Tools of the Trades Opening Reception

Please join us to celebrate the opening of Tools of the Trades: American Handmade Implements & Devices, which is the first exhibition of the Handwork 2026 initiative.Tools of the Trades celebrates the ingenuity born of necessity and the special narratives in the hand-crafted. The specialized, laboriously handcrafted devices featured are used for a wide variety of craft applications: ceramics, textiles, hot glass, wood working, and metal, including the niche fields within them, such as ironwork or spinning.

Artists include: Anna Koplik, Arlen Heginbotham, Bosworth Spindles, Brent Bailey, Brien Beidler, Dennis Dusek, Dossain Valencia, Douglas Pryor, Dyakcraft, Eleanor Rose, Elia Bizzari, Fabiano Sarra, Heather McLarty, Indian Lake Artisans, Janet Fox of Handywomanshop, Jay Burnham Kidwell, Jeff Amundson, Jim Austin of Alchemy Metalworks, Jim Moore, John Williams of Guildwerks, Watanabe & Co., Kalia Kilban, Kelly Harris, Liza Nechamkin, Max Grossman, Med Chandler, Michael Sherrill / Mudtools, Andrea and Chuck Kennington of NC Black Co., Rachel Kedinger, Reid Schwartz, Saign Charlestein, Seth Gould, Shanna Leino, Spencer Hamann, Tom Latané, Will Larranaga, William R. Robertson and more.

Image credit: Prototype set of Mud Tools’ Petal Knives set. Photo by Michael Sherrill.