 2025
A pioneer in the local and national craft arts movement and the visionary behind the “Craft in America” series on PBS and the Craft in America Center on Third Street has announced her retirement at the end of December.
Carol Sauvion, who serves as executive director of the Craft in America arts nonprofit and also founded Freehand Gallery on West Third Street, said she plans to step down after 21 years of leadership of Craft in America and decades of involvement in the craft arts movement.
“At the end of December 2025, I will leave the executive director position to the new co-executive directors, Robyn Hollingshead and Ann Ruhr Pifer, both members of the Craft in America Board and both experienced, dedicated craft professionals,” Sauvion said. “With Ann and Robyn, my work and my passion will be woven into their vision for the future of the crafts. We have been working on this transition, set to happen on New Year’s Day 2026, for several months.”
Sauvion’s announcement came as Craft in America prepares to launch its initiative for the national semiquincentennial, “Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026,” which will take place Nov. 13-14 in Philadelphia.
Sauvion grew up in Philadelphia and is a craftsperson herself. In 1980, Sauvion opened Freehand Gallery at 8413 W. Third St. After 16 years of selling contemporary craft to local customers, Sauvion felt craft was still underrecognized as an art form and wanted to share it with a broader audience. She created the “Craft in America” series and after years of planning, the first episode aired on PBS in 2007. As of 2025, the series has produced 35 episodes, showcasing the lives, histories and artmaking processes of American craft artists. The series celebrates all things handmade and the crafts movement’s significant impact.
Sauvion oversees the “Craft in America” series, Freehand Gallery and the Craft in America Center, a space at 8415 W. Third St. offering exhibitions, events and education. Since the pandemic, craft making has experienced a resurgence. Sauvion believes craft is a uniting force in a time of division and a meditative activity during periods of increased anxiety.
Hollingshead, former managing program director for the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, and Pifer, executive director of AdoptA Classroom.org, have years of experience in the crafts movement and are long-time Craft in America Board members. The new co-executive directors said they plan to continue Sauvion’s legacy.
“I think the most important thing is that Carol Sauvion has built an incredible organization that has been an inspiration and a force in the field of American craft, both with the series nationally and with the center in Los Angeles, and our intention is to carry forward Carol’s vision and really honor what she’s built,” Pifer said. “It’s just an incredible thing that she’s created, that she built all by herself. It’s just amazing. And as a national organization, I think we look forward to it having a greater national impact as we go forward.”
“My background has been in philanthropy and nonprofit work with a special focus on arts and folk art. I met both Ann and Carol 10 years ago, and that transpired into a lovely, big grant to Craft in America for several of their segments of their episodes that that aligned with the foundation that I was working for,” Hollingshead said. “The reason Ann and I are stepping [in] is really to ensure that there is a smooth transition in keeping this wonderful asset that Carol has envisioned for the nation and locally going. We are focusing on the 250-year celebration called “Handwork 2026,” which we’re about to head into the huge launch of in Philadelphia, and it’s going to be all over the country. So that’s augmenting our national presence beyond the documentary series, and we are going to be knee deep in developing an updated strategic plan.”
For information on the “Craft in America” series and programs at the center, visit craftinamerica.org.
Original article here.
Craft in America announces executive director’s retirement
By Dakota Smith
October 30, 2025
LOS ANGELES — Craft in America has announced that Carol Sauvion, the institution’s executive director, will retire from the organization at the end of December 2025. Sauvion’s retirement comes after 21 years of leadership and follows the launch of Craft in America’s initiative for the national semi-quincentennial, Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, which will take place November 13-14, 2025, in Philadelphia.
Sauvion says, “At the end of December 2025, I will leave the Executive Director position to the new Co-Executive Directors, Robyn Hollingshead and Ann Ruhr Pifer, both members of the Craft in America Board and both experienced, dedicated craft professionals. With Ann and Robyn, my work and my passion will be woven into their vision for the future of the crafts. We have been working on this transition, set to happen on New Year’s Day 2026, for several months.”
Director & Executive Producer of the Craft in America series, Patricia Bischetti states, “Carol Sauvion is the visionary behind Craft in America. Her inspiration to explore the handmade on PBS has blossomed into a movement driven by the fundamental truth that the handmade is essential in our cultures and our humanity. Carol’s continuing commitment to the crafts, our artists, and our project has had a huge impact in the field and on many lives.”
Board President Robyn Hollingshead shares, “Carol’s realization, many decades ago, that craft is all around us, hiding in plain sight, moved her to create an organization that could expose communities across the country to the magnificent world of original hand-crafted works and the living artists who make them. Her steadfast dedication to studio craft, her sincere reverence for craft artists of all backgrounds, her high standards for excellence, her sincerity, authenticity, and enthusiasm, and her clear vision for Craft in America have eloquently shined a bright light on craft across America. We are deeply grateful to Carol for this extraordinary gift she has given the nation.”
Board Member Cornelia Carey observes, ”Carol has been the vision and the glue for the work of Craft in America since 2004. Her drive comes from her passion and respect for artists who transform materials into objects of beauty at the highest level. I shudder to think of all of the artists’ voices I would not have known had it not been for Craft in America bringing them to life.”
American Craft Council: Craft in America Executive Director, Carol Sauvion, Receives American Craft Council Award of Distinction
Read the full, original article at American Craft Council here.
Congratulations to Craft in America Director, Carol Sauvion, for her Award of Distinction from the American Craft Council! This biannual award recognizes an organization, institution, corporation, or individual who has made significant contributions to the field of craft with a minimum of 25 years of service.
Carol Sauvion is the creator of the Peabody Award winning PBS series Craft in America. The documentary series celebrates American craft and the artists who bring it to life. She is also the Executive Director of the Craft in America non-profit organization which has the mission is to promote and advance original handcrafted work through educational programs in all media. Craft is Sauvion’s lifelong passion. For over 40 years she has been the director of Freehand, her Los Angeles gallery specializing in functional craft. Prior to opening Freehand, Sauvion was a professional potter for ten years. Sauvion has her degree in Art History from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. She has served on the boards of the Craft Emergency Relief Fund and the American Craft Council.
In addition, the ACC awarded a Gold Medal for Consummate Craftsmanship to Craft in America artist, Wendy Maruyama. Craft in America artists Syd Carpenter, Michael A. Cummings, Einar and Jamex de la Torre and Diego Romero were added to the American Craft Council’s College of Fellows. Congratulations to all!
Textile Society of America: Interview with Craft in America’s Carol Sauvion
12/29/22
Read the full, original article by Textile Society of America here.
As one of the last (though certainly not least) gifts of 2022, we had the opportunity to speak with Carol Sauvion, a true advocate for craft and the Executive Director of Craft in America, a multi-faceted project dedicated to promoting and advancing original handcrafted work through educational programs in all media. Notably, Sauvion is the creator of the Peabody Award winning PBS series Craft in America, a documentary series that celebrates American craft and the artists who bring it to life. In this interview, she discusses what we actually talk about when we talk about craft and her hopes for its future.
CRAFT IN THE NEW YEAR
A letter from Carol Sauvion, Executive Director of Craft in America:
As I bid goodbye to 2015, I reminisce about the many thrills we had while filming this year: hearing Tony Ellis play his Stelling banjo and talk about the Mississippi River; listening to Rhiannon Giddens play her minstrel banjo and learning more about America through her songs; filming with Joan Baez; documenting the Kamaka family of ukulele makers in Hawaii and recording Scotty Barnhart playing his Monette trumpet at the Village Studios in Los Angeles. And that was just the Music episode! Celebration had its own set of amazing experiences!
As 2016 is about to begin, I find myself in the midst of great creativity, thought and enthusiasm for the handmade. Thank you to my colleagues Pat Bischetti, Rosey Guthrie, Denise Kang, Judy Hing, Beverly Feldman and Destiny Pineda who work miracles at the Craft in America office. You make our PBS series and website possible. This year, you produced two new episodes of our PBS series and redesigned www.craftinamerica.org which we like to call our “Craft Channel.” Our Craft Channel will continue to grow because our projects, like the technologies we rely on, are always evolving. Our love of the handmade never waivers.
Thank you to Emily Zaiden, Director and Sebastian Duncan-Portuondo, Coordinator of the Craft in America Center on West Third Street in Los Angeles, as well as Madison Metro, our photographer. You provide an accessible public space for the crafts and develop memorable projects for Craft in America. What a productive year we’ve had together!
And a special thanks to the Craft in America film crew: Sid Lubitsch, Bob Faison and Mark Markley have all given their professional best to each shoot. Believe it or not, filming craft can be grueling! Our crew gets the job done!
May 2016 bring peace, joy and something handmade to all of us!
Exclusive Interview with Carol Sauvion for DPTV
DETROIT PUBLIC TV: CONNECTIONS
Exclusive Interview with Carol Sauvion for DPTV
By Marilyn Ewer
November/December 2015
Carol Sauvion is creator, executive producer, and director of Craft in America. Now in its seventh season, the series has aired 13 programs. “Music” and “Celebration” are the upcoming episodes.
ME: Why did you decide to approach PBS with the Craft in America series idea rather than cable or a commercial station?
CS: PBS has the finest arts programming on television. We want to reach a wide audience-not everyone can afford cable. PBS was the only choice for us.
ME: It would have been easy to do episodes by materials: ceramics, glass. Instead, you chose themes. Tell us why.
CS: We listened to the artists. We wanted to do more than show how artists make objects-craft is a passion that involves the mind and heart. We also wanted to show the relationships between history and craftspeople who weave their culture into their work or use their work to make statements about world events.
ME: What do you want viewers to get from the series?
CS: We hope some people will be motivated to learn a craft and others will become craft appreciators-gaining a better understanding of craft traditions.
ME: What’s ahead for future seasons?
CS: Our “Teachers” episode will be about learning a craft-through family, schools, and apprenticeships. “Nature” will focus on artists who get their materials and inspirations from nature.
Learn more at craftinamerica.org
Thoughts on Christmas evening
It is Christmas evening, 2014. My tree is decorated with ornaments that hold special memories. Opened presents are neatly arranged under the tree. Many were handmade just for me. This moment is the apex of my year, a time of deep satisfaction and peace. I am surrounded by light, beauty and calm.
Along with the physical presents under this year’s tree are the memories, the thoughts and the amazing experiences of 2014: long and productive meetings with my colleagues at Craft in America discussing our mission, goals and processes, filming in our blessed country with a talented and dedicated group of filmmakers, provocative and intriguing exhibitions at the Craft in America Center that challenge us to understand craft in all its forms, interactions with artists who are the reason that craft is still vital and experiences throughout the United States that answer questions about why craft really matters.
2015 will give our craft community and our country the opportunity to create, collaborate, consider, understand and change the world. I look forward to these new adventures. For now, I’d just like to say “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.”
-Carol Sauvion
Executive Producer and Director
Craft in America
Five Questions with Carol Sauvion
AMERICAN CRAFT COUNCIL
Five Questions with Carol Sauvion
By Jessica Shaykett
October 28, 2014
Recently, the American Craft Council staff had the opportunity to get a sneak peek of Craft in America‘s latest episode, SERVICE, which premieres November 2 on PBS. We all were captivated by the amazing stories of veterans finding their voices through the act of making. SERVICE documents such an important aspect of American craft history, we just had to talk to Craft in America‘s creator and executive producer, Carol Sauvion, to get the inside scoop:
What was the impetus for the theme of SERVICE?
We at Craft in America were aware that the Army Arts and Crafts Program was begun by General Frederick Osborn, Aileen Osborn Webb’s brother. The program introduced thousands of soldiers to the crafts, and (we believe) influenced some of them to study art under the G.I. Bill. Starting in the late 1940s and after many wars, including Korea, Vietnam, and present day conflicts, the G.I. Bill has educated many of the leaders of the modern craft movement. This is a story that needed to be told.
What were some of your favorite/most memorable moments during the filming of SERVICE?
Each segment of the episode has moments that we will never forget: Ehren Tool riding his bicycle to work in the ceramics department at Berkeley – the bicycle looks like a two-wheeled tank! Pam De Luco’s insistence that all the women in the Paper Doll Project be given equal opportunity to tell their stories. Judas Recendez’s determination to wear his prostheses during filming rather than taking the easier way in his wheelchair. The dedication to service shown by the military personnel at Fort Myer. Mr. Eugene Burks’ dedication to tradition, and his mention of learning his craft from his grandmother. Every person featured in this episode inspired our film crew to make the best film we possibly could.
Part of the episode is on the G.I. Bill and the Army Arts and Crafts Program. How did you go about researching these historic initiatives?
We feel that the segment on the Army Arts and Crafts Program is an introduction to a long and important history of craft in our country. We began our research with information provided by the America Craft Council. American Craft magazine has published important information on this Army initiative and the program still exists almost 75 years after it was first instituted. We also contacted people within and outside the Army who had experience with the program either as teachers, students, or military family members.
What do you hope the audience will take away from watching SERVICE?
We hope that the audience will be inspired by the stories in the episode, and that it will reaffirm the idea that craft is everywhere and important.
What’s next for Craft in America?
The story of American craft is endless. We’ll continue to explore and document as we present stories of the human need to create. New episodes presenting the finest artists and ideas will be our focus.
SERVICE is part of the PBS veterans initiative Stories of Service and the CPB initiative Veterans Coming Home. It premieres on November 2, 2014, at 10:30 p.m. on PBS. Check your local listings for air dates and times or view the full episode online after November 3, 2014.
Craft In America: An Interview With Carol Sauvion
By Lisa Butterworth
April 29, 2014
Ask Carol Sauvion, creator and producer of the PBS series Craft In America, if the handmade revolution is alive and well, and she’ll answer with a resounding yes. And she should know — she’s been documenting it for seven years. She also lives it as a former studio potter and current owner of a crafts shop and gallery called Freehand in Los Angeles, California. Her series goes beyond the artist profiles to delve into the meaning of craft with episodes focused on themes including “Memory” and “Community.”
The newest episode is “Industry,” a topic Sauvion felt Etsy fit right into. “That’s the beauty of Etsy,” she says. “It’s creativity but it’s business.” The episode, which also features the quilters of Gee’s Bend, North Carolina’s Oriole Mill, and Lowell’s Boat Shop in Massachusetts, airs this week, so we caught up with Sauvion to talk about the “creative economy,” the thrill of making, and the staying power of craft.
Lisa: In a nutshell, can you describe what Craft In America is about?
Carol: What the series tries to do is highlight artists, organizations, schools — places where craft is being practiced in our country. We know it’s everywhere, it’s often hiding in plain sight, and we think it deserves attention. Our mission is to bring a focus to the handmade, which some people feel is an anachronism, but we feel the opposite. It’s more necessary now than it’s ever been.
Lisa: Why do you think that?
Carol: We don’t need it to supply the objects that we go through life with, but we need [the handmade] to supply the essence of who we are as human beings. It’s more necessary than ever, especially with what’s going on right now in the world. There’s a lot of strife, there’s a lot of disagreement, and it seems like something we can all agree about, and that’s good.
Lisa: What parameters do you use when looking at craft in your series?
Carol: We had a wonderful person named Steve Fenton who was very involved in producing the first treatment for our series in 2000, and he said something that caused a lot of conversation. He said, “All craft is art, but not all art is craft.” And that’s kind of a topsy-turvy attitude because most people think that craft is a lesser art form, but what he was saying is that craft is essential to all the art forms, because craft is the making, craft is the skill. I mean, in German that’s what kraft means, it means “skill” or “to make something” so, we think that’s essential.
Lisa: Can you briefly explain what industry means in the context of this series?
Carol: If you read stories or the history of early American life, often work was referred to as industry. People were industrious. What I think we were trying to say is that craft is of its essence industrious; people who do it are involved in an industry. And then the broader meaning and context, which Etsy really is a great example of, is the industry — the business — of craft. How do you make a living at it? We wanted to talk about that. We wanted to point out the fact that craft is still a viable industry, that the creativity of it is essential to the greater economy of the country.
Lisa: How did you come to include Etsy in the upcoming “Industry” episode?
Carol: The effect of the Internet on contemporary craft, on the handmade, is huge. It’s not only a source of education for people, it’s also a way to sell their work, and if you want to talk about selling work on the Internet, the master of that is Etsy. When you are making an episode about the handmade in the creative economy — this is the ultimate creative economy.
Lisa: What have you learned from doing five seasons of Craft in America?
Carol: The audience for craft includes people from all backgrounds and all political points of view. It seems to be a common meeting ground where we can all communicate and it seems to lead to important conversations about other topics in our society, and I was surprised by that. I thought of it as a way to make things by hand, but more than that it’s a way to build bridges.
Craft is alive and well and thriving. It’s in even better shape than it was when I started the project. I feel like there have been exciting new events and people involved and that crafting’s still a main source of pleasure and production for Americans and that’s just exciting.
Lisa: What do you tell people who think that craft is dying?
Carol: I try to share with them what I’ve learned, which is that people still need to make things. That’s what it comes down to. It seems to be just built into our DNA; we have an urge, and not everyone has it in the same way. Of course nowadays there are lots of questions…we talk about craft beer and well-crafted films, so the word craft is as elusive as ever. But it has something to do with human creativity in some way and I think that is just as essential as it ever was.
Lisa: What advice do you have for the next generation of people who are pursuing creative work?
Carol: To definitely keep at it. Don’t let small setbacks dissuade you. Your life will be filled with meaning and filled with great experiences if you are able to actually live it producing art, making art. I think that’s the ultimate joy in life is to create something that expresses who you are and makes a contribution to society.
Craft In America’s “Industry” episode premieres May 2 at 10 pm on PBS. Check your local PBS listings for additional air times.