medium

: Metal

Image of a booth from The Potters Market at The Mint Museum, 2024. Artist: Trista Hudzik. The Mint Museum

The Mint Museum welcomes all to be inspired and transformed through the power of art and creativity. Among the most significant public institutions in Charlotte, the museum holds a permanent collection of nearly 35,000 objects, one of the largest in the Southeast, spanning art, craft, and design from around the world.
Widely recognized as an invaluable cultural and educational resource, The Mint is committed not only to the growth and quality of its collections but also to nurturing appreciation of the vital role the arts play in our lives.

Each year, the museum celebrates this mission through programs and events such as the annual Potters Market, which showcases exceptional ceramic artistry and supports both artists and the community.
The next Potters Market will be held on September 27, 2025. Guided by values of inclusivity, innovation, collaboration, and empathy, the museum engages communities in lifelong relationships with art, enhancing lives and creating a more connected and welcoming world.

Charlotte,
NC
Arts/Cultural Organization Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Jane Winslow

Located in the vibrant Warehouse Arts District of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana, Ogden Museum of Southern Art holds the largest and most comprehensive collection of Southern art and is recognized for its original exhibitions, public events and educational programs, which support its mission to broaden the knowledge, understanding, interpretation and appreciation of the visual arts and culture of the American South.

Located in the Ogden Museum Store, the Center for Southern Craft & Design (CSCD) extends the Museum’s mission by offering Southern artisans and designers a platform from which to showcase and sell their work, and connects the field of craft to Museum visitors through vibrant programming throughout the year. The CSCD features a monthly workshop series called Craft Happy Hour and presents a quarterly Artist Spotlight exhibition, showcasing leaders in craft fields of jewelry, ceramics, glassworks, woodworks, metalworks and textiles, while highlighting the important place of craft at the heart of Southern Art. Since 2008, the CSCD has also presented the annual juried exhibition, Art of the Cup, which celebrates the aesthetic and design freedom the ceramic medium offers to enhance everyday routine and highlights the diverse methods artisans use to blur the boundaries of form and function.

 

New Orleans,
LA
Arts/Cultural Organization Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Paper Wood
Building Exterior - South to North view from across Broadway St. Gabe Swinney, Swinney Creative

Mission

The Center for Craft amplifies how and why craft matters by increasing access to resources that catalyze artists and scholars nationwide. Proudly based in Asheville, it has been at the center of the conversation about the future of craft since 1996.

What We Do

The Center for Craft resources the preservation and innovation of craft. We catalyze the makers and thinkers behind the objects that shape our lives. 

How We Do It

  • Grants and fellowships that provide funding, networks, and peer-to-peer learning nationwide
  • Exhibitions that illuminate 21st-century practices of craft
  • Public programs that tell the story of how and why craft matters

Asheville,
NC
Arts/Cultural Organization Gallery
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
BARN's facility on Bainbridge Island, WA, is home to eleven member-run studios. BARN/Rick Gordon

BARN (Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network) is a regional center for craft on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Our dedicated volunteers and staff provide fun, welcoming spaces where everyone can explore creativity, learn new skills, work with others, and give back to the community.

BARN operates eleven member-run studios spanning woodworking, glass arts, fiber arts, metal fabrication, culinary arts, jewelry making, and more. Since opening our 25,000-square-foot facility in 2017, we’ve grown to serve over 1,400 members with 2,700+ classes and events annually. BARN’s mission centers on growing and inspiring creative community through craft, learning, and service.

Beyond skill-building, BARN members actively contribute to the region through dozens of community service projects—from building furniture for at-risk youth to preparing meals for community events. We believe everyone can be creative, and we offer comprehensive tuition assistance and programming designed to remove barriers to participation. Whether someone is a complete beginner or seasoned artisan, BARN provides the tools, expertise, and supportive community to help creativity flourish.

Bainbridge Island,
WA
Arts/Cultural Organization Craft School
Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
The Red MIll Museum Village on the South Branch of the Raritan River in Clinton, NJ. Kaitlyn Sharkey

At the Red Mill Museum Village, our vision is to connect current generations to the past as well as to one another. We uphold our mission of preserving, maintaining and presenting the social, agricultural, and industrial heritage of the area through hands-on experiences that turn visitors into makers. By preserving tools as living teaching objects and telling the stories of those who made, used and collected them, we highlight how creativity and skill once sustained daily life through community.

The museum’s centerpiece is the 1810 Red Mill, originally built as a woolen mill. The 12 historic buildings on our 10-acre site include limekilns, a limestone quarry, schoolhouse, log cabin, two-family Tenant House and operational blacksmith shop.

Throughout the year, the museum offers a variety of educational exhibits, and immersive programming designed to keep the enduring value of skilled handwork and shared heritage alive.

Clinton,
NJ
Museum
Clay Fiber Metal Other Wood
A gray clapboarded two-story 17th century home with an overhanging second floor situated next to a tall building on one side and a brick courtyard with garden beds and a pear tree on the other side. A second floor walkway provides access to the second floor and is hung with red, white, and blue bunting. The Paul Revere Memorial Association

Built around 1680, the Paul Revere House is a rare example of 17th-century urban architecture.  One room interprets the 1680s, while three other rooms contain artifacts from Revere’s era, including select Revere family furniture. Paul Revere purchased the home in 1770 and lived here with his family when he made his famous messenger ride on the night of April 18-19, 1775.

Today the site includes a Visitor Center with exhibits highlighting Revere’s skilled craftsmanship; silver made in Revere’s shop is always on display. Regular public events feature the talents of musicians, artisans, and craftspeople who are keeping alive the traditional trades of the 18th century.

Visit our self-guided site year-round!

Summer:

April 15 – October 31: 10:00 AM to 5:15 PM

Open daily

Winter:

November 1 – April 14: 10:00 AM to 4:15 PM

Closed on Mondays during January, February, and March

Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day

Boston,
MA
Museum
Clay Fiber Metal Other Paper Wood
Tuck and Roll: The Art of Armadillos, On View: May 24, 2025 - Jan 11, 2026, curated by Guusje Sanders. This installation brings fun to our Entry Level cases by showcasing armadillo figures from Mingei’s permanent collection! Featuring works made by artisans across the Americas, this playful installation emphasizes how these extraordinary creatures have delighted people’s imagination. It is free to the public in the "community level" of the museum. Six armadillos in a variety of colors and materials from Mexico, Brazil, the United States of America, and El Salvador. 1999-11-004, 1993-55-132, 1993-55-172A, 1993-55-146, 1993-55-143, 1993-55-066.

San Diego’s Mingei International Museum celebrates folk art, craft, and design from all eras and cultures of the world. The Japanese word mingei means “art of the people”  and the museum collects, conserves, and exhibits arts of daily use made by contemporary and historic designers, artists, and craftspeople, known and unknown.

Established in 1978, Mingei’s inaugural exhibition was Dolls and Folk Toys of the World. Since then, the Museum has shared over 183 exhibitions covering a diverse range of cultures, themes, and media. Recent exhibitions include Across the SpooniverseBlue Gold: The Art and Science of Indigo, African by Design, and Fashioning an Icon: The Virgin of Guadalupe in Textile Design.  Upcoming exhibitions explore subjects such as mid-century modern design, Indigenous works in glass, DIY skateboard culture, sustainable fishing, feedsack quilts, Japanese shrine paintings, and global percussion.  

Mingei champions artists and craftspeople, and we envision a world where people find joy, beauty, and inspiration in our shared human creativity.

 

San Diego,
CA
Museum
Clay Fiber Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
The second floor metalsmithing studio at Brooklyn Metal Works. Photo: Brian Weissman

Brooklyn Metal Works (BKMW) is a non-ferrous metal art studio that offers professional workspace for the development of art, objects, and jewelry. In addition we offer concept and technique based classes and workshops for all levels of learning. Our exhibition space and artist lecture series promotes artists, designers and makers from the metalsmithing field and beyond. Our studio prioritizes creating a safe and sustainable working and learning environment, complete with a wide inventory of tools and equipment. Responsible studio practices and stewardship of resources are at the core of our vision.

Our collaborative setting is designed to foster exploration, encourage experimentation, and strengthen the knowledge base of all involved. Brooklyn Metal Works promotes and furthers critical dialogue among those who practice, write, and invest time and energy into the field of jewelry and metalsmithing.

Brooklyn,
NY
Craft School Gallery Other
Metal Other
Hand-forged John C. Campbell Folk School sign. Photo provided by John C. Campbell Folk School

Tucked away in the mountains of western North Carolina, the John C. Campbell Folk School (“the Folk School”) offers weeklong and weekend classes for adults in craft, art, music, dance, cooking, gardening, nature studies, photography, writing, and more. Our non-competitive and small-sized classes are offered year-round on a scenic 270-acre campus, attracting students from all over the world. The Folk School transforms lives, bringing people together in a nurturing environment for experiences in learning and community life that spark self-discovery. “I sing behind the plow,” the Folk School’s motto since its founding in 1925, reflects the importance of lifelong learning and growth while finding joy throughout every step of the process.

Brasstown,
NC
Arts/Cultural Organization Craft School
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
The entrance to the current Museum features our 10th anniversary gates. The gates incorporate different features made by metalsmiths from across the world. Metal Museum

The mission of the Metal Museum is to preserve, promote, and advance the art and craft of fine metalwork. As the only institution of its kind, the Museum leads the way in celebrating and promoting the field.

The Museum achieves its mission through four program areas: rotating exhibitions of historic and contemporary metalwork; the Permanent Collection of objects, books, folios, and archives; the Metals Studios—blacksmith shop, foundry, fine metals lab, and design lab—that provide opportunities for metalsmiths through artistic creation; and education and engagement programs for learners of all ages. This broad yet dedicated focus attracts visitors, artists, and patrons from all fifty states and around the globe. Thousands more are served during off-site programs and community events through the Mini Mobile Metal Museum.

Tremendous growth over the past decade has led the Museum to outgrow its downtown Memphis home. It is converting an award-winning mid-century building into a state-of-the-art museum and education center, with expanded studios, classrooms, galleries, and collections storage. The Metal Museum in Overton Park will welcome triple the number of annual visitors and solidify the Museum’s role as the global leader in preserving and promoting fine metalwork.

Memphis,
TN
Arts/Cultural Organization Museum
Metal
Craft in America Center

The Craft in America Center is a small museum and library that presents artist talks, scholarly lectures, hands-on workshops and concerts in addition to regularly changing exhibitions. Our publications offer a deeper dive into the practices of select artists and topics.

The Center works in tandem with the acclaimed PBS documentary series to give voice to traditional and contemporary craft, ranging from functional to purely conceptual. Being a brick and mortar venue, the Center provides the public an opportunity for direct personal engagement with art, artists and ideas.

The Craft in America Center produces 5-8 exhibitions a year, both on site and traveling.  Exhibitions highlight the work of numerous Los Angeles craft-based artists while providing a local platform for the nation’s accomplished artists working across all craft media. For those not able to visit in-person, digitized exhibitions and recorded talks and interviews are archived online as accessible resources for all. 

Los Angeles,
CA
Arts/Cultural Organization Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Hunterdon Art Museum exterior at night. courtesy of the Hunterdon Art Museum

The Hunterdon Art Museum presents exhibitions of contemporary art, craft, and design in a 19th-century stone mill that is on the National Register of Historic Places. A landmark regional art center since 1953, the museum showcases works by established and emerging contemporary artists and also offers a dynamic schedule of classes and workshops for children, teens, and adults.

Our mission is to educate, challenge, and inspire community through the arts.

Clinton,
NJ
Museum
Clay Fiber Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
"California Studio Craft: featuring works from the Forrest L. Merrill collection" on display at SFO Museum in Terminal 2. Photo by SFO Museum

Established in 1980 by the San Francisco Airport Commission, SFO Museum’s mission is to delight, engage, and inspire a global audience with programming on a broad range of subjects; to collect, preserve, interpret, and share the history of commercial aviation; and to enrich the public experience at San Francisco International Airport. The Museum has been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums since 1999 and retains the distinction of being the only accredited museum in an airport.

SFO Museum operates more than twenty-five sites throughout the Airport terminals, including fourteen galleries that exhibit a rotating schedule of art, history, photography, science, and cultural exhibitions. Among the sites is the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, which houses a permanent collection of more than 160,000 objects related to the history of commercial aviation.

San Francisco,
CA
Museum
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Mixed Media Other Paper Wood
Therman Statom's Glass House Sculpture stands out front of the School House Gallery at Starworks. Claire Sellers

Starworks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes community and economic development by providing outstanding artistic educational programs.  We provide artistic opportunities to the public and showcase outstanding talent from around the world through our Artist Residency programs. Starworks hosts studios in Glass, Ceramics, and Metal, as well as an onsite Ceramic Supply Shop, Cafe & Taproom, and Galleries.

Starworks is a rural visual arts organization based in Star, North Carolina. We are dedicated to expanding cultural access in under-resourced areas, strengthening community identity, and fostering creative exchange. Our programs connect local residents with arts of the highest quality through workshops, exhibitions, and collaborative projects, ensuring that even small towns have access to transformative cultural experiences.

Star,
NC
Arts/Cultural Organization Gallery
Clay Glass Metal
Aqueduct (2016) detail by Courtney Mattison. Glazed stoneware and porcelain. 250 x 250 x 50 cm (98 x 98 x 20 in). Courtesy of the artist. Images courtesy Glen McClure for Virginia MOCA. Included in the 2026 exhibition "Clay Sustains: Vessels of Change" on view January 17-April 5, 2026 that will feature 15-20 established ceramic artists focusing an exceptional body of work on issues of environmental crisis and cultural sustainability. Part of the Art Center's 2025-26 exhibition series "Centering: Clay and Community"

About the Palo Alto Art Center:
The Palo Alto Art Center is your place to see and make art, activate your creativity, and expand your community. Created by the community, for the community in 1971, the Palo Alto Art Center provides an accessible and welcoming place to engage with art. We engage approximately 150,000 people every year through a diverse range of programs.

Palo Alto,
CA
Arts/Cultural Organization Craft School
Clay Fiber Glass Metal Paper