Craft in America

Arts and Music Series / 15 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

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.

Lloyd Cotsen's collections

5m 22s

Learn about Lloyd Cotsen's collections, which include Chinese bronze mirrors, textiles, folk art, and Japanese baskets. Lloyd Cotsen founded the Cotsen Children’s Library at Princeton University, which houses Cotsen’s vast collection of children’s books from around the world. Bonus video from the PLAY episode

Epsi Frazier's work at JELMA

1m 16s

Artist, puppeteer, museum educator Schroeder Cherry on his role as curator at the James E. Lewis Museum of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, where he invites artist Espi Frazier to show her work in the gallery. Bonus video from PLAY episode

Mark Murphy shows us his miniature furniture

2m 19s

Miniaturist Mark Murphy shows us his miniature 1/12th scale furniture made in collaboration with Annelle Ferguson, Lee-Ann Wessel, Mary Grady O'Brien, and Pat Richards. Bonus video from the MINIATURES episode, now streaming on the PBS App, pbs.org/craftinamerica, and craftinamerica.org. PBS broadcast premiere December 29, 2023 (check local listings).

International Folk Art Market basket weaver

1m 57s

International Folk Art Market CEO Melissa Mann on the market and master weaver Nelsiwe Dlamini, representing her women's collective from Eswatini, on how participating in the market has changed her life. Bonus video from the MINIATURES episode, now streaming on the PBS App, pbs.org/craftinamerica, and craftinamerica.org. PBS broadcast premiere December 29, 2023 (check local listings).

Puppeteering the snow leopard at Noah's Ark

1m 47s

Kinetic designer and puppeteer Chris Green works with Skirball Cultural Center Noah's Ark supervisors and educators, Kelsey Kato and Jacqueline Rivera, as they puppeteer a snow leopard. Bonus video from PLAY, now streaming on PBS App, pbs.org/craftinamerica, and craftinamerica.org. PBS broadcast premiere December 29, 2023 (check local listings).

Recycling plastic through Precious Plastic program

54s

Stevie Morrison, sustainability coordinator at Breck Create, on recycling plastic through their Precious Plastic program to create new materials. Bonus video from PLAY, now streaming on PBS App, pbs.org/craftinamerica, and craftinamerica.org. PBS broadcast premiere December 29, 2023 (check local listings).

International Guild of Miniature Artisans

2m 27s

Barbara Davis, Director of the Guild School, on the International Guild of Miniature Artisans. Bonus video from the MINIATURES episode, now streaming on the PBS App, pbs.org/craftinamerica, and craftinamerica.org. PBS broadcast premiere December 29, 2023 (check local listings).

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