Where is the meditative, convivial space to welcome new ideas and create future collaborations around craft? Find it at the Sky High Facility for Creative Work, which is making its debut at “Present Tense: 2019.” This space is the realization of ACC founder Aileen Osborn Webb’s vision for a “facility more difficult to describe… for its output cannot be known or scheduled. Its success will come from creative thinking in the form of writing, books, essays, special research, or new plans, which will relate society and the arts… in a happy harmony.”

The Sky High Facility for Creative Work features three uniquely-designed spaces where we will come together to research, brainstorm, and present our ideas about craft’s relevance in an increasingly tense and complex present. Here is what you will find in each area:

Pod 1: The Bureau of Craft Information
Who is writing what about craft? Presented in partnership with Schiffer Publishing, this space is a place to engage with contemporary publications and historic archival material on craft practice, theory, critical discourse, and more throughout the conference.

Pod 2: Object Stories
What are the perceived values we place on handmade objects in contemporary life? Sarah Rachel Brown will be recording her award-winning podcast, Perceived Value, on-site. She’ll be asking artists and creative professionals about their careers, personal lives, failures, accomplishments, and how they make it all happen. Listen in and get inspired.

This space will also be home to a unique participatory platform for sharing stories. What objects are important to you? Similar to lightning talks, selected attendees will have nine minutes to talk about their object as an object (descriptive), my object (personal), and the object (generative and catalytic).

Pod 3: “Tense Present: Makers on Making in America”
This new exhibition curated by ACC emerging scholar Sarah Darro showcases ACC’s 2019 Emerging Voices Award winners. “Tense Present: Makers on Making in America” reflects on contemporary American life as told by and about the object makers themselves. Emerging Voices Awards are given biennially in recognition and support of the next generation of makers and thinkers in the field. Learn more about the recipients here. 

Visit craftcouncil.org/conference for more information and registration.