2023 Getty Marrow Intern — Mary McCord

Mary here, writing from week 5 of my Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship. I can’t believe my time at Craft in America is half over! The diverse range of projects I’m working on have made the experience fly by.

My role at Craft in America is in digital communications, but the opportunities I’ve been given through the Getty Marrow program encompass much more than that. Yesterday for example, the Getty sent members of my internship cohort on a walking tour of public art in Long Beach. I had little experience in the realm of public art, but the Arts Council of Long Beach presented an informative snapshot of the entire process including conception, funding, community input and engagement, and conservation. A few weeks ago, the Getty Center hosted a leadership summit for this year’s internship cohort. We were treated to a series of lectures from Getty Marrow alumni, and encouraged to explore the museum’s exhibitions after the day’s activities concluded. My current immersion in craft gave me a new perspective on the value of handmade objects in museum collections.

Week to week, I’ve been working on a number of exciting projects. I am currently focused on conducting research for our upcoming Craft Video Dictionary project, supported by the Decorative Arts Trust’s Prize for Excellence and Innovation. The Craft Video Dictionary seeks to be a resource for craftspeople of all skill levels by providing a video encyclopedia of common techniques, materials, and tools spanning a variety of craft media. Contributing to this project has deepened my appreciation for the extensive knowledge and skill craftspeople bring to their work. I’ve also been promoting different facets of the Craft in America Center on social media. This includes our current exhibition, Couples in Craft, as well as the ever-expanding Craft in America library. The library houses a collection of over 3,000 craft books, catalogs, and publications, all completely free and open to the public. I would love to see the surrounding community utilize this more often!

A highlight of my internship so far was attending an advanced weaving workshop led by Ferne Jacobs, a prolific fiber artist whose work I’ve admired for years. I was thrilled when Craft in America agreed to let me film the event for social media while participating as a student. Jacobs is a gifted educator, and the small class size allowed her to spend ample one-on-one time with each participant. We had a great discussion about our individual goals, inspirations, and the creative process, receiving constructive feedback throughout. It was one of the most energizing creative experiences I’ve had – all because this internship gives me the opportunity to make my passions part of my job description.

On a related note, the exhibition “Ferne Jacobs: A Personal World” is on at the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art until September 24th. Thoughtfully curated by Craft in America’s own Emily Zaiden, the exhibition is a 60-year retrospective which includes rarely-exhibited works. It’s a great source of insight into the more esoteric themes in Jacobs’ work. I highly recommend checking it out if you’re in the area.

Looking back on the first half of my internship, I am awed by how much I have learned about the world of craft. I am looking forward to the second half of this experience, excited about perfecting skills I have begun to develop.

Craft in Schools: End of School Year Student Showcase

In the last week of Craft in America’s Permanent Collection exhibition, we proudly feature artwork made by students from our Craft in Schools program. The student art on display includes completed projects from school-workshops, virtual workshops, and school field trips to the Craft Center led by teaching artists. We’d like to extend a big thank you to Rosewood Elementary, Fairfax and ArTES Magnet High School classrooms for participating in this end of semester Student Showcase.

Over the last six months, 300 students from over six schools engaged in Craft in America’s Exhibition key concepts, vocabulary, art discussions, and artist workshops. K-12 students collaborated with teaching-artists Mandora Young, Victoria May (of Craft in America), Joe Cunningham, Carrie Burckle and the inspiring work of Diedrick Brackens. Featured mediums in this Student Showcase include compact card-loom weavings, quilting, and Hmong Paj Ntaub embroidery as explored in our previous exhibition Inspiration and Home: Highlights from the Episodes.

Craft in America wishes all students and their families a happy end of the school year!  We hope to collaborate with more LAUSD schools in the coming school year!

For future Craft in Schools-program inquiries, please contact both: 
Education Programs Lead – Sam Sermeno and Craft Center Director – Emily Zaiden
center@craftinamerica.org

Craft in Schools: Home and Inspiration Winter Reflections  

As we welcome Spring, our Craft in Schools program proudly reflects on all that we accomplished earlier this year. Thanks to ongoing partnerships with K-12 LAUSD classroom teachers and various teaching artists, we were able to host several on-site field trips, virtual gallery talks, and hands-on craft workshops based on our recent Home and Inspiration Exhibition. 

In these educational programs, students were conversationally guided through Visual Thinking Strategies, and journaling and sketch pad prompts as they explored fiber, ceramics, woodworking, and sculptural art. Students ages 8-18 were encouraged to share their curiosity, ideas, and critiques of how they viewed craft and art practices both past and present. 

Several classrooms hosted on-site teaching artists, such as Paj Ntaub artist Mandora Young and textile artist Victoria May. Together, we learned about the significance of Paj Ntaub’s mesmerizing embroidery within the Hmong diaspora, while learning the foundations of cross-stitch embroidery. Our neighboring Rosewood Elementary 4th graders enjoyed a dynamic “human loom” weaving exercise as pictured above! And, several classes explored hands-on weaving as seen in Diedrick Brackens’ Kente-cloth inspired weaving. Our Craft in Schools program hopes to continue collaborating with and would like to thank the engaging classes at: Rosewood Elementary, Palms Middle School, Van Nuys High School, ArTES Magnet High School, and Fairfax High School. 

Stay tuned for more family and Craft in Schools programming!