Craft in America

Arts and Music Series / 16 Seasons

Craft in America explores the vitality, history and significance of the craft movement in the United States and its impact on our nation's rich cultural heritage. Capturing the beauty, creativity and originality of craftsmanship, the film highlights artists and explores the inter-relationship of what they do, how they do it and why they have chosen a life of creating art.

53m 27s

Artist John Luebtow

10m 55s

John Luebtow is a glass sculptor and teacher. He introduces us to the founder of the modern kindergarten, Friedrich Froebel, and how Froebel’s geometric “gifts” inspired John and generations of other artists. Segment from SCIENCE episode

Quilt artist Karen Nyberg

6m 35s

Former NASA astronaut and quilter Karen Nyberg brought quilting to the International Space Station and inspired the international quilting challenge that connected makers from all over the world. Now retired from NASA, Karen continues to create art inspired by space and science. Segment from SCIENCE episode

Ceramic artist Joan Takayama-Ogawa

8m 38s

Ceramic artist Joan Takayama-Ogawa is a professor at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, California. Joan uses her work in clay to respond to the ongoing climate emergency. Segment from SCIENCE episode

Erik & Martin Demaine

10m 56s

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Erik and Martin Demaine combine math with art. Erik is an MIT professor of computer science and the father-son team takes inspiration from their research to create unique curved-crease origami sculptures from folded paper. Segment from SCIENCE episode

Feather artist Chris Maynard

7m 29s

Chris Maynard creates intricate art entirely from bird feathers. Inspired by his love of the natural world and his background as a biologist, Chris hopes to give people a new perspective on nature through his art. Segment from SCIENCE episode

Meet the artists in Cheech Marin's Chicano Art collection

8m 42s

Learn more about the artists in Cheech Marin's Chicano Art collection, Jaime "Germs" Zacarias, Yolanda González, and Francisco Palomares, featured in the COLLECTORS episode

See more of Erik and Martin Demaine's sculptures

4m 47s

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Erik and Martin Demaine combine math with art. Erik is an MIT professor of computer science and the father-son team takes inspiration from their research to create unique curved-crease origami sculptures from folded paper.

COLLECTORS episode preview

58s

COLLECTORS reveals the essential role that craft appreciators play in the community, examining how collectors affirm and inspire the artists they support. The episode highlights collections from Chicano art to teapots to wooden spoons, looking at what drives collectors and how their support furthers artists at all stages of their careers.

SCIENCE episode preview

1m

SCIENCE investigates the unexpected intersection between art and the sciences, spanning technology, engineering, biology, math, and the climate emergency. Nature, space, algorithms, and more serve as inspiration for artists connecting their work to the world around them, from the Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico to the computer science labs of MIT to NASA.

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