Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election

Sonya Clark, these days this history this country, 2019 Craft in America Center Democracy

Craft in America Center is pleased to present a dynamic virtual exhibition of works made by 21 artists from across the U.S. to address key issues underlying the 2020 election and the American political landscape.

The dynamic objects in this virtual exhibition address key issues underlying the 2020 election and the American political landscape. Employing glass, fiber, ceramics, metal, wood and various other craft-based materials of everyday life, these 21 artists from across the U.S. use their media to voice concerns, point out injustice and inequity, and potentially instill hope for a better future. This exhibition evolved as a response to the social dilemmas and crisis that surged over the past year. Art can mirror what takes place in a society and it is often prophetic. Through the objects gathered for Democracy 2020, conversations are initiated, awareness can be raised, and perhaps, change can be forged.

Craft is inherently democratic and it is part of our national heritage. The objects in Democracy 2020 touch on the spectrum of topics that shape the fiber of our nation and our societal conflicts. These gathered works address environmental policy, exploitation, the military, gun violence, immigration, corruption, the need for economic regulation and much more. Essential to this year’s election are the issues of climate change, systemic racism, and social discord. By creating objects that convey and confront all of these urgent problems, artists raise awareness and initiate a dialogue through the language of art.

The participating 21 artists were invited to explain, in their own words, what their objects mean to them, their impetus, and what they hope viewers will take away and keep in mind as we face voting in the next election. These statements are shared in the gallery below.

Democracy 2020 exists as a digital exhibition and additionally, select works are displayed in the Craft in America Center’s public windows onto West Third Street in Los Angeles. These objects will be safely viewable from outside the space at all hours, day or night

Craft is uniquely positioned because of its accessibility as a political tool. Through material, process, and subject, the artists represented in this exhibition engage in critical discussion about the state of our republic. These artists give shape and form to issues that we are all facing in the tenuous survival of our society.



For programming related to this exhibition see the links to the right, or click here for all upcoming events.

For inquiries or more information, contact info@craftinamerica.org



Bernice Akamine

Bernice Akamine, Papahonumoku, 2018 Democracy Craft the Election Craft in america Center
Bernice Akamine, Papahonumoku, 2018
Spent bullet casings, glass and ʻalaea, Hawaiian earth pigments.
Niihau: 1.1cm x 6.8cm x 1.1cm
Image courtesy of the artist.

“While the artwork speaks of the desecration of sacred, burial and historic Hawaiian sites and of Native Hawaiian rights, on a larger scale it is a look at the pollution of land and sea across the US.”

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Jim Bassler

Jim BasslJim Bassler, Hapsburg Double Headed Duck, 2016. Nicolas Johnson photoer
Jim Bassler, Hapsburg Double Headed Duck (detail), 2016.
Cotton, feathers.
Photo by Nicolas Johnson
Artwork courtesy of browngrotta arts
Jim Bassler, Hapsburg Double Headed Duck, 2016. Nicolas Johnson photo
Jim Bassler, Hapsburg Double Headed Duck, 2016.
Cotton, feathers.
Photo by Nicolas Johnson
Artwork courtesy of browngrotta arts

 “I have tried to capture both the historical and contemporary attitude of arrogance and entitlement that has existed throughout history.”

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Sonya Clark

Sonya Clark, these days this history this country, 2019 Craft in America Center Democracy
Sonya Clark, these days this history this country, 2019
Unwoven and rewoven commercially printed flags (American & Confederate Battle Flag), 10 x 7 inches.
Image © Sonya Clark, 2019

“…racial injustice is deeply woven into the fabric of this nation.  We are at a turning point. We must unravel those strands of injustice.”

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Victor De La Rosa

Victor De La Rosa, We're All Mexican, 2020 Craft in America Center Democracy
Victor De La Rosa, We’re All Mexican (detail), 2020.
Image courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Ilja Sarro
Victor De La Rosa, We're All Mexican, 2020 Craft in America Center Democracy
Victor De La Rosa, We’re All Mexican (detail), 2020.
Image courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Ilja Sarro
Victor De La Rosa, We're All Mexican, 2020 Craft in America Center Democracy
Victor De La Rosa, We’re All Mexican, 2020
Hammock twine, henequen rope, sisal rope, cotton yarn,
backstrap loom bars backstrap woven and hand knotted; 7’ 6” x 7’ 6″
Image courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Ilja Sarro

“Immigration is the direct topic, but the crux of the matter is foundational elements of the United States of America: a country composed of non-native migration and colonization, declared equality of the individual, and freedom. It is a question of citizenship.”

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Nicholas Galanin

Nicholas Galanin, White Noise, American Prayer Rug, 2018 Craft in America Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Nicholas Galanin, White Noise (detail), American Prayer Rug, 2018. Wool, cotton; 7’3″ x 10′. Image courtesy of the artist and Peter Blum Gallery, New York.
Nicholas Galanin, White Noise, American Prayer Rug, 2018 Craft in America Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Nicholas Galanin, White Noise (detail), American Prayer Rug, 2018. Wool, cotton; 7’3″ x 10′. Image courtesy of the artist and Peter Blum Gallery, New York
Nicholas Galanin, White Noise, American Prayer Rug, 2018 Craft in America Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Nicholas Galanin, White Noise, American Prayer Rug, 2018.
Wool, cotton; 7’3″ x 10′.
Image courtesy of the artist and Peter Blum Gallery, New York.

“Calling attention to white noise as a source of increasing intolerance and hate in the United States as politicians, media, and citizens attempt to mask and obliterate the reality of America’s genocidal past and racist present.”

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Stefan Gougherty

Stefan Gougherty, Boom Brooch, 2020 Craft in America Democracy
Stefan Gougherty, Boom Brooch, 2020
Stefan Gougherty, Boom Brooch, 2020 Craft in America Democracy
Stefan Gougherty, Boom Brooch, 2020
Stefan Gougherty, Boom Brooch, 2020 Craft in America Center Democracy Election
Stefan Gougherty, Boom Brooch, 2020
Stainless steel, enamel paint; 2.75″ x 1.75″ x 1.25″
Photos courtesy of the artist

“Split in two like our democracy, we are intentionally divided to fight each other—instead of the system.”

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Teri Greeves

Teri Greeves, Sovereign Citizen, 2008, SERVICE, Craft in America
Teri Greeves, Sovereign Citizen, 2008
Size 13 cut beads, Size 10 seed beads, glass beads,
brain-tanned deer hide, cotton cloth.
14″ x 11″

“Our ancestors fought valiantly against the invading forces of England, France, Spain, and finally the expanding United States. Thus, symbolically floating above the heads of Native soldiers who represent Native American service in World War I and World War II and whose service made it impossible to defend Native voter disenfranchisement is a bugle, war medicine taken by Kiowa warriors in coup from the US Calvary during the Indian Wars.”

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Karen Hampton

Karen Hampton, We Will Never Forget, 2018 Craft in America Center Democracy
Karen Hampton, We Will Never Forget, 2017
Double weave linen, synthetic fiber, pigment; 40″x30″
Photo courtesy of the artist.

“I really wanted to use my power as an artist to help push and help amplify their voices…I am invoking that other piece of resilience that Puerto Rico will come back stronger than ever.”

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Susan Hudson

Susan Hudson, MMIW Since 1492, 2018. Cotton fabric, batting, thread, commercial buttons, leather; 94 x 54 x 1/2" Image courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Tad Fruits. Craft in America Center Democracy
Susan Hudson, MMIW Since 1492 (detail), 2018
Susan Hudson, MMIW Since 1492, 2018. Cotton fabric, batting, thread, commercial buttons, leather; 94 x 54 x 1/2" Image courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Tad Fruits. Craft in America Center Democracy
Susan Hudson, MMIW Since 1492 (detail), 2018
Susan Hudson, MMIW Since 1492, 2018. Cotton fabric, batting, thread, commercial buttons, leather; 94 x 54 x 1/2" Image courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Tad Fruits. Craft in America Center Democracy
Susan Hudson, MMIW Since 1492 (detail), 2018
Susan Hudson, MMIW Since 1492, 2018. Cotton fabric, batting, thread, commercial buttons, leather; 94 x 54 x 1/2" Image courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Tad Fruits. Craft in America Center Democracy
Susan Hudson, MMIW Since 1492 (detail), 2018
Susan Hudson, MMIW Since 1492, 2018. Cotton fabric, batting, thread, commercial buttons, leather; 94 x 54 x 1/2" Image courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Tad Fruits. Craft in America Center Democracy
Susan Hudson, MMIW Since 1492 (detail), 2018
Susan Hudson, MMIW Since 1492, 2018. Cotton fabric, batting, thread, commercial buttons, leather; 94 x 54 x 1/2" Image courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Tad Fruits. Craft in America Center Democracy
Susan Hudson, MMIW Since 1492 (detail), 2018
Susan Hudson, MMIW Since 1492, 2018. Cotton fabric, batting, thread, commercial buttons, leather; 94 x 54 x 1/2" Image courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Tad Fruits. Craft in America Center Democracy
Susan Hudson, MMIW Since 1492, 2018.
Cotton fabric, batting, thread, commercial buttons, leather; 94 x 54 x 1/2″
Image courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Tad Fruits.

“We need Federal, State, Local and Tribal Leaders that will step up to the plate and lead the people in the right direction. To pass laws to protect our most vulnerable and under represented members. Systematic Racism needs to be abolished, erased and eradicated.”

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Merritt Johnson

Merritt Johnson, Forest seed basket for present and future understanding, 2019 Craft in America Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Merritt Johnson, Forest seed basket for present and future understanding, 2019.
Handwoven black ash, “lifesize”
Image courtesy of the artist, Accola Griefen Gallery and Patel Brown Gallery.

“The work insists on our dependence on forests for clean, oxygenated air, on the connection and interdependence of all life, and the responsibility we have to everything living now and in the future.”

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Kate Kretz

Kate Kretz, Social Murder, 2020 Craft in America Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Kate Kretz, Social Murder (detail), 2020
Kate Kretz, Social Murder, 2020 Craft in America Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Kate Kretz, Social Murder, 2020
Deconstructed MAGA hats, cotton, thread; 5 x 5.8 x 4″
Images courtesy of the artist.

“Other countries shut down, to preserve as many lives as possible. Ours prioritized the economy, viewing humans as collateral damage. The United States instantly split into those who could afford to work from home, and others who never had that option: risk your life at work, or lose your paycheck.”

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John Luebtow

John Luebtow, Ode to Twin Towers: Hung Out to Dry 13-50, 2005 Democracy 2020 Craft & the Election, Craft in America
John Luebtow, Ode to twin towers- hung out to dry, 2005, glass, metal
John Luebtow, ode (owed) to democracy POTUS, 2016-2020, glass, Craft in America
John Luebtow, ode (owed) to democracy POTUS, 2016-2020, glass
John Luebtow, Ode to Congress: GRIDLOCK, 1996 Craft in America Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
John Luebtow, Ode to Congress: GRIDLOCK, 1996

“Heat, rising temperatures, global warming help [to] define the relevance of the glass perfectly…The rusting steel of the support structure represents the continuously deteriorating political structure.”

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Roberto Lugo

Robert Lugo, Do You Know How Hard It Is To Get A Black Man Through High School?, 2019 Craft in America Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Robert Lugo, Do You Know How Hard It Is To Get A Black Man Through High School?, 2019
Robert Lugo, Do You Know How Hard It Is To Get A Black Man Through High School?, 2019 Craft in America Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Robert Lugo, Do You Know How Hard It Is To Get A Black Man Through High School?, 2019
Robert Lugo, Do You Know How Hard It Is To Get A Black Man Through High School?, 2019 Craft in America Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Robert Lugo, Do You Know How Hard It Is To Get A Black Man Through High School?, 2019
Earthenware, acrylic, and latex paint; 32 x 66 x 32 in
Photos by Kenek Photography, courtesy of Wexler Gallery

“I hope that Americans will vote and choose a candidate that acknowledges this treatment [of Black Americans] and has a plan for how to create a more equitable world.”

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Adam Manley

Adam Manley, Ordinary Rendition Series: WTRBRD, 2018 Craft in america Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Adam Manley, Ordinary Rendition Series: WTRBRD, 2018
Ash, danish cord, fabric; 6′ long x 30″ wide x 24″ tall
Image courtesy of the artist.

“Our constant exposure right now, to images and documentation of acts of violence, and our ability to adapt and move on, even watch multiple times, is at the heart of this work…Our willingness, and at times eagerness, to forget the past and what has had to happen for us to be where we are and have what we have, works against us again and again.”

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Gerardo Monterrubio

Gerardo Monterrubio, Pinches Borrachos, 2018 Craft in america Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Gerardo Monterrubio, Pinches Borrachos, 2018
Gerardo Monterrubio, Pinches Borrachos, 2018 Craft in america Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Gerardo Monterrubio, Pinches Borrachos, 2018
Gerardo Monterrubio, Pinches Borrachos, 2018 Craft in america Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Gerardo Monterrubio, Pinches Borrachos, 2018
Gerardo Monterrubio, Pinches Borrachos, 2018 Craft in america Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Gerardo Monterrubio, Pinches Borrachos, 2018
Gerardo Monterrubio, Pinches Borrachos, 2018 Craft in america Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Gerardo Monterrubio, Pinches Borrachos, 2018
Terracotta, under- and over-glazes; 22″h x 10″w x 9″d.
Gerardo Monterrubio, Pinches Borrachos, 2018 Craft in america Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Gerardo Monterrubio, Pinches Borrachos, 2018
Gerardo Monterrubio, Pinches Borrachos, 2018 Craft in america Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Gerardo Monterrubio, Pinches Borrachos, 2018

“The one that screams the louder wins an argument, with that end in mind, rather than aiming at understanding and contributing to complex and in depth dialogue to reach an informed consensus.”

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Guadalupe Navarro

Guadalupe Navarro, El Rio, 2019 Craft in America Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Guadalupe Navarro, El Rio, 2019
Copper and brass; 8″ x 18″ x 18″
Image courtesy of the artist.

“I am shedding light on the journeys of these immigrants, examining how they became legal residents of the United States or how they still live as illegal immigrants.”

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Deborah Nehmad

Deborah Nehmad, Old Glory?, 2017 Craft in america Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Deborah Nehmad, Old Glory?, 2017.
Beeswax on handmade Nepalese paper, pigmented prints,
pyrography, collage, thread; 58” x 116”
Image courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Shuzo Uemoto

“The ‘stripes’ are comprised of 33,000 stitches documenting the average number of deaths from gun violence in America from 2014-2016.  The stripes of black x’s represent suicides; red crosshairs represent homicides.  The ‘stars’ are presented as targets burned with holes representing the number of victims of mass shootings in each state over the past 25 years.”

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George Rodriguez

George Rodriguez, Mexican American Gothic, 2018 Craft in America Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
George Rodriguez, Mexican American Gothic, 2018
Ceramic with glaze, wood, screws; 84″ x 60″ x 30″
Photo courtesy of the artist.

“…essential workers need to be represented and advocated for always, but especially in this upcoming election.”

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William Rhodes

William Rhodes, You Reap What You Sow, 2019 Craft in America Center, Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
William Rhodes, You Reap What You Sow, 2019
Carved wood, pencil, ink on paper, paint and neon glass; 59in x 37in x 6in.

“We as a country have experienced so many issues and problems that have existed so long and we as a society have not dealt with them, and these find their way back…We are dealing with harvest now.”

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Joan Takayama-Ogawa

Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020 Craft in America Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020
Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020 Craft in America Center Democracy 2020: Craft & the Election
Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcake: Pandemic Response Tea, 2020
Clay, glazes, gold, imitation gold leaf, plastic syringe pen; 6″ h x 6″ w x 4 ” d.
Photo courtesy of the artist.

“Demonstrated political ineptness, ignorant disregard for science, and longstanding social decay resulted in innocence lost.”

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Ehren Tool

Ehren Tool, Service, Craft in America
Ehren Tool, Various Cups, 2014.
Wheelthrown and altered clay.
Madison Metro photograph
Ehren Tool, Cup, 2014. Madison Metro photograph. Craft in America
Ehren Tool, Various Cups, 2014.
Wheelthrown and altered clay.
Madison Metro photograph
Ehren Tool, Cup. Madison Metro photograph
Ehren Tool, Various Cups, 2014.
Wheelthrown and altered clay.
Madison Metro photograph
Ehren Tool, Cup. Madison Metro photograph
Ehren Tool, Various Cups, 2014.
Wheelthrown and altered clay.
Madison Metro photograph
Ehren Tool, Cup. Madison Metro photograph
Ehren Tool, Various Cups, 2014.
Wheelthrown and altered clay.
Madison Metro photograph
Ehren Tool, Cup. Madison Metro photograph
Ehren Tool, Various Cups, 2014.
Wheelthrown and altered clay.
Madison Metro photograph
Ehren Tool cups
Ehren Tool, Various Cups, 2014.
Wheelthrown and altered clay.
Madison Metro photograph
Ehren Tool cups
Ehren Tool, Various Cups, 2014.
Wheelthrown and altered clay.
Madison Metro photograph

“I originally made the cups to be touchstones about unspeakable things…Things have devolved so far in our political system we can not agree on facts and science. It seems now the cups could be a touchstone to connect folks of different political views.”

Read Full Artist Statement

Craft Capsule Playlist:

Craft in America has paired these short videos of the artworks with audio testimonials of the artists’ statements. More videos will be added over the coming weeks. Click on the button in the top right corner to view the entire playlist.


Exhibition Catalog:

Coming soon.

DCA logo

The Craft in America Center is supported in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

California Arts Council

The Craft in America Center is supported in part by a grant from the California Arts Council, a state agency. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov

Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Craft in America

The Craft in America Center is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.