medium

: Fiber

Art Complex Museum. Lori LeDoux

The Art Complex Museum is located in the historic town of Duxbury, Massachusetts, 33 miles south of Boston. It houses the impressive art collection of the Carl A. Weyerhaeuser family.

The collection includes over 8,000 art objects, including American and European prints, rare books, American paintings, Shaker furniture, Asian art, and additional treasures.

The museum offers a year-round schedule of exhibitions, featuring thematic shows from the permanent collection and shows by contemporary artists. Additional programming includes lectures, concerts, education programs, demonstrations and Japanese tea ceremonies, fulfilling the founders’ vision that their family’s many interests be shared with the community.

This unique venue offers visitors an inviting place for viewing and learning about art in an intimate and comfortable setting.

Duxbury,
MA
Museum
Clay Fiber Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
National Museum of Women in the Arts, exterior, 13th Street side, 2023; Photo by John Mannarino

Located in the heart of Washington, DC, the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) is the first museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women through the arts.

With its collections, exhibitions, programs, and online content, the museum seeks to inspire dynamic exchanges about art and ideas. NMWA advocates for better representation of women artists and serves as a vital center for thought leadership, community engagement, and social change. The museum addresses the gender imbalance in the presentation of art by bringing to light important women artists of the past while promoting great women artists working today.

Washington,
DC
Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Aerial view of the Haystack campus. Photo courtesy of OPAL Architecture / Research / Design.

Haystack connects people through craft.

The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts is an international craft school located on the Atlantic Ocean in Deer Isle, Maine. Founded in 1950 as a research and studio program in the arts, Haystack offers one and two-week studio workshops to participants of all skill levels as well as the two-week Open Studio Residency program, exhibitions, tours, auctions, artist presentations, and shorter workshops for Maine residents and high school students. In 2026, Haystack celebrates 75 years since the School’s founding.

We support visiting artists and scholars from a variety of fields, including science, literature, music, and the visual arts, who are invited to spend two weeks at the school focusing on their work. Haystack also functions as a ʻthink-tankʼ in looking at craft—publishing annual monographs and organizing a variety of conferences and symposia that examine craft in broader contexts. These include collaborations with other institutions such as the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution. The award-winning campus was designed by noted American architect Edward Larrabee Barnes and opened in 1961 when the school relocated to Deer Isle.

Deer Isle,
ME
Craft School
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Image of the Lindsay Pettus Gallery at the NASC. Native American Studies Center at USC Lancaster

Established in August of 2012, this comprehensive center for the study of South Carolina’s Native American peoples, their histories, and their cultures offers visitors the opportunity to view the single largest collection of Catawba Indian pottery in existence; study primary and secondary texts on Native Americans in the Southeast; participate in educational classes and programs; and observe archaeology, language, and folklore and oral history labs.

We develop curriculum and public programs that educate the public about Native American art and culture, with an emphasis on the Catawba and other Native communities in South Carolina. Students at USC Lancaster and visitors to our Center can learn about art, American Indian literature and culture, Native American archaeology, folklore, anthropology, and oral traditions.

Our Mission

The mission of USC Lancaster’s Native American Studies is to promote the documentation, preservation, appreciation, and study of Native American cultures and heritages. This mission is aided by courses and curricula, research projects, archival resources, exhibits, publications, and other public and educational programs and  materials developed by USCL faculty and staff. The Center works to dispel any stereotypes or existing misconceptions regarding Native Americans, their cultures, life ways, and languages.

Lancaster,
SC
Museum University or College
Clay Fiber Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Exterior of the South Carolina State Museum. Courtesy of the South Carolina State Museum

The South Carolina State Museum, located in Columbia’s historic 1894 Columbia Mills building, is the largest museum in the state and a Smithsonian Affiliate. The Museum features four floors of exhibits in art, cultural history, natural history, and science and technology. Our mission is to provide educational experiences that inspire, entertain, and enrich visitors through engaging exhibits and innovative programming.

Highlights of the museum include the Lipscomb Art Gallery, a 55-foot digital dome planetarium, the Boeing Observatory with a historic Alvan Clark telescope, and South Carolina’s only permanent 4D interactive theater. Its extensive collection includes over one million objects, such as fine art, fossils, cultural artifacts, and science exhibits. Notable exhibitions explore topics like World War II, South Carolina’s role in space exploration, and the science of sound.

The museum offers educational programs, field trips, and discounted access through the “Museums for All” program. General admission is affordable, with special pricing for children, seniors, and groups. Visitors can enjoy the Crescent Café and shop for locally made items in the museum store, one of the largest museum gift shops in the country.

Blending history, art, science, and culture, the South Carolina State Museum offers a dynamic and inclusive experience for learners and explorers of all ages.

Columbia,
SC
Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper
View of the Asheville Art Museum exterior. Image Sterling Silver.

The Asheville Art Museum was founded in 1948 by a group of artists to champion the creativity of Western North Carolina (WNC), bring art of national significance to the community, and encourage dialogue. Through generations of experienced and dedicated volunteer and professional leadership, the Museum continues to realize its mission: to engage, enlighten, and inspire individuals and enrich community through dynamic experiences in American art of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The Collection houses over 8,500 works in all media, including regionally and nationally significant paintings and drawings, prints, photography, sculpture, craft and decorative arts, and focal collections of works by members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Appalachian artists, Black Mountain College artists, traditional and studio craft, and regional architecture. The Museum has been particularly active in collecting historic and contemporary craft and studio glass with a focus on the Southeast and WNC.

Asheville,
NC
Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
100% organic cotton fabric swatch using reverse applique techniques. Project Threadways

Project Threadways is a 501(c)(3) organization that documents, studies, and interprets history, community, and power through the lens of fashion and textiles.

From raw material to finished goods, we seek to understand the impact of textiles on our community, nation, and world.

In partnership with Alabama Chanin and The School of Making, we connect people, places, and materials through design, making, and education—with cultural heritage, craft preservation, and creative placemaking at the core of our work.

Florence,
AL
Arts/Cultural Organization Craft School
Fiber
Worcester Craft Center is home to classes for all ages! Pictured students trying enameling for the first time!

Worcester Center for Crafts

Founded in 1856, the Worcester Center for Crafts (WCC) is the nation’s oldest nonprofit craft center, dedicated to cultivating creativity and community through the arts. Originally established to provide skills for immigrant women, WCC now offers classes and workshops in ceramics, glass, metals, fiber, printmaking, healing arts, painting, photography, and more for students of all ages and abilities.

Home to the Krikorian Gallery, the Mary and Van Aroian Community Gallery, and the Handcrafted Shop, WCC also supports artists in sharing their work. The craft center hosts signature events such as Hot Night in the City and the Holiday Festival of Crafts, connecting local and national artists with the community.

With its rich history and welcoming spirit, WCC continues to serve as a cultural destination, creative hub, and vital contributor to the New England community.

Worcester,
MA
Arts/Cultural Organization Craft School
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other
A collage image featuring a female woodworker with blonde hair, an open book with the phrase "curating Philadelphia as the Craft Capital", a potter at the wheel, a blacksmith's hands and a weaver's hands

CraftNOW unites, celebrates, and supports the people, businesses, and institutions of the craft community of Philadelphia. Through education, curation and economic development, we work to continue Philadelphia’s vibrant history as a capital of craft- a place where craft is learned, created, seen, purchased, collected, and shared.

Philadelphia,
PA
Arts/Cultural Organization
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Winterthur Cecil Bedroom. courtesy of Winterthur

Winterthur is the premier museum of American decorative arts, with an unparalleled collection of nearly 90,000 objects made or used in America since 1640. The collection is displayed in the magnificent 175-room house, much as it was when the family of founder Henry Francis du Pont called it home.

Winterthur is also 1,000 acres of protected meadows, woodlands, ponds, and waterways. The 60-acre garden, designed by du Pont, is among America’s best, with magnificent plantings and massive displays of color throughout the year. The graduate degree programs and extensive research library make Winterthur an important center for the study of American art and culture.

Winterthur,
DE
Arts/Cultural Organization
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Experience American art at The Rockwell Museum, A Smithsonian Affiliate in Downtown Corning. Allison Usavage Photography, 2023.

The Rockwell Museum, in association with the Smithsonian Institution, tells the story of the evolving American experience through the work of American artists. Founded in 1976, The Rockwell is a community hub showcasing the diversity of American experience through compelling exhibitions and imaginative programs. The collection includes a mix of contemporary Native American art with traditional bronze sculptures, landscape paintings, and other works that embody America. Housed in the restored 19th-century Old City Hall building, The Rockwell is active in the local community and holds special events and educational programming with area schools. The Rockwell provokes curiosity, engagement, and reflection about art and the American experience.

The Museum’s campus includes the KIDS ROCKWELL Art Lab, located around the corner at 36 E. Market Street, featuring family-friendly activities, games, and hands-on projects connected to our exciting special exhibitions and collection of American artworks.

Corning,
NY
Arts/Cultural Organization Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Dr. Rory Cooper receives his Quilt of Valor at the AUSA meeting in Washington D.C. in 2024. Kimberly Millay

The Quilts of Valor Foundation is a national non-profit organization with over 11,000 members across the United States who make and award quilts to service members and veterans who have been touched by war, to bring comfort and healing.

Winterset,
IA
Arts/Cultural Organization
Fiber
FiberArt.STUDIO Logo. Anja Caldwell

We offer private instruction, after school classes and summer camps for kids and adults. Our mission is to pass on and preserve traditional handwork skills like weaving, sewing, knitting, crocheting and needle felting.

At the FiberArt.STUDIO we are passionate about nurturing creativity and providing a supportive environment for creative expression, with a big dose of mindfulness. Since 2016 our studio is a place where both kids and adults can explore traditional and contemporary handwork and fiber arts. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced maker, there is something for everyone to explore and enjoy in our studio in the woods.

Our director Anja Seehrich-Caldwell is also an architect and designer. She comes from a long German family line of makers in the textile trades.
Getting a beginner hooked on yarn and combining traditional techniques with new designs is her passion and skillset.

Phones, glue and glitter are not allowed in the studio. If we can not sew it we do not want it.


Read about Anja Caldwell’s creative journey in the spring issue of Where Women Create Magazine

Bethesda,
MD
Craft School
Fiber
Exhibits at the Wilson Museum feature fine handcrafted work from around the world and spanning thousands of years.

Founded in 1921 by Castine summer resident and geologist Dr. J. Howard Wilson, the Wilson Museum invites you to forge connections across history, places, and cultures.

From million-year old fossils to Bagaduce River horseshoe crabs, from the tools of early humans to Castine’s local history, from the shores of Penobscot Bay to people around the world, the collections, exhibits, and programs at the Wilson Museum feed curiosity and provide multi-sensory, immersive learning experiences.

Visitors of all ages can tour an early Castine home, watch craftspeople and artisans demonstrate traditional skills and tools, and engage in hands-on learning.

Castine,
ME
Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Other Paper Wood
Peabody Essex Museum. Salem, MA.

Founded in 1799, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, is the country’s oldest continuously operating museum. PEM provides thought-provoking experiences of the arts, humanities and sciences to celebrate the creative achievements and potential of people across time, place and culture. By connecting people through inquiry, empathy and dialogue, PEM encourages an understanding of our shared humanity and fosters a sense of belonging in a complex, ever-changing world. We build, steward and share our superlative collection, which includes African, American, Asian Export, Chinese, contemporary, Japanese, Korean, maritime, Native American, Oceanic and South Asian art, as well as architecture, fashion and textiles, photography, natural history and one of the nation’s most important museum-based collections of rare books and manuscripts. PEM offers a varied and unique visitor experience, with hands-on creativity zones, interactive opportunities and performance spaces. The museum’s campus, which offers numerous gardens and green spaces, is an accredited arboretum and features more than a dozen noted historic structures, including Yin Yu Tang, a 200-year-old Chinese home that is the only example of Chinese domestic architecture in the United States.

Salem,
MA
Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood