Carolyn Mazloomi’s practice is deeply rooted in social documentation and activism. As the founder of the Women of Color Quilters Network and the African American Quilt Guild, Mazloomi has been instrumental in shaping the national discourse regarding quilting as a respected contemporary art form, belonging in the Artistic canon.

“Quilts possess a fundamental human imprint as the fabric itself holds the touch, time, labor, and stories of the lives depicted. Textiles have an inherent humanity. The histories of the people I portray are sewn into the fabric itself. My works speak on behalf of those whose voices might otherwise go unheard”.     – C. Mazloomi

 

Video credit: Daniel Morrison

C. Beck is a portrait of the artist, Charles Beck, created by Deb Wallwork and Mike Hazard.

We see Beck at work in his studio in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and painting in the countryside nearby. He speaks about the patterns of nature, the beauty of art, and scavenging materials. We see Beck chopping wood, carving a woodblock for a new woodcut, and speaking about seeing things.

In the film he hangs a new print of a tulip�a subject he had never been interested in before–saying, “We just had a couple tulips out there that Joyce had gotten. I happened to look inside one and boy, it was like an art exhibit, just looking inside of a tulip. Just beautiful. Of course, I simplified it quite a bit.”

This portrait has been created with support from Charles and Joyce Beck, James O’Rourke, Les Skoropat, Mark Strand, Jonathan Harper, Ken Friberg, Amy Sharpe, Bob Carls, Red Eye Video, The Center for International Education, and Thom Tammaro.

Praises and Prizes

Grand Prize Winner of the Independent Lens Online Shorts Festival and nationally telecast on PBS by the Independent Television Service (ITVS)

“The video is a lovely rendering of Charlie’s demeanor and temperament.” –Thom Tammaro, writer

“It’s beautiful. I envy you the ability to make a short and complete work like that.” –George Stoney, filmmaker

Marcus Mitchell, former Making Whole apprentice turned concrete lead and mentor, shares a portion of his recovery story and speaks to the magic this program can offer when you both surrender and commit to the process.

Neon artists Meryl Pataky and Kelsey Issel bend glass to its limits in this year’s edition of The Rockwell Museum’s Antigravity installation. A site-specific work of art created for the Museum’s rotunda, Pataky and Issel, founders of the neon workers collective, She Bends, True Gravity references textiles and investigates the idea of “true gravity:” a condition in which the body yields to what the material and the environment already intend.

Working within tensions of hard and soft, control and happenstance, and isolation and interdependence, Pataky and Issel’s sculptural neon invites the viewer to rethink the potential of glass and light.

As part of their week-long residency to install at The Rockwell Museum, Pataky and Issel were invited to the Corning Museum of Glass’s Amphitheater Hot Shop, allowing them to experiment with new techniques that bring their artistic vision to life in glass. See this installation at The Rockwell Museum in Corning, NY through March 2027.

Explore the artistic process and inspiration of textile artist Holly Guertin in this PA Fibershed Meet the Makers member highlight. Here, Guertin is working on artworks that are included in her debut solo exhibition, Hand in Hand, at Waterworks Visual Arts Center with Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026 by Craft in America.

This video series by PA Fibershed offers an in-depth look at Pennsylvania’s textile value chain, sustainable textiles, and the growing movement to rebuild a local, regenerative fiber economy. Discover how makers like Holly are reimagining textile design through upcycling, natural fibers, and circular fashion practices, while actively contributing to a more resilient and regionally based textile system.

Explore Holly’s work:https://hollyguertin.com/

Learn more about PA Fibershed: https://pafibershed.org/

An intimate look at a creative partnership decades in the making, this Exhibition Insights episode explores the life, work, and legacy of George and David Lewis. Reflecting on their journey from the 1980s to today, the episode highlights how their shared passions—for art, gardens, architectural history, and water features—grew into a deeply rooted creative practice.

Through personal reflections and a look at their iconic designs and sculptures, we step into their artistic process and enduring partnership. Tied to their retrospective “Deeply Rooted,” this episode honors not only their body of work, but their lasting impact on the Bainbridge Island community and beyond.

Amid the rack and clatter of floor looms turning spooled fibers into yards of colorful cloth, spirited voices rise over the din at the Hartford Artisans Weaving Center.

Artisans with visual impairment, including those who have totally lost their sight, and people over the age of 55 practice this daunting skill of hand weaving in a community of like-minded individuals who love the craft.

In this short video, Hannah and Alana of Nicholson van Altena Glass create a California Poppy Vessel from their Cactus Vessel Series. During the video, Alana explains how the women began their journey in glass and what they hope to achieve with their artwork.

Artist Nancy Cohen reflects on her career in hand papermaking and discusses her artistic process, as part of the exhibition Legacies in Paper.

Legacies in Paper is an exhibit celebrating the lifelong exploration of hand papermaking in the artworks of Nancy Cohen, Sara Garden Armstrong, and Helen Hiebert, significant pioneers in developing paper as an artistic and sculptural medium.

Legacies in Paper was on display at the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking in Atlanta, GA from September 4, 2025 – January 30, 2026.

“Nordic Echoes: Tradition in Contemporary Art” is a traveling exhibit at Scandinavia House in New York City, New York, shedding light on Upper Midwest artists preserving Nordic folk arts and cultural traditions. The exhibit will travel through the six upper midwestern states and feature 24 contemporary artists whose works are informed by Nordic traditions in nature and innovative in other ways.

The American Scandinavian Foundation, whose mission is to foster understanding between the Nordic countries, opened, in 2000, Scandinavia House, which is where the exhibition takes place. The exhibit aims to engage and interest people in preserving and learning these traditions.

In this short video you will discover the signature process for making an Aquascape Glass sculpture created by artist Sean Free Alcala. Sean is a second generation glass artist who has been working with glass for over twenty years and aims to capture the flow of water within his dynamic glass forms. His technique combines glass fusing principles and kiln-casting techniques, as well as various hot glass elements. This video also shows different cold working tools that can be used to shape, polishing and  finish glass sculptures. The three dimensional sculpture is a unique example of how glass can capture color, form and interior composition.

Visit Sean at booth #9 at the fabulous ACGA Clay & Glass Festival coming back to the Palo Alto Art Center the weekend of July 11-12, 2026, with 130+ of California’s most celebrated artists.

Come for the art, stay for the Throwdown and demos. Valet parking, food trucks, and Clay for All.More information at link in bio.

Featured: Sean Alcala:  https://alcaladesigns.com

@paloaltoartcenter  @theacga #craftinamerica #handwork2026

108|Contemporary presents the virtual tour of the FiberWorks 2024 exhibition.

FiberWorks 2024 was held at 108|Contemporary June 7 – July 20, 2024 and showcases a variety of work by Oklahoma fiber artists. Juried by Shin-hee Chin, this eclectic exhibition honors quality workmanship and original design and features work by members of the Fiber Artists of Oklahoma guild.

For more information visit: https://108contemporary.org/event/fiberworks-2024/

An intimate look at a creative partnership decades in the making, this Exhibition Insights episode explores the life, work, and legacy of George and David Lewis. Reflecting on their journey from the 1980s to today, the episode highlights how their shared passions—for art, gardens, architectural history, and water features—grew into a deeply rooted creative practice.

Through personal reflections and a look at their iconic designs and sculptures, we step into their artistic process and enduring partnership. Tied to their retrospective “Deeply Rooted,” this episode honors not only their body of work, but their lasting impact on the Bainbridge Island community and beyond.

Artist Helen Hiebert reflects on her career in hand papermaking and and discusses her artistic process, as part of the exhibition Legacies in Paper.

Legacies in Paper is an exhibit celebrating the lifelong exploration of hand papermaking in the artworks of Nancy Cohen, Sara Garden Armstrong, and Helen Hiebert, significant pioneers in developing paper as an artistic and sculptural medium.

Legacies in Paper was on display at the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking in Atlanta, GA from September 4, 2025 – January 30, 2026.

108|Contemporary presents the Virtual Tour of Alicia Kelly’s solo exhibition, “Roughly Right” on view February 6 – March 21, 2026.

Roughly Right infuses the act of turning process into ritual, repetition into meditation, and soft shadows into alternative architecture. Sitting at the intersection of drawing and sculpture, this exhibition emphasizes the importance of the handmade wavering line and the conversation between layers of paper, pattern and body.

More information can be found at 108contemporary.org

Artist Nancy Cohen reflects on her career in hand papermaking and discusses her artistic process, as part of the exhibition Legacies in Paper.

Legacies in Paper is an exhibit celebrating the lifelong exploration of hand papermaking in the artworks of Nancy Cohen, Sara Garden Armstrong, and Helen Hiebert, significant pioneers in developing paper as an artistic and sculptural medium.

Legacies in Paper was on display at the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking in Atlanta, GA from September 4, 2025 – January 30, 2026.

Neon artists Meryl Pataky and Kelsey Issel bend glass to its limits in this year’s edition of The Rockwell Museum’s Antigravity installation. A site-specific work of art created for the Museum’s rotunda, Pataky and Issel, founders of the neon workers collective, She Bends, True Gravity references textiles and investigates the idea of “true gravity:” a condition in which the body yields to what the material and the environment already intend.

Working within tensions of hard and soft, control and happenstance, and isolation and interdependence, Pataky and Issel’s sculptural neon invites the viewer to rethink the potential of glass and light.

As part of their week-long residency to install at The Rockwell Museum, Pataky and Issel were invited to the Corning Museum of Glass’s Amphitheater Hot Shop, allowing them to experiment with new techniques that bring their artistic vision to life in glass. See this installation at The Rockwell Museum in Corning, NY through March 2027.

Baltimore Clayworks is a community-centered ceramics institution in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Our organization was founded by nine artists in 1980 and in 1984 received its nonprofit 501(c)3 status.

We are known for our attentiveness to our city, and possess a national and international reputation for artistic excellence, artists’ support, and community involvement. We envision a welcoming and creative community where all people can access and experience joy through clay.

Our mission is to develop, sustain, and promote an artist-centered community that provides outstanding educational, artistic, and collaborative programs in the ceramic arts. Its core values are artist-centeredness, excellence, inclusivity, integrity, and joy.

Watch as we take you inside the studios—and the vibrant community—of Pittsburgh Glass Center, located in Pittsburgh’s East End.

Celebrating 25 years in 2026, Pittsburgh Glass Center (PGC) is a nonprofit, public access glass art center where anyone can take classes, explore the contemporary glass gallery, shop for glass gifts, and watch live glassblowing demonstrations.

Since its opening, PGC has educated over 750,000 individuals, contributed to the ongoing development of the city’s East End, and made Pittsburgh a significant hub in the international studio glass community. A multimillion-dollar expansion in 2024 nearly doubled its capacity, allowing it to meet the increasing demand for glass programs and studios.

PGC continues to cultivate an inclusive and welcoming environment that encourages everyone, from the casually curious to the master artist, to learn, create, and be inspired by glass.

25 years: Still Glowing, Still Growing

Celebrating and documenting 40 years of collaboration and friendship, this video tells the tale of South Shore Stitchers Quilt Guild through interviews with many of its members.  This includes some of its Charter Members who joined in 1985.  The guild has a long history of doing charity work as well as providing education to local people, including children.

We have an annual Sew-In on International Quilt Day, which is the third Saturday in March.  We have monthly Comfort Quilt workshops where members and friends make quilts for children and shared with local law enforcement, hospitals, and other places where children may be in need.  We also make Adult Clothing Covers (bibs) for nursing homes, wheelchair & walker bags, pillow cases that we donate to Ryan’s Case for Smiles, and we make Fidget Quilts for dementia patients and children with learning disabilities.  We have monthly meetings with speakers or other programs to benefit our members so they can share their talents with others.  Many of our members are involved in the South Jersey Chapter of Quilts of Valor, too.

We also have a biennial quilt show where we display to the public over 200 pieces of our work, as well as hourly demonstrations of quilting techniques, lots of shopping opportunities, and special exhibits where we invite related groups to feature the work that they do.

The Workhouse Arts Center, a historic landmark transformed into a thriving hub for contemporary art and craft. We invite viewers to explore our dynamic campus, where the “handwork” of 2026 comes alive through professional artist studios, immersive exhibitions, and hands-on art and craft education programs.

From intricate technical demonstrations to the broad variety of our public attractions, our mission is to foster a diverse and accessible community for the arts in America.

Carolyn Mazloomi’s practice is deeply rooted in social documentation and activism. As the founder of the Women of Color Quilters Network and the African American Quilt Guild, Mazloomi has been instrumental in shaping the national discourse regarding quilting as a respected contemporary art form, belonging in the Artistic canon.

“Quilts possess a fundamental human imprint as the fabric itself holds the touch, time, labor, and stories of the lives depicted. Textiles have an inherent humanity. The histories of the people I portray are sewn into the fabric itself. My works speak on behalf of those whose voices might otherwise go unheard”.     – C. Mazloomi

 

Video credit: Daniel Morrison

M&S Schmalberg Flowers

A glimpse into the handmade process at M&S Schmalberg, the last remaining fabric flower factory in the United States. Starting with a simple piece of fabric, the video follows the transformation through vintage die cutting, embossing, and hand assembly, ending with a finished flower made entirely by hand in New York City.

In this short video, Hannah and Alana of Nicholson van Altena Glass create a California Poppy Vessel from their Cactus Vessel Series. During the video, Alana explains how the women began their journey in glass and what they hope to achieve with their artwork.

The Workhouse Arts Center, a historic landmark transformed into a thriving hub for contemporary art and craft. We invite viewers to explore our dynamic campus, where the “handwork” of 2026 comes alive through professional artist studios, immersive exhibitions, and hands-on art and craft education programs.

From intricate technical demonstrations to the broad variety of our public attractions, our mission is to foster a diverse and accessible community for the arts in America.

Watch as we take you inside the studios—and the vibrant community—of Pittsburgh Glass Center, located in Pittsburgh’s East End.

Celebrating 25 years in 2026, Pittsburgh Glass Center (PGC) is a nonprofit, public access glass art center where anyone can take classes, explore the contemporary glass gallery, shop for glass gifts, and watch live glassblowing demonstrations.

Since its opening, PGC has educated over 750,000 individuals, contributed to the ongoing development of the city’s East End, and made Pittsburgh a significant hub in the international studio glass community. A multimillion-dollar expansion in 2024 nearly doubled its capacity, allowing it to meet the increasing demand for glass programs and studios.

PGC continues to cultivate an inclusive and welcoming environment that encourages everyone, from the casually curious to the master artist, to learn, create, and be inspired by glass.

25 years: Still Glowing, Still Growing

This video highlights the breadth of opportunities available in Pittsburgh, PA to see, make, and buy craft.

Baltimore Clayworks is a community-centered ceramics institution in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Our organization was founded by nine artists in 1980 and in 1984 received its nonprofit 501(c)3 status.

We are known for our attentiveness to our city, and possess a national and international reputation for artistic excellence, artists’ support, and community involvement. We envision a welcoming and creative community where all people can access and experience joy through clay.

Our mission is to develop, sustain, and promote an artist-centered community that provides outstanding educational, artistic, and collaborative programs in the ceramic arts. Its core values are artist-centeredness, excellence, inclusivity, integrity, and joy.

In this short video, Hannah and Alana of Nicholson van Altena Glass create a California Poppy Vessel from their Cactus Vessel Series. During the video, Alana explains how the women began their journey in glass and what they hope to achieve with their artwork.

Nest is a nonprofit that understands the importance of handcraft and the meaning it can hold for every life it touches. By uplifting and investing in diverse artisans, their stories, and their handcraft, Nest creates ripples of impact that ensure the world is not only more beautiful, but more equitable and sustainable too.

Informed by artisan and maker perspectives, Nest’s programs are thoughtfully designed to prepare creative entrepreneurs with the training, resources, and opportunities they need to grow and sustain their businesses. And, the best part is – all are provided at no cost for makers and artisans ensuring accessibility, equitable, and sustainable access!

Visit buildanest.org to learn more!

Lowell’s Boat Shop builds and restores wooden boats for clients as we’ve done since 1793, but we also teach a variety of classes to welcome both beginners and experienced woodworkers who want to hone their skills. The week-long class for adults featured in this video is “Building the Peapod Dory“, and we look to give each student the opportunity to put their hand in every step of the building process as the boat comes together.

Other classes we’ve had in the recent past include make-your-own charcuterie board, building a toolbox, basic navigation on the water, and building a kid-sized rocking boat (similar to a rocking horse).

Whether you’re drawn to history, design, food, language, or simply a beautiful place to spend an afternoon, the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis has something for you. Explore the stunning Turnblad Mansion, one of the most remarkable historic homes in the Midwest. Wander through world-class Nordic design exhibitions. Savor Scandinavian-inspired dishes at our café. Browse unique gifts and books in the shop. Join a class, attend a festival, or simply soak in the architecture.

ASI is a gathering place for curious minds, culture lovers, families, and anyone eager to explore the connections between Scandinavian heritage and the world we share today. Open to all — members and first-time visitors alike.

Come see what’s waiting for you.

Baltimore Clayworks is a community-centered ceramics institution in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Our organization was founded by nine artists in 1980 and in 1984 received its nonprofit 501(c)3 status.

We are known for our attentiveness to our city, and possess a national and international reputation for artistic excellence, artists’ support, and community involvement. We envision a welcoming and creative community where all people can access and experience joy through clay.

Our mission is to develop, sustain, and promote an artist-centered community that provides outstanding educational, artistic, and collaborative programs in the ceramic arts. Its core values are artist-centeredness, excellence, inclusivity, integrity, and joy.

Explore the handmade and embrace your inner maker with hands-on workshops, meet-ups, and lectures on the past, present, and future of Nordic handcraft at the American Swedish Institute.

These programs invite makers of all backgrounds to build community, practice folk arts, and share innovative and creative approaches to woodcarving, basketry, textiles, and more, inspired by the Swedish tradition of slöjd.

M&S Schmalberg Flowers

A glimpse into the handmade process at M&S Schmalberg, the last remaining fabric flower factory in the United States. Starting with a simple piece of fabric, the video follows the transformation through vintage die cutting, embossing, and hand assembly, ending with a finished flower made entirely by hand in New York City.

Learn more about the art of grannlåtsbroderi, a traditional Swedish embroidery technique that translates to “finery embroidery,” with visiting instructor Emma Ewadotter.

Hear Emma’s inspiration behind her art, how it connects to her Swedish heritage, and the importance of playfulness in the process of creating art.

“I incorporate everything that glitters and shimmers into my embroidery because life is too dull without it.”
— Emma Ewadotter