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

INSPIRATION preview

1m 1s

Watch a 1 minute preview of the INSPIRATION episode. INSPIRATION reveals the magic and influence of craft. Featuring the Saar family (Betye Saar, Alison Saar, and Maddy Leeser), Simon Rodia and Watts Towers, Diedrick Brackens, Ayumi Horie, Suzanne Thao, Mandora Young, Tousue Vang, Chef Yia Vang, and Mary Little. Streaming in Nov 2022 and on PBS broadcast Dec 16, 2022

Ojibwe artist Biskakone Greg Johnson

9m 47s

Greg Johnson is an Ojibwe tribal member, cultural practitioner, and educator committed to learning and teaching the traditional methods and crafts of the Ojibwe people. He has mastered the crafts of cedar bark mat weaving, beadwork, weaving winnowing baskets, and winter bark basket making, moccasin sewing, and canoe building. Segment from the HOME episode

Potter Ayumi Horie

7m 56s

Ayumi Horie is a studio potter living and working in Portland, Maine. Her work often includes drawings of animals or other images that seek to provoke an emotional response, explore individual vulnerability, and deepen the connection between people and their communities. Segment from the INSPIRATION episode

Alison Saar, Betye Saar, Maddy Leeser

10m 5s

Meet the Saar family of artists, Alison Saar, Betye Saar, and Maddy Leeser, inspired by Simon Rodia's Watts Towers. Through her practice, Alison Saar explores a multitude of themes, including gender, race, and spirituality from personal, societal, and historical perspectives, a deep understanding of materiality and craft, and her work is often rooted in folk art traditions.

Weaver Diedrick Brackens

10m 53s

Weaver Diedrick Brackens is best known for his woven tapestries that explore themes of African American and queer identity, American history, as well as his own lived experience. Influenced by African and African American literature, poetry, and folklore, Brackens imbues his weavings with a fantastical spirit, while poignantly bridging past and present. Segment from the INSPIRATION episode

Ceramic artist Syd Carpenter

11m 12s

Sculptor Syd Carpenter is an artist and professor. Her Groundbreaking Farm Series, clay sculptures that mix nature and African American culture, reflect the history of African American land ownership in the South after the Civil War and going forward to today. Segment from the HOME episode

Hmong Paj Ntaub

10m 31s

Meet Hmong Paj Ntaub artists Suzanne Thao and Mandora Young, Hmong artist Tousue Vang, and Hmong Chef Yia Vang. Learn how the ancient practice of Paj Ntaub embroidery is an artistic and economic foundation for the Hmong people. Segment from the INSPIRATION episode

Ojibwe artist Biskakone Greg Johnson on the waganogan

1m 32s

Ojibwe artist Biskakone Greg Johnson on the waganogan his community built based on an old photograph. Bonus video from HOME episode. Archival image courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society, WHI-(23743).

Wharton Esherick's Bedroom Trap Door and Desk

1m 41s

Holly Gore, Research Director at the Wharton Esherick Museum on Wharton Esherick's Bedroom Trap Door and Desk. Bonus video from HOME episode. PBS broadcast premiere Dec 16, 2022 (check local listings)

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