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.