In the Making: Craft, Community, & Art Education in the Valley of the Sun presents individual and collaborative textile works by artists and teachers connected to ASU’s Art Education program.

Developed through a year of sewing circles and writing workshops and directed by textile artist and ASU art education faculty member Carolyn Hazel Drake, the exhibition examines craft as a practice linking intergenerational teaching and artmaking communities in K–12 schools across the Valley.

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Inspired by a curious mix of childhood fishing memories and social commentary, the work created by Ann Morton for this show uses the materiality of fishing line, hooks and sinkers, combined with assorted detritus that is then employed in hand weavings and assemblages. The graphics of nautical warning flags and imaginary fishing lures are metaphorical nods to the lures and navigational challenges we all experience as human beings.

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Featuring works from Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum’s permanent collection, the show highlights the breadth of materials — ceramics, fiber, wood, metal, glass and even more unconventional substances — used by contemporary American artists.

By weaving together these varied mediums, the exhibition tells an inclusive and multifaceted story of craft as an essential form of artistic expression within the broader context of American art history.

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The museum celebrates 250 years of American Craft by honoring and uplifting the artistic contributions made by United States veterans.

Featured in this exhibition are two local veteran artists Jim Covarrubias and David Murrieta.

Covarrubias, a Vietnam War Army veteran, has built a prolific career as an artist and storyteller.

Murrieta, a Marine Corps Reserve veteran of Operation Desert Storm, is known for his Arizona murals and work as an educator.

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Sound has always been a form of human expression through rituals, ceremonies and storytelling.

Throughout time, artists have used sound to embellish their artwork. However, it was in the 20th century that a new medium, sound art, emerged as experimental composers and visual artists took advantage of new sonic technologies.

As we celebrate 250 years of American craft, this exhibition explores the intersection of sound and craft.

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Twenty-nine Art Cloth Network artists from the US and Canada created thirty works of textile art addressing the show’s theme, Blurred Boundaries.

Boundaries define space, relationships, and transitions, yet they are rarely fixed. Blurred Boundaries explores shifting limits—personal, political, and artistic.

By embracing liminal spaces, we challenge rigid divides. Blurred Boundaries invite viewers to look closer, question perceptions, and find beauty in the undefined.

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The Annual Juried Contemporary Craft exhibition highlights the finest in contemporary crafts from around the country, our annual crafts exhibition has become a benchmark of innovation and quality produced within traditional craft forms such as ceramics, fibers, basketry, metals, wood, glass, jewelry, papermaking and book arts.

About the Juror: Born in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, Andres Payan Estrada is currently the senior curator at the Rubin Center for the Visual Arts in El Paso, TX.

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with grant support by:

Free Public Flameworking demo with Shane Fero, master of the medium for 50+ years!

Live in person at the Sonoran Glass School in Tucson, AZ and Live Streaming via YouTube @sonoranglassart.

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with grant support by:

A multifaceted artist, Dori embraces various mediums to convey her messages. She has thrived as an installation artist, leading the creation of two large-scale temporary fiber art installations and indoor murals. Driven by her fascination with the intricate aesthetics and technical aspects of glass art, Dori has consistently pursued workshops to refine her skills and techniques in glass fusion (since 2013), kiln-casting (since 2015), and pâte de verre (since 2018). Pâte de verre remains Dori’s preferred and primary technique in her artistic practice. Whenever possible, she incorporates salvaged glass into her creations, showcasing her commitment to sustainability.

Today, Dori draws immense inspiration from the enchanting forest surrounding her home and studio in the mountains of North Carolina.

Learn more about her work at dorisettles.com

Free public lecture about paté de verre, a technique for working in glass.

Please join us in our Tucson studio from 10am til 12 noon Mountain time.

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with grant support by:

Art talk and hot glass demonstration with Kazuki Takizawa.

Free and open to the public. Also live streaming on YouTube @sonoranglassart

 

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with grant support by:

Hot Glass Blowing and sculpting Demo with Karen Willenbrink and Jasen Johnsen, in person in Tucson at the Sonoran Glass School and Live Streaming via YouTube @sonoranglassart.

January 30 2026 from 5-7pm Mountain time.

Join us for this free public demonstration event!

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with grant support by:

Live Hot Glass Blowing Demonstration with Jason Christian, in person at the Sonoran Glass School and Live Streamed via YouTube. @sonoranglassart

Join us from 5 to 7 pm Mountain time in Tucson AZ!

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Part of the Mesa Arts Center, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum is a visual arts space dedicated to the presentation, interpretation, collection and preservation of contemporary art, with a special focus on traditional media. Committed to showcasing outstanding regional, national and international exhibitions, the museum supports and elevates artists from around the world through solo, group and juried exhibitions.

Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum fosters community engagement through artist talks and enriching educational experiences for all.

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The Art Education program in ASU’s School of Art centers artmaking as a way of thinking, teaching, and imagining change. Preparing artists and educators for work in K–12 schools and community settings across the greater Valley, the program fosters interdisciplinary inquiry and positions art as a meaningful response to contemporary questions and contexts.

In alignment with ASU’s Charter—measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed—the program emphasizes sustained partnerships with mentor teachers and intergenerational exchange among students, alumni, faculty, and practicing educators.

The Handwork 2026 project In the Making: Craft, Community, & Art Education in the Valley of the Sun brings these art educators together for a year-long investigation of craft practices and values as a framework for examining the relationships between artmaking and teaching.

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The Sonoran Glass School is a public-access educational center for glass art. Our mission is to actively engage established and emerging artists of all ages and abilities in the glass arts and to teach a full range of glass-working techniques.

Our facility offers four studios for the many types of glass-working including kiln forming, glass blowing, torch working, and coldworking.

We strive to share our passion and knowledge for the glass arts with the public through educational classes, experiences, seminars, and community events.

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