I’m sitting here at my first American Craft Show in breezy San Francisco, surrounded by throngs of shoppers, artists, makers, and fans. I’m feeling enthusiasm, curiosity, and a whole lot of energy, and I have to tell you, it is thrilling.

You may have read the recent personal commentary by Monica Moses on NBC’s new show Making It. It reflects just one of the many perspectives out there about craft and craftspeople.

This is the kind of lively discussion we have all the time at the American Craft Council: What does craft look like today, what do we mean by craftsmanship, what’s the role of the maker, and what are the differences between art and craft and design? 

The American Craft Council does not have a carved-in-stone definition of what “craft” is – nor would we want one.

Craft is an arena of making and creativity that is continuously evolving, wildly dynamic, and ranges from picking up a glue gun to mastering repoussé (the technique of hammering metal from the reverse side – something I just discovered).

In fact, our upcoming October/November issue of American Craft has a feature on the subject of “What is Craft?” It includes a wide range of perspectives from a diverse group of people.

One thing we do know for sure: Craft inflames peoples’ passions. And we love and embrace that. Let’s keep the conversation going.