Craft in America announces executive director’s retirement
By Dakota Smith
October 30, 2025
LOS ANGELES — Craft in America has announced that Carol Sauvion, the institution’s executive director, will retire from the organization at the end of December 2025. Sauvion’s retirement comes after 21 years of leadership and follows the launch of Craft in America’s initiative for the national semi-quincentennial, Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, which will take place November 13-14, 2025, in Philadelphia.
Sauvion says, “At the end of December 2025, I will leave the Executive Director position to the new Co-Executive Directors, Robyn Hollingshead and Ann Ruhr Pifer, both members of the Craft in America Board and both experienced, dedicated craft professionals. With Ann and Robyn, my work and my passion will be woven into their vision for the future of the crafts. We have been working on this transition, set to happen on New Year’s Day 2026, for several months.”
Director & Executive Producer of the Craft in America series, Patricia Bischetti states, “Carol Sauvion is the visionary behind Craft in America. Her inspiration to explore the handmade on PBS has blossomed into a movement driven by the fundamental truth that the handmade is essential in our cultures and our humanity. Carol’s continuing commitment to the crafts, our artists, and our project has had a huge impact in the field and on many lives.”
Board President Robyn Hollingshead shares, “Carol’s realization, many decades ago, that craft is all around us, hiding in plain sight, moved her to create an organization that could expose communities across the country to the magnificent world of original hand-crafted works and the living artists who make them. Her steadfast dedication to studio craft, her sincere reverence for craft artists of all backgrounds, her high standards for excellence, her sincerity, authenticity, and enthusiasm, and her clear vision for Craft in America have eloquently shined a bright light on craft across America. We are deeply grateful to Carol for this extraordinary gift she has given the nation.”
Board Member Cornelia Carey observes, ”Carol has been the vision and the glue for the work of Craft in America since 2004. Her drive comes from her passion and respect for artists who transform materials into objects of beauty at the highest level. I shudder to think of all of the artists’ voices I would not have known had it not been for Craft in America bringing them to life.”