Archival images and video courtesy of Classic Image / Alamy, GL Archive / Alamy, Historic Collection / Alamy, Science History Images / Alamy, Zip Lexing / Alamy, Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, City of Boston / Produced and Directed by Rashin Fahendej, L’Merchie Frazier, Carolyn Mazloomi, bornreadyfilms / Pond5, Jesse Brown Cook Scrapbooks / University of California, Berkeley Library, Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection / UCLA Library Special Collections.

For more info about Craft in America, visit www.craftinamerica.org.
All Craft in America episodes are viewable on craftinamerica.org, the PBS iPhone/iPad app, and pbs.org/craft-in-america

Craft in America’s mission is to promote and advance original handcrafted work through educational programs in all media.
Support our exploration and celebration of the handmade.
craftinamerica.org/page/donate

M&S Schmalberg Custom Fabric Flowers is a storied, fourth-generation family business that has been handcrafting exquisite fabric flowers in New York City’s Garment District since 1916. As the last remaining factory of its kind in America, they uphold a century-old tradition, utilizing vintage tools and techniques to create custom floral embellishments for high fashion houses, bridal designers, milliners, costume designers for film and Broadway, and stylists worldwide. Their enduring legacy, rooted in the resilience of generations, including a Holocaust survivor, is built on unparalleled craftsmanship and a commitment to producing bespoke, high-quality artificial flowers that have graced runways, red carpets, and significant cultural productions. Bonus video from EAST episode, PBS premiere December 19, 2025.

Images courtesy of Gigi Burris O’Hara.

For more info about Craft in America, visit www.craftinamerica.org.
All Craft in America episodes are viewable on craftinamerica.org, the PBS iPhone/iPad app, and pbs.org/craft-in-america

Craft in America’s mission is to promote and advance original handcrafted work through educational programs in all media.
Support our exploration and celebration of the handmade.
craftinamerica.org/page/donate

Culture bearer Marques Hanalei Marzan talks about the knotting and cordage practices that were used for nets. Feather artist Kawika Lum-Nelmida and Zita Cup Choy, ‘Iolani Palace historian, talks about the kahili, feather standards in the King’s and Queen’s Bedroom. Bonus video from the WEST episode, PBS premiere December 19, 2025.

Images courtesy of Hawaii State Archives, PP-96-11-004, BlackBoxGuild / Pond5.

For more info about Craft in America, visit www.craftinamerica.org.
All Craft in America episodes are viewable on craftinamerica.org, the PBS iPhone/iPad app, and pbs.org/craft-in-america

Craft in America’s mission is to promote and advance original handcrafted work through educational programs in all media.
Support our exploration and celebration of the handmade.
craftinamerica.org/page/donate

Meet rawhide braider Jeff Minor and master engravers and silversmiths at the silversmithing traditional cowboy arts symposium organized by the Idaho Commission on the Arts. Bonus video from the WEST episode, PBS premiere December 19, 2025.

Archival courtesy of William Mullins / Alamy, Trhett / Pond5, Idaho Commission on the Arts, Ernie Marsh, Diane Scalese, David Alderson, Wyatt Cook, hdnaturefootage / Pond5, Traditional Cowboy Arts Association, Scott Hardy / Leslie Hardy photograph, Cary Schwarz, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Wilson Capron / Caleb Royer photograph.

For more info about Craft in America, visit www.craftinamerica.org.
All Craft in America episodes are viewable on craftinamerica.org, the PBS iPhone/iPad app, and pbs.org/craft-in-america

Craft in America’s mission is to promote and advance original handcrafted work through educational programs in all media.
Support our exploration and celebration of the handmade.
craftinamerica.org/page/donate

Artist Daniel McCoy Jr and artist/faculty emerita Linda Lomahaftewa on the IAIA community. Bonus video from the WEST episode, PBS premiere December 19, 2025.

Images courtesy of IAIA Archives, Santa Fe, NM, Institute of American Indian Arts, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Santa Fe, NM, Hecho a Mano gallery & Daniel McCoy Jr.

For more info about Craft in America, visit www.craftinamerica.org.
All Craft in America episodes are viewable on craftinamerica.org, the PBS iPhone/iPad app, and pbs.org/craft-in-america

Craft in America’s mission is to promote and advance original handcrafted work through educational programs in all media.
Support our exploration and celebration of the handmade.
craftinamerica.org/page/donate

The 33rd Rakow Commission was awarded to Rui Sasaki, a Japanese artist and educator who created Liquid Sunshine/I am a Pluviophile. Sasaki uses an array of materials, including resin, ice, light, performance, and especially glass, to highlight subtle aspects of everyday life.

As an itinerant artist, pursuing opportunities around the globe, she has often created work that deals with the slipperiness of the concept of “home” and with the idea of creating spaces of belonging.

Her more recent works address the weather, drawing viewers’ attention to the subtle qualities of sunshine and rain and the emotional states they provoke.

The Corning Museum of Glass has named Brooklyn-based artist Leo Tecosky (b. 1981, USA) the recipient of the 2021 Rakow Commission. Tecosky—an artist who blends hip hop, graffiti, and glass—has made his most ambitious work to date, which is now on view in the Contemporary Art + Design Galleries.

Tecosky is drawn to art forms that blend and layer a range of influences. In graffiti and hip hop, both of which played important roles in his upbringing, Tecosky found forms that allow for and encourage artists to bring together samples and styles from a breadth of different traditions. Using this same approach, his own work brings the building blocks of hip hop—the DJing, MCing, and breakdancing—and the aesthetics of graffiti—the looping letters, arrows, and stars—into the glass shop. The result are highly crafted works that radiate power, intensity, and cool grace.

Fiber Artist Talk by Barbara Danzi in Los Angeles June 28, 2026 at TAG Gallery. Discussing her exhibit of contemporary abstract quilts composed of seemingly hand drawn lines, some traditional quilt history including the American Bicentennial, some whimsical lines of poetry, and acknowledgement of fiber art and quilting communities.

What’s My Line? explores the personality of lines through fabric and stitching. Lines can evoke feelings of power or serenity, a sense of direction, rhythm or abundance. I create the lines by hand cutting solid-colored fabric with gestural arm movements. I stitch the fabric pieces together using my sewing machine, creating seam lines that preserve the look of hand-drawn lines. I then add quilting stitches, either in straight lines or by drawing leaves or other designs which add layers of meaning to each composition. For this exhibit I created whimsical compositions drawn from the cultural and linguistic associations of lines. For nature lovers there is tree line, ridge line, coastline, shoreline. City dwellers will appreciate skyline, powerline, pipeline, trainline, fenceline and lane line. Rounding out the collection are line dance, hemline, line of scrimmage, headline, and since this is LA, “forgot my lines.”

Together, the works consider line as both a visual structure and a cultural metaphor. Quilts are available for sale. Additional quilt photos can be viewed on my website https://barbaradanzi.com

The Corning Museum of Glass has named Boston and Indian -based artist Anjali Srinivasan (b. 1978, India) the recipient of the 2020 Rakow Commission. Anjali Srinivasan’s work draws on her research of sheesh mahal, or mirror palaces, awe-inspiring Mughal-era constructions of glittering glass mosaics. Hear the ways she’s giving this centuries-old craft new life in her work for the Museum.

साँस {Saans} the eyes of the skin سانس is a glittering, interactive mirrored wall that senses viewers and rewards their attention by slowly beginning to breathe back at them.

Anjali’s work is now on view in the Contemporary Art + Design Galleries.

The Corning Museum of Glass selected mixed-media artist Te Rongo Kirkwood (b. 1973, Auckland, New Zealand) as the recipient of the 38th Rakow Commission. The Museum’s Rakow Commission, in its 38th year, supports the creation of a new work in glass by an artist who pushes the boundaries of the material and who is not yet represented in CMoG’s permanent collection.

The Seer, the Seen, the Seeing is a multi-dimensional installation that represents the artist’s most personal series in glass to date. Drawing from Māori weaving practices, Kirkwood has created a kākahu (cloak) made of glass and woven fibers, alongside a Puru hau (sacred ritual vessel) in blown glass.

These two works are central symbolism to a film featuring Kirkwood and her father, set against the backdrop of their ancestral lands at Piha beach on New Zealand’s west coast. The cloak worn by Kirkwood’s father embodies a connection to past, present, and future generations. In the symbolic act of passing it to his daughter, he offers not only the gift of ancestral wisdom and love but also unresolved intergenerational pain inviting her to integrate what she can in her lifetime as part of the ongoing cycle of evolution and transformation.

Check out the virtual tour of FIBERWORKS 2026 juried by Astrid Bennett on view at 108|Contemporary June 5 – July 25, 2026. FIBERWORKS is the member exhibition for Fiber Artists of Oklahoma which honors quality workmanship and original design while educating the public on the many facets of fiber art.

This exhibition is sponsored by the Cecil and Virgie Burton Foundation

Proud Partner of Craft in America’s Handwork 2026 initiative

More exhibition information: https://108contemporary.org/event/fiberworks2026/

Take a walk through Artazan Handcraft Market, a celebration of contemporary craft featuring artists, independent studios, and artisan businesses.

This highlight video captures the atmosphere of the market, showcasing ceramics, jewelry, textiles, woodwork, fine art, home décor, demonstrations, and the creative community that brings the event to life.

Join Kelly as she visits Fire Arts Inc. for their latest exhibit, ‘Flights of Fancy: Art Work from a Whimsical Perspective.’

🎨 Discover how local artists interpret whimsy and fantasy through their unique creations. Don’t miss this captivating journey into the playful side of art!

#FlightsOfFancy  #FireArtsInc  #ExperienceMichiana.

Meet Catie Newell, one of the artists who has made The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass her creative home.

The Studio’s Artist-in-Residence program brings artists from around the world to Corning, NY, giving them uninterrupted time to explore new techniques or push the boundaries of their practice with support from the immense resources of the world’s leading glass museum.

Meet Raghvi Bhatia, one of the artists who has made The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass her creative home.

The Studio’s Artist-in-Residence program brings artists from around the world to Corning, NY, giving them uninterrupted time to explore new techniques or push the boundaries of their practice with support from the immense resources of the world’s leading glass museum.

Meet Cedric Mitchell, one of the artists who has made The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass his creative home.

The Studio’s Artist-in-Residence program brings artists from around the world to Corning, NY, giving them uninterrupted time to explore new techniques or push the boundaries of their practice with support from the immense resources of the world’s leading glass museum.

Meet Victoria Ahamadizadeh Melendez, one of the artists who has made The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass her creative home.

The Studio’s Artist-in-Residence program brings artists from around the world to Corning, NY, giving them uninterrupted time to explore new techniques or push the boundaries of their practice with support from the immense resources of the world’s leading glass museum.

In this recording, rosemaler Louise Bath shares the remarkable artwork and life stories of 15 Vesterheim Gold Medalist rosemalers (Norwegian decorative painting).

Every other year, Vesterheim hosts a judeged show The National Norwegian-American Folk Art Exhibition featuring contemporary artists who create folk art rooted in the Norwegian traditions of rosemaling, woodworking, weaving, metalworking, and knifemaking.

Artists submit work for evaluation by a team of judges, who offer feedback on their entries and award ribbons, which carry points that accumulate toward a Vesterheim Gold Medal. Over 150 artists are now Vesterheim Gold Medalists, and inspiring stories celebrate and uplift Norwegian-American folk art.

Vesterheim’s Chief Curator Laurann Gilbertson examines a fish-shaped sewing kit that is part of Vesterheim’s collection.

The segmented silver fish contains a needle case, bodkin, ear spoon, pencil, and notebook. The fish fits into a wood case that is lined with silk and covered with leather.

The kit belonged to Didrikke Jakobsdatter Aall (1799-1871) of Skien, Telemark, and was brought to the United States in 1862 by her daughter, Christiane Ottesen Hjort (1833-1873). Christiane and husband Rev. Otto Ottesen served Lutheran congregations in northeast Iowa.

Vesterheim collection LC0422 – Fish-shaped Sewing Kit

Explore the past with Jennifer Kovarik, Vesterheim’s Collection Manager, and learn about the history and craftsmanship of this 1908 needlework box with Os-style rosemaling (Norwegian decorative painting).

Vesterheim collection 1988.037.002

Interview with Ceramics Visiting Resident Pierce Haley (Nov 2025-May 2026).

Originally from Orinda, California, Haley’s artistic vision has been significantly shaped by his father’s work as an architect, particularly in modern mid-century architecture. Haley uses a combination of 3-D printing, slip casting, and mold making to create large installations and tessellations.

Visit us at Belgerarts.org to stay updated on our events and future artist talks. Artist talks by Belger Arts are FREE to the public.

https://www.saqa.com/textile-talks-color-context-blue

As a pigment, blue was historically rare and expensive, reserved for those of high status, a symbol of their purity, prosperity, and wealth, but modern chemical dyes now make blue the most commonly used color in fashion, products and packaging. Blue is all around us.

SAQA Global Exhibition Color in Context: Blue provides a diverse interpretation of the color. In this Textile Talk, we view the exhibition and speak with exhibiting artists Stefanie Neuner, Rhoda Bennett, and Jennifer Solon. We’ll also hear about the exhibition premiere at Carrefour – The European Quilt Show.

We meet bootmaker Graham Ebner in Austin, Texas, where he crafts bespoke cowboy boots. He uses traditional bookmaking techniques paired with his creative and original style to tell stories through his custom, high-quality boots. Segment from WEST episode.

WEST celebrates the continuum of heritage and the handmade, taking inspiration from the landscape, history and culture of the American West. Working across cowboy arts, Hawaiian indigenous practices, and Native American handwork, the artists show how traditional craft can be revived, reworked and reinvented in the art of today.

The featured artists and institutions include Graham Ebner, Institute of American Indian Arts, Poakalani Quilters, Hōkūleʻa/Polynesian Voyaging Society, Marques Hanalei Marzan, Kawika Lum-Nelmida, Bishop Museum, and Cary Schwarz.

For more info about Craft in America, visit www.craftinamerica.org.
All Craft in America episodes are viewable on craftinamerica.org, the PBS iPhone/iPad app, and pbs.org/craft-in-america

Craft in America’s mission is to promote and advance original handcrafted work through educational programs in all media.
Support our exploration and celebration of the handmade.
craftinamerica.org/page/donate

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