To celebrate American craft during the country’s 250th birthday, Los Angeles–based Craft in America partnered with the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum to spearhead Handwork 2026, a yearlong initiative that includes new TV episodes, a book, craft tourism, a national exhibition, and much more.
Major partners, including the American Craft Council, Americans for the Arts, the Craft Emergency Relief Fund, PBS, and Ornament magazine, will help to organize and promote the initiative. More than 200 smaller regional craft museums and organizations will also participate in programming throughout the year.
“Craft is not nostalgic. Craft is alive,” says Carol Sauvion, founder of Craft in America. “That’s something we can be very proud of in our country.”
The initiative recalls 1993’s Year of American Craft, when Michael Monroe, then the chief curator of the Renwick, gathered 75 craft objects for display in the White House and brought the likes of Sam Maloof and Dale Chihuly into the storied building.
Visual arts consultant Harriett Green, who is an American Craft Council trustee, suggested doing something similar for the country’s semiquincentennial in 2026. Why not a full year of celebration of the craft that made—and continues to shape— the United States? Here’s what you can look forward to.
TV and Video. Starting in December, a four-part television documentary produced by the team behind the PBS program Craft in America will air on PBS and online, aiming to capture the full range of craft in the US. Three separate video initiatives—Handmade America, Craft Across America, and CraftingHistory—will also stream on PBS, YouTube, and Craft in America’s website.
A Book. Handwork 2026, to be published in spring 2026 by Monacelli Press, will feature under-told stories about craft histories, artists, materials, and processes.
Residencies and Education. Handwork 2026 artist residencies at select universities are being funded by the Windgate Foundation. Dr. Marilyn Stewart, an arts educator and textbook author, will oversee the creation of a curriculum for K–12 students that will “take a wide look at the history, cultural traditions, and impact of craft in the United States, from Indigenous origins until today,” according to organizers.
An Exhibition. The capstone of the project will be an exhibition at the Renwick Gallery, opening in November 2026, which will draw on the Smithsonian’s permanent collection and include 10 objects acquired specifically for the show. The exhibition will tour the country beginning in 2027.
Regional Programming. Organizers also hope to connect Americans to the country’s craft history through programming with regional partners. In Houston and upstate New York, for example, neighboring organizations plan to offer “craft trails,” where people can visit a handful of craft sites over a weekend.
Ultimately, the goal is to deepen Americans’ appreciation of the craft artists, materials, and processes that have shaped the country in its past 250 years, divided as the country may now be.
“Craft is unifying and craft is gratifying, and there aren’t many things in this world that have those two traits,” says Sauvion.
Shivaun Watchorn is associate editor of American Craft.
Philadelphia potter Roberto Lugo will appear in “East,” a special episode of Craft in America.
