Our 2026 Exhibition: Disciplines Across Decades shines a light on the origins of our nine career training programs and how our students are trained today.

The exhibition will feature the best work of our student and graduate community, their connections to techniques used at the start of their program, a timeline of NBSS history, and artifacts from the early years of each program.

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North Bennet Street School’s mission is to train students for careers in traditional trades that use hand skills in concert with evolving technology, to preserve and advance craft traditions, and to promote greater appreciation of craftsmanship.

The School’s intensive, hands-on training helps students from around the world to achieve meaningful lives and livelihoods. We encourage individual growth and curiosity, along with technical mastery and a commitment to excellence.

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Join us for a week of Open Studio Residencies to celebrate Handwork 2026.

Get your craft on with a passionate cohort of fellow artists, makers, and craft enthusiasts and the support of Snow Farm housing and meals. Residencies include ample personal space in a shared studio with about half as many people per studio than our typical workshops.

All 8 of our studios are available: 2D Mixed Media, 3D Mixed Media, Ceramics, Fibers, Flameworking, Flat Glass & Mosaics, Metals & Jewelry, or Woodworking.

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Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program is a nonprofit residential craft school located in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains at the edge of the Pioneer Valley.

We offer 2-5 day adult craft workshops across eight studios (2D Mixed Media, 3D Mixed Media, Ceramics, Fibers, Flameworking, Flat Glass & Mosaics, Metalsmithing & Jewelry, and Woodworking) from May to October, a teen program in July, and various studio residency programs throughout the year.

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The Nichols House Museum on Boston’s historic Beacon Hill was home to an early 20th-century family of artists and social activists. Preserved as a museum by Rose Standish Nichols, a pioneering woman landscape architect, the 1804 townhouse is furnished with an original collection, including pieces created by Rose and her sister Margaret. Rose was an embroiderer and woodcarver, whose historically-inspired designs enlivened her living spaces. Margaret was a furniture maker, designing and building pieces for her family, as well as for her business, Pegleggers. Both were inspired by the ideals of the Arts and Crafts Movement, combining their love of craft with their efforts to build a better world.

The Nichols House Museum fosters curiosity, creativity, and change-making, inspired by the trailblazing work and legacy of the Nichols sisters. Visitors are welcome for tours, programs, and special events throughout the year.

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Founded in 1935 during the height of the Great Depression by a group of artists and craftspeople banding together for mutual support. We centered our relationship to natural materials striving to create a more just and equitable society, where art and craft are valued and accessible to all. Our founders were dedicated to preserving age-old craft traditions in the making of beautiful objects of daily use, for ordinary people, and the personal and societal health that comes from doing so.

LexArt strives to infuse the arts into every aspect of civic life. We focus on inclusiveness and accessibility and find the most effective mechanism for providing opportunities for arts engagement is through our community partnerships and shared programming. We host a healthy studio instruction program, offering 130 classes and workshops each year in a broad range of disciplines. We operate publicly accessible maker-spaces in ceramics, metalsmithing, painting, weaving & woodworking and have multiple classrooms for other makers groups. We host numerous artisan fairs/markets throughout the year, promoting locally handcrafted goods. We have a monthly rotating gallery exhibition program, highlighting regional work at the intersection of fine art and craft. We seek to present and amplify the voices and experiences of those that contrast with our own and create a fertile and sympathetic space for people to come together, share, learn, and celebrate our common humanity.

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Discover the timeless art of creating tatted lace in this hands-on workshop!

Students will explore the perfect threads, tools, and essential terminology needed to bring their designs to life.

You will learn foundational stitches and be ready to craft your own lace designs—whether it’s delicate ornaments, jewelry, or elegant trims to elevate your wardrobe.

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Learn how embroidery can be a tactile self-soothing tool for anxiety, ADHD, or general well-being! Join us to learn embroidery techniques that prioritize wellbeing and comfort, and create a tactile article of clothing for you or someone you care about.

Through insightful discussions, hands-on activities, and expert instruction, students will work towards a final project: creating their own recycled, embroidered piece.

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The School of Fashion Design is the only educational institution in New England dedicated exclusively to the study of hand-crafted apparel design and construction.

We value the fine craft of a well-made garment and believe that fashion design is a learned skill that can be mastered through education and disciplined practice.

Join us online to learn about our programs and peek inside our studios!

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Established in 1934 and celebrating over 90 years of excellence in fashion education, The School of Fashion Design (SFD) is the only educational institution in New England dedicated exclusively to the study of hand-crafted apparel design and construction.

We value the fine craft of a well-made garment and believe that fashion design is a learned skill that can be mastered through education and disciplined practice.

Renowned for our teaching expertise and technical rigor of our professional skills training, SFD is a private, nonprofit studio school offering our signature Certificate in Fashion Design. SFD also offers year-round creative workshops in various textile arts, as well as a High School fashion program.

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Established in 1793, Lowell’s Boat Shop is the oldest continuously operating boat shop in the United States and is cited as the birthplace of the legendary fishing dory. Lowell’s is the only remaining survivor of Amesbury’s world-renowned dory manufacturing industry that produced in excess of a quarter of a million dories over a period of two centuries. We are a National Historic Landmark.

In its third century of operation, Lowell’s Boat Shop is both a working boat shop and a museum, and the preservation of each part is essential to our mission. We continue to build dories and skiffs for clients in the time-honored tradition of seven generations of the Lowell family that owned and operated the Boat Shop. The rich history of the building, collections, and our role in the community are conveyed through woodworking classes, our Apprentice program, programming for local schools, lively social gatherings, partnerships with other local museums, our YouTube channel, and the fleet of watercraft available for members who row their river.

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The Art Complex Museum is pleased to present a two-person quilt exhibition featuring the work of Ann Brauer and Marge Tucker.

Though distinct in style, both artists push the boundaries of contemporary quilting—Brauer with her luminous, color-driven landscapes and Tucker with bold compositions that balance improvisation and structure. Together, their quilts celebrate innovation, craftsmanship, and the expressive power of fiber art.

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Rooted in childhood memories of Cleveland’s industrial landscape and the burning Cuyahoga River of 1969, Mo Kelman’s sculptures merge water’s shifting forms with the stark geometry of steel and bridges.

Using simple, tactile materials, Kelman explores the tension between nature’s unstoppable force and human engineering.

These works celebrate craft, resilience, and transformation, revealing both the beauty of construction and the inevitability of nature’s power.

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Lisberger has always been interested in combining abstraction and narrative in her work.

20 Walks references the physical memory of her own walks in places at home and around the world. Each piece captures a sense of place along with the memory of a particular personal moment or sight, evoking  a recollection, not telling all the details. This form of abstraction keeps the pieces simpler, more elegant, and hopefully visceral, while always keeping form essential.

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Founded in 1799, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) is the nation’s oldest continuously operating museum, dedicated to celebrating creativity across time, place, and culture.

PEM’s Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026 audio tour curated by Paula Richter, features nearly 30 objects from six galleries. Spanning 500 years, the tour explores how handcraft—from colonial furniture to contemporary textiles—embodies artistry, identity, and the timeless value of making by hand.

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