Craft in America: A New Millennium at Silver Dollar City

Craft in America: A New Millennium was an exhibition of contemporary craft hosted by Silver Dollar City, celebrating its 50th anniversary, as part of its National Harvest Festival. This exhibition was produced specifically for Silver Dollar City by Craft in America and featured work by the artists who have appeared in the Peabody Award-winning PBS documentary series Craft in America.

The Craft in America: A New Millennium exhibition showcased objects produced by contemporary craft artists working in metal, wood, glass, clay, fiber, and other mediums. Among the featured artists are Mary Jackson—a basket weaver who continues a South Carolina tradition that was started by slaves from Africa; Richard Notkin—a Montana potter whose politically-inspired teapots and tiles argue eloquently for peace and humanity; Tom Joyce, a New Mexico blacksmith whose sculptures comment on ecological responsibility and inspire youth participation in their process; and Teri Greeves, a Kiowa bead artist whose work uses an historic medium to address contemporary social issues. The displayed works will be presented in tandem with video monitors showcasing related Craft in America television interviews. In some cases, the documentary footage shows the creation of the exhibited works. Coincidentally, three of the featured artists—Jackson, Joyce, and the late furniture-maker Sam Maloof—have all been recipients of MacArthur Fellowships (so-called “Genius Awards”).

September 11-October 30, 2010