Craft in America

Carol Sauvion and the crew of Craft in America at the 67th Annual Peabody Awards

In 2005, with grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the support of private donors, filming began for three one-hour television documentaries on American craft.[2] Craft in America, the Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning[3] PBS television documentary series of the same name premiered in 2007. Now in its thirteenth year, the twenty second and twenty third episodes air December 27, 2019.[4]

Each episode takes viewers inside the homes and studios of skilled makers, who speak of the creative process—in their own words—as finely crafted works emerge from their hands. Thus far, over two hundred artists have been filmed including MacArthur Fellows beadworker Joyce J. Scott,[5] woodworker Sam Maloof,[6] and blacksmith Tom Joyce.[7] Other artists include birch bark basket maker Dona Look,[8] and Mira Nakashima,[9] daughter of furniture maker George Nakashima. Additionally, episodes have highlighted numerous schools and craft institutions committed to advancing and preserving American crafts such as Pilchuck Glass School, Pewabic Pottery, Penland School of Crafts, North Bennet Street School and The Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum. The series is notable for its diversity of native and multi-cultural craft artists as well as more widely recognized practitioners.[10]

The episodes "Borders" and "Neighbors", cross the southern boundary of the United States for the first time to focus on our shared history and influence upon each other. This was an outcome of Craft in America's participation in Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA,[11] the Getty's ambitious exploration of Latin American and Latino art in dialogue with the city of Los Angeles, California. Producer/Director Carol Sauvion describes these episodes as carrying a message about international relations, and cross-cultural exchanges that affirms – that there are no borders in art.[12]

"Borders" takes viewers across the Mexico border, and back again, to explore the connections and influences between Mexican and American craft artists. It visits Mexican master altar maker Ofelia Esparza, the Mexican celebration Day of the Dead, American artist Kiff Slemmons and many others artists forging unique and ongoing cultural exchanges.[13]

"Neighbors" brings viewers across the southern border of the United States to meet Mexican ceramic artists Carlomagno Pedro Martínez, Magdalena Pedro Martínez, and the work of American silver designer William Spratling. It explores the cross-fertilization between Mexican craft artists and their neighboring American craft artists such as muralist Judy Baca and Social and Public Art Resource Center in Venice, California.[14]

Additional projects include establishment of the Craft in America Study Center in Los Angeles, California [15] to extend the reach of the documentary series by hosting artist talks, curating exhibitions, authoring books, maintaining an archival library of books, magazines, DVDs and video footage on craft, and an extensive website with further information on artists and craft organizations nationwide. Education Guides are linked to each episode for use in classrooms.,[16][17][18] And, various other resources to further knowledge of crafts, and inspire viewers, artists, researchers and others.

• Lauria, Jo; Fenton, Steve (2007). Craft in America : celebrating two centuries of artists and objects : [... companion to the Craft in America PBS television series and to the traveling museum exhibition of the same name] (1st ed.). New York: Clarkson Potter. ISBN 978-0307346476.

• Official website