POSTS

‘Stronger than ever’

Adrian Gomez
For the Journal

Published December 10, 2025
Modified December 11, 2025

Before the first “action” is uttered on set — there are months of preproduction from Patricia Bischetti and her team.

As the director and executive producer of the PBS series “Craft in America,” it’s a necessary part of the job.

“We do extensive research,” Bischetti says. “My goal is to capture the honesty of the story, people explaining the process to their art and making that connection to an audience.”

According to PBS, “Craft in America” has explored the vitality, history and significance of the craft movement in the United States and its impact on our nation’s rich cultural heritage since 2007. The series captures the beauty, creativity and originality of craftsmanship, the film highlights artists and explores what they do, how they do it and why they have chosen a life of creating art.

ON TV

The PBS series “Craft in America” visits the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe in its episode “West” airing at 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19, on New Mexico PBS, channel 5.1. It will also be available on the PBS app.

The series has featured many New Mexico artists over the years and is back for another episode titled, “West,” which features the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. The episode will air at 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19, on New Mexico PBS, channel 5.1. It will also be available to stream on the PBS app after the broadcast.

Bishetti says the episode also takes a look at cowboy arts, Hawaiian Indigenous practices and Native American handwork.

“The episode looks at how traditional craft can be revived, reworked and reinvented,” she says.

Bischetti and Carol A. Clark, “Craft in America” executive producer, chose IAIA because many of the artists featured in the series were alumni of the institution.

IAIA is a public tribal land-grant college in Santa Fe, and is the sole national center dedicated to research, training and scholarship for Native Americans. It focuses exclusively on American Indian and Alaskan Native arts and culture. It was established in 1962 and oversees the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, which houses a collection of over 7,000 contemporary Native American art pieces.

Bischetti says New Mexico has been part of “Craft in America” for 20 years through the program’s nonprofit arm.

“There’s no other place where culture is at the core,” she says. “Crafts are visible in everyday life.”

Bischetti and crew found the featured artists based on the suggestions of alumni and teachers.

“We did nine interviews in one day,” Bischetti says. “We wanted to make sure that the IAIA community was represented. We also have footage that didn’t make the segment, and those are available to view online. One of them is on the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. We wish we would have more broadcast time.”

During the handful of days of production, Bischetti was able to film IAIA’s graduation commencement in May.

“It was so challenging to capture the vastness of this school and its importance,” Bischetti says. “We were there for three days and we wanted to fully capture how the school embraces culture within its ceremony. The graduation had a powwow and none of this could have been done without the generosity of IAIA staff and students.”

Clark says viewers will be amazed and surprised by the IAIA piece.

“We were able to capture Deb Haaland’s speech to students,” Clark says. “She wished the students well and at the end of her speech, she told them to ‘be fierce.’ That’s so correct. That’s the only way things are going to change. You can be fierce in many ways. These artists are going to move the needle internationally. Europeans continue to be fascinated by the American West. It was a culture that was once tried to be eradicated. Today, it is going stronger than ever.”

New PBS documentary brings Institute of American Indian Arts to the world

By André Salkin asalkin@sfnewmexican.com
Dec 9, 2025

Financial troubles led Emmett Navakuku, 42, to depart the Institute of American Indian Arts the semester before he was set to graduate in 2010.

Over the following decade, the Hopi artist from Polacca, Ariz., said an artistic part of himself started to slip away. He endured marital tumult and the loss of his grandmother to COVID-19 — a tragedy that shook the community and left him feeling he “didn’t get the chance to say the ‘thank yous’ that I wanted to.”

So after 15 years, he returned this semester to the Santa Fe institution to bring to life a series of four painted portraits featuring his great-grandmother in black-and-white tones; his late grandmother in rich, warm sepia; his wife on a blue background and his daughters on a purple one.

“ I feel like at some point in time I forgot, kind of, about the people that I care about. … I feel like as a Hopi man, sometimes we tend to overlook the things that these women have done for us,” he said, defending his senior project Friday alongside younger seniors doing the same.

Returning to the studio environment and working on the portraits alongside other artists at the school, he said, brought back his artistic direction and sense of gratitude, along with a new desire to teach art in his community.

But soon, the school’s artistic offerings are set to reach a far broader audience.

IAIA is one of the main subjects of the latest season of “Craft in America,” a four-episode documentary series from PBS set to premiere on television screens at 10 p.m. Dec. 19 and available now on the PBS app and website.

Emmett Navakuku talks Friday about a series of portraits of family members he painted as students and faculty at IAIA gather to critique work by graduating seniors on display in the Robert Martin Academic building at IAIA.
Jim Weber/The New Mexican

‘The most important institution in the country’

The series has since 2007 produced episodes examining centuries of artistic development across the continent and its islands. IAIA, which appears in the West episode — set to screen alongside the East episode, while the North and South episodes will premiere in 2026 — is part of the roughly hourlong PBS special, screened to a small invited audience at Sky Cinemas Thursday evening.

In the episode, students are featured alongside an Idaho master saddlemaker, a Texas bootmaker and a slate of Hawaiian artisans reviving Native art forms nearly lost amid the islands’ colonial upheaval.

“For the West, IAIA was the first place we thought about,” said Patricia Bischetti, executive producer and director of the series, as she spoke at the premiere last week. “We think it’s the most important institution in the country.”

Craft in America on PBS Highlights IAIA’s Role in Shaping Contemporary Indigenous Art

Craft in America on PBS Highlights IAIA’s Role in Shaping Contemporary Indigenous Art For Immediate Release November 24, Santa Fe, New Mexico For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Jason S. Ordaz, Chief Communications Officer, Office of Institutional Communications, at jason.ordaz@iaia.edu.  This December, Craft in America begins a journey around the United States with the hour-long episodes East and West, premiering on PBS on Friday, December 19, 2025, at 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm (MST) (check local listings), and streaming starting November 24, 2025, on the PBS app, www.pbs.org/craftinamerica, and www.craftinamerica.org.   East and West are part of a four-episode series (North and South will premiere in winter 2026), which is part of Handwork 2026, an expansive, year-long collaboration among art and culture organizations, educators, and makers that reflects the diversity of craft over the past 250 years.   The West episode features the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)—highlighting our campus, students, alum, faculty, and leadership, as well as distinguished voices such as former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Pueblo of Laguna and Jemez Pueblo), internationally recognized artist, IAIA alum, and Trustee Rose B. Simpson (Santa Clara Pueblo) ’07, ’18, President Emeritus Dr. Robert Martin (Cherokee Nation), and many others.   The film honors IAIA’s more than 60 years of creative roots and our position as the birthplace of contemporary Indigenous art.   Dr. Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo), IAIA President, said, “IAIA’s creative roots go back over 60 years, and many important Indigenous artists have found their start at our university. Seeing this legacy reflected in Craft in America’s thoughtfully presented West episode, I am deeply grateful for PBS’ and Craft in America’s commitment to telling this story.”   Craft in America is the Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated documentary series that explores the beauty, significance, and relevance of handmade objects and the artists who create them.   “It was very important for our series to include the Institute of American Indian Arts in our retrospective on the West for the Handwork 2026 project—we believe IAIA is one of the most important institutions in the country. The creativity we witnessed there is inspiring and hugely influential, and it was a great honor for us to film at IAIA during Dr. Robert Martin’s final year as president. We spent nearly two years being guided on our journey by Jason Ordaz, IAIA Chief Communications Officer, and IAIA staff, who opened doors and worked in depth with Craft in America Executive Director Carol Sauvion, and me on this important episode on the West,” said Patricia Bischetti, Executive Producer and Director.   “The Craft in America crew of six was here on campus for three days filming in various classrooms, during commencement, and through interviews with trustees, our president’s cabinet, alum, staff, faculty, and students,” said Jason S. Ordaz, IAIA Chief Communications Officer. “It was a pleasure and privilege to help shepherd this important film into being.”   Viewers who want to learn more about IAIA and its mission can go to www.iaia.edu for a wealth of information about its programs. Visitors can arrange a trip to the IAIA campus and explore contemporary Native art at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), located in the city’s historic downtown. The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)—the University for Indigenous Creative Excellence—is widely regarded as the preeminent higher education institution dedicated to the study of contemporary Native American and Alaska Native arts. IAIA offers undergraduate degrees in Cinematic Arts and Technology, Computer Science, Creative Writing, Indigenous Liberal Studies, Museum Studies, Native American Art History, Performing Arts, and Studio Arts; graduate degrees in Creative Writing, Studio Arts, and Cultural Administration; and certificates in Broadcast Journalism, Business and Entrepreneurship, Museum Studies, and Native American Art History. Recent partnerships, such as those with AMC, The Walt Disney Company, Nike, Ralph Lauren, the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), and NBCUniversal Media, help students leave lasting footprints in the creative community. Among its many illustrious alums and former staff are two U.S. Poet Laureates: Joy Harjo (Mvskoke Nation) ’68, US Poet Laureate from 2019 to 2022, and Faculty Emeritus Arthur Sze, the current and 2025 US Poet Laureate. IAIA serves approximately 500 full-time equivalent (FTE) Native and non-Native students, representing nearly 100 federally recognized Tribes. IAIA is among the leading art universities in the nation and is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).

American Craft Council – Television: Craft in America “East” and “West”

By Jon Spayde
November 6, 2025

Craft in America is best known for its eponymous PBS docuseries honoring craft artists, but it’s far more than a production company; among other things, it also supports a craft museum and an outreach program in public schools. Next year, it will launch an ambitious nationwide craft initiative to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Called Handwork 2026, it’s intended to, organizers write, “showcase the importance of the handmade, both throughout our history and in contemporary life.” More than 250 craft centers, museums, and related organizations will host exhibitions and events.

Craft in America’s flagship show will offer its own coverage through four hour-long special episodes based on the cardinal points of the compass. “East” and “West,” focusing on craft artists in those regions, are set to debut December 19 on PBS, with “North” and “South” to come in December 2026.

“East” and “West” present the makers at work, demonstrating and discussing their histories, aesthetics, and processes, along with assessments from curators, partners, and colleagues. A broad view of American history is on full display.

The portrait of Italian-born master silversmith Ubaldo Vitali in “East,” for example, not only illuminates his immigrant experience but also includes a segment on Paul Revere—Vitali restored several of the patriot-silversmith’s pieces. Bisa Butler’s colorful textile works, often constructed of patterned African cloth, depict African Americans of the recent and more distant past; “East” provides context for her works by adding archival footage of the Black experience. Philadelphia-based Colette Fu, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, found a compelling way to display images in the pop-up book format. She demonstrates a massive hand-cranked volume called Noodle Mountain, in which the paper “noodles” that appear are red to represent the blood spilled in anti-Chinese riots in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and yellow for the arson fires that destroyed many Chinatowns.

“West” opens with a quintessential symbol of that region: intricate leather saddles, made in Idaho by Cary Schwarz, a member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association. The cowboy boots of Graham Ebner of Austin, Texas, are just as carefully crafted, but hardly traditional: The young artist decorates them with images of Paul Bunyan or a UFO’s encounter with an armadillo. Indigenous initiatives are represented by a segment on the New Mexico–based Institute of American Indian Arts, where Native artists exchange ideas and share traditions; and by a group portrait of Native Hawaiian artists introducing sacred crafts like pandanus-leaf weaving and featherwork to a new generation of makers.

It adds up to an account of contemporary American craft that emphasizes its cultural and ethical power as well as its aesthetics and utility. As Cary Schwarz puts it, “Craftsmanship comes down to the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty.”

Jon Spayde is a contributing editor to American Craft.

All Call for Artist Entries to the Bellevue Arts Fair

EVENT INFORMATION
July 24, 25, & 26, 2026   
CALL FOR ENTRIES! Submissions are open for the 2026 Bellevue Arts Fair at Bellevue Square.

Bellevue Arts Museum hosts the largest, award-winning arts & crafts festival in the Northwest in Downtown Bellevue. The Fair is produced as part of Bellevue Arts Fair Weekend offering free community programs, live music and artist performances, interactive art activities, food trucks, and more.
More than 150k attendees will shop from 250+ juried artists exhibiting unique, handmade crafts & art. This marketplace represents modern, traditional, and emerging work. We are committed to connecting our makers and designers with customers, investing in the artist community, promoting small businesses, supporting emerging artists, and growing exhibitor sales.

The Fair welcomes more than 150k visitors
Robust Marketing Reach: TV, Radio, eNews (dedicated and cross-promotional), print and digital advertising, website, and social media etc. Stay tuned for our announcement about new channels for promotion and visitor experience for 2026!
Artist Visibility: Exhibiting Artist galleries, Linked listings, Social Media toolkits, Artist Spotlights.
Award of Excellence
Artist Amenities & Artist Reception
60-75% yearly artist retention rate & reported sales

GENERAL INFORMATION

Important Dates

• 1/7/2026: Application open 
• 2/12/2026: Application deadline 
• 3/25/2026: Jury Notifications / invitation to participate 
• NEW THIS YEAR  3/31/2026: $400 deposit required to submit booth request. (Deposit will be applied to the total booth fee) 
• 4/11/2026: Booth allocation notification 
• 4/17/2026: Booth payment balance due   
• 5/18/2026: Last day to cancel participation and still receive a 75% of booth fee refund  
• 7/23/2026: Load-in & set up 
• 7/24/2026 – 7/26/2026: BAM Arts Fair Weekend  
• 7/26/2026: Load Out 

Click here for more details.

Getty Marrow Digital Communications Paid Internship 2026

CRAFT IN AMERICA DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS INTERNSHIP

The Craft in America Digital Communications intern will provide support and assist in various aspects of organizational digital media content and management. The intern will be involved in researching and writing content to support the organization’s exhibitions, programming, website, PBS documentary series, and promotion. The intern will work on the Center exhibitions and programming. In addition, the intern will catalog and caption our digital video library as well as catalog our physical library. 

The intern will participate in outreach with artists, outside organizations, collectors, local businesses, student groups, and art schools. The intern will be trained to use our website and Constant Contact and will have structured time to familiarize with Craft in America’s resources, artist database, and style guide. Familiarity and knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, Google Suite is a plus.

This internship is on-site at the Craft in America Center two days a week and remote for three days a week for a total of 40 hours a week. Intern must be available for 10 consecutive weeks between June 1 – August 7 or June 8 – August 14 or June 15 – August 21, 2026.

ELIGIBILITY
Student must:

• Be a member of a group underrepresented in careers related to art conservation, museums, and/or visual arts organizations, which can include groups defined by – among other things – socioeconomic status, cultural background, physical or other disability, geographical origin and/or any life experiences that add diverse and underrepresented perspectives.
• Be currently enrolled as a full-time undergraduate in either a bachelor’s degree program or an associate’s degree program. Students must have completed at least one semester or two quarters of college by June. Students who graduated the semester or quarter immediately before the internship begins are also eligible. (Students who are enrolled in a second BA or BS program are not eligible.)
• Attend college in or be a permanent resident of LA County; and
• Be a United States citizen or permanent resident (non-citizen authorized to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis; also known as a “green card” holder). Students with DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) status valid through the internship period are also eligible.

Submit your résumé, two letters of recommendation or contact information (phone/email) for two references (teacher, professor, former employer, etc.), and a cover letter describing how you meet the requirements for the position. 

Email your submissions to apply@craftinamerica.org with the subject heading “Internship.” APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, April 17, 2026.

“Tools of the Trades” at Craft in America Center spotlights contemporary American handmade tools and craft traditions

Art Daily December 15, 2025

Tools of the Trades: American Handmade Implements & Devices is the first exhibition of its kind to highlight beautifully designed, hand-crafted tools made by contemporary toolmakers in the United States. It will also be the first in a series of exhibitions for Handwork 2026, a nationwide semiquincentennial collaboration showcasing the importance of the handmade and celebrating the diversity of craft that defines America.

View the full post.

Carol Sauvion, Executive Director of Craft in America, To Retire at the End of 2025, After 21 Years of Leadership

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Fitton Center Call To Artists: Deadline 11/23/25

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is accepting proposals in all visual art media through November 23rd for solo and group exhibitions for the 2026-2027 schedule.

As a community arts center in Hamilton, Ohio, we engage thousands of participants monthly through exhibitions, classes, performances and rentals. Gallery openings are typically attended by over 250 people. 

A completed Online Submission Form with file uploads of 150-word Artist Statement, 150-word Install Specs, CV, 10 artwork JPEGS with corresponding Image List and $35 non-refundable fee are required for gallery proposals.  Early submissions are welcome. Selected artists receive a modest honorarium.

Get full requirements and submit your proposal. 

Questions? Please contact Cathy Mayhugh, cathy@fittoncenter.org, (513) 863-8873 ext. 122.

Call for Entry: Art Quilt Elements 2026

Art Quilt Elements 2026, the 17th International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Fine Art Quilts

March 23 – April 25, 2026
Entry Deadline: October 16 · Entry Information
Davenport Gallery, Ethel Sergeant Clark Smith Gallery

Reception, Awards Ceremony & Meet the Artists, Sunday, March 29  3-5pm

Art Quilt Elements 2026 is the 17^th biennial exhibition of this internationally acclaimed show, unique for its professional presentation of contemporary fine art quilts.  The exhibition has been widely praised by reviewers and artists not only for the presentation of the work, but also for the commitment to promoting the art quilt as a fine art form.

Jurors: Toni Kersey, Karl Reichert and Danielle Williams

ABOUT WAYNE ART CENTER AND ART QUILT ELEMENTS (AQE):

Founded in 1931, Wayne Art Center has been continuously serving the cultural needs of the community for all ages and abilities. Dedicated to enriching the community through the arts, Wayne Art Center’s mission is to afford artists and the broader community an interdisciplinary venue to explore, share and learn, while fostering a sense of community through arts education and appreciation.

Wayne Art Center’s spacious and exquisitely designed exhibition galleries are recognized as the finest in the country. Through an active and diverse schedule of exhibitions of local, regional, national and international artists, the Center is considered one of the few venues that features a diverse and innovative display of contemporary art quilts.

Art Quilt Elements (AQE), the Juried International Exhibition of Contemporary Art Quilts (established in 2008), continues to expand the boundaries of quilt making, showcasing a range of techniques that communicates a unique vision and storytelling through a variety of hand and machine quilt making methods. Wayne Art Center is grateful to the many jurors, artists, sponsors and patrons who have endorsed and supported this eagerly anticipated biennial exhibition over the years.

ABOUT THE CALL FOR ENTRY:

Wayne Art Center seeks submissions for Art Quilt Elements 2026, an international juried group exhibition of contemporary fine art quilts. Selected works will be on display in both the Davenport and Ethel Sergeant Clark Smith Galleries of Wayne Art Center in Wayne, Pennsylvania from March 23 through April 25, 2026. For more information about AQE 2026 visit: www.artquiltelements.org.

Nancy Campbell
Executive Director and Chief Curator
Director, AQE

Pam McLean Parker
Exhibition Coordinator

Karen Louise Fay
Director of Marketing and Events

AQE 2026 Committee
Libby Cerullo
Susan Leonard
Rosemary McBride

ABOUT THE JURORS:

Toni Kersey 

Toni Kersey is an award-winning mixed-media fiber artist living and working in Springfield, Pennsylvania. Her background as a graphic designer informs her work. She received her degree in graphic design from the University of Illinois and began designing and making quilts in 2005 after studying fabric painting techniques. A self-taught quilter, she has concentrated on developing a creative language that fuses African American improvisational quilt making with painterly abstraction. Kersey’s work is focused on narratives that use visual rhythm and movement to explore the shared cultural experiences of the African Diaspora. Her quilts have been exhibited nationally and internationally, most notably as part of the “Art in the Embassies” program. She explores cultural relationships combining Dutch wax and African fabric with hand-dyed and painted textiles, embroidery and beading. Her work has been included in publications such as Artistry in Fiber Volume 1 and most recently in the fall 2024 Surface Design Journal. 

Karl Reichert 

Karl Reichert serves as the Executive Director for Textile Center, a national center for fiber art based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A seasoned arts executive, he joined Textile Center in 2014 and has led the organization through an exciting decade of programmatic growth. With its mission to “honor textile traditions, promote excellence and innovation, nurture appreciation, and inspire widespread appreciation in fiber art” Textile Center’s programming includes year-round fiber art exhibitions, classes, and retail sales. The Textile Center Library is among the nation’s largest circulating libraries dedicated to textiles and fiber art, with over 35,000 books and periodicals. Reichert served as a juror for the Visions Museum of Textile Art’s Quilt Visions 2024 exhibition in San Diego, California, and he looks forward to serving as a juror for Art Quilt Elements 2026 at Wayne Art Center. 

Danielle Williams 

Danielle Williams was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, she resides in sunny Southern California, with her husband and their growing family. Since 2012, Williams has worked for Stampington & Company in various editorial roles, including managing the magazine Art Quilting Studio. She comes from a family of creatives and loves immersing herself in the quilting world. 

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

• Artists must be 18 years of age or older.
• Works submitted must be original in design. Collaborative works are accepted.
• Work must have been completed in the last two years (after January 1, 2024).
• Work previously exhibited at Wayne Art Center is not eligible.
• All work must be for sale.
• Work must remain on display for the duration of the exhibit.
• Size Limitations:  Works of any size not exceeding 12′ (144″) high will be considered.
• All artwork submitted online to AQE 2026 MUST be available for the entire duration of the jurying process and exhibition.  If a piece is accepted to both AQE 2026 and a simultaneously running exhibit, the piece must only be exhibited in AQE 2026. 
• Withdrawal of invited work by the artist prior to the exhibition will result in exclusion from exhibiting at WAC the following year.
• Wayne Art Center reserves the right to reject entries that do not meet the requirements.  Work that differs from the work invited through digital submissions will be disqualified.