Craft Forward

OUR COUNTRY HOLDS a long history of loving, sharing, and relying on crafts—even pre-dating the Declaration of Independence. Maybe it was a homemade thank-you card, a hand-carved Christmas ornament, or a knitted baby beanie, but whether you have thought about it or not, every one has crafted.

To mark the 250th birthday of the United States, the nonprofit arts organization Craft in America has unveiled Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, a year-long, nationwide presentation of exhibitions and events at more than 250 American organizations, each showcasing the richness of craft across the nation.

Many know Craft in America through its acclaimed PBS docu-series of the same name, which debuted in 2007. But since its founding in 2004, this Los Angeles-based nonprofit has done much more to introduce Americans to the craft world. “We’ve long fostered physical connection at our Craft in America Center in Los Angeles through exhibitions, education, and public programs,” says Craft in America’s co-executive director Robyn Hollingshead. “We felt the country’s 250th anniversary was the perfect moment to expand that reach and amplify craft across
communities nationwide.”

Taking more than three years of planning to achieve its final form, Handwork 2026 has slowly grown to heights even Craft in America couldn’t imagine. “From the beginning, the initiative was both ambitious and deeply collaborative,” says Ann Ruhr Pifer, also co-executive director of Craft in America, “but we didn’t realize just how expansive it would become. Early on, we hoped to engage thirty organizations across the country to host exhibitions and events. But there was such immediate resonance that today we’re working with more than three hundred cultural participants across all fifty states and Puerto Rico.”

One of those member galleries is nonprofit art space 108 Contemporary in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “We were among the first organizations to become partner, since our mission is dedicated to contemporary craft,” says Jen Boyd Martin, executive director of 108 Contemporary. “Our programming aligns with what Craft in America had hoped partners would facilitate, so I provided a lot of input in the early stages to the Handwork committee.”

The nonprofit’s presentation, Fiberworks 2026, will focus on the dazzling styles and variations of fiber art, chosen from the talented local members of the Fiber Artists of Oklahoma guild. Juried by longtime fiber artist and weaver Astrid Hilger Bennett, the show will feature fiber-related artwork ranging from traditional to innovative. “America is in the process of rediscovering its connection to craft,” says Bennett. “Part of our role as artists is to share with the world the process of fiber art and also its capacity for storytelling and memory.”

Handwork 2026 will result in an exhibition opening in November at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.