Remembering the “Craft-Ins”
Remembering the “Craft-Ins”
Kids participate in a macrame class at ACC's 1971 Craft-In, the first in a series of back-to-the-land gatherings held in Colorado.
When I think of ritual, I think of a ceremony or gathering held in a specific place. Even more, the term seems to encompass long-held traditions built around activities, objects, and materials. In July 1971, the South Central Regional Assembly of the American Craft Council held the first of several back-to-the-land gatherings in Colorado. It was designated a “Craft-In,” in reference to the sit-ins of anti–Vietnam War activists. The purpose of the event was to revert to the more elemental “in order to open windows to the beauties around us,” according to promotional materials, putting participants in touch with nature and stimulating creativity.
The first Craft-In, held in Steamboat Springs, was open to all craftspeople and their families, with volunteers from among the 400 attendees leading the activity sessions. Jewelry artists were invited to create pieces from plant materials or found objects, or they could pan for gold and extract metal from ores found in the area. Weavers shared knowledge of spinning with drop spindles or extracting fibers from stems, bark, and leaves. Dyers worked with local plants, producing an array of colors. Potters gathered local clay and improvised glaze materials from crushed ore. The Pete and Martina Aquino family of San Juan Pueblo—now known as Okhay Owingeh— demonstrated their pottery-making techniques, which included firing in a hand-built dung kiln.
At the second Craft-In, held in Breckenridge in 1972, the Aquino family returned, along with weavers Grace Bitz (Diné) and Lorissa Payne (Tohono O’odham). At least two additional Craft-In events were held in Colorado, in 1973 and 1975. Stripping away access to studios, supplies, and fine tools, Craft-In participants shared in gathering materials, simplifying processes, and enjoying the community of making.
These historical events and others are documented in the ACC Library & Archives at craftcouncil.org/Library/The-Archives, and in the ACC Digital Collections at digital.craftcouncil.org.
About the ACC Library
The American Craft Council Library & Archives in Minneapolis contains the country’s most comprehensive archive of contemporary American craft history, with more than 20,000 print publications, files on nearly 4,000 craft artists, four major archival collections, and a robust digital collection. For information about joining the Friends of the ACC Library & Archives, contact ACC Executive Director Andrea Specht at [email protected].
