Newest Episode of PBS Series Craft in America, HOME, Features Wharton Esherick Museum, Syd Carpenter, and Helen Drutt English
October 29, 2022
A Peabody Award-winning series, Craft in America explores “America’s creative spirit through the language and traditions of the handmade.” HOME, which takes on the intimate topic of home from many angles – as architecture, personal objects and effects, and as the site of our familial relationships — premieres on PBS on December 16, 2022. A free public screening of HOME will be hosted by CraftNOW Philadelphia at their Public/Private Symposium on November 11, 2022, followed by a panel discussion with WEM Executive Director Julie Siglin, Curatorial Director Emily Zilber, Research Director Holly Gore, artist Syd Carpenter, and craft icon Helen Drutt English moderated by Josephine Shae, Art Bridges Terra Foundation Initiative Curatorial Coordinator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
“Through the artists and stories represented in this episode, HOME honors the significance of our surroundings, while also acknowledging the challenging histories that have shaped our ideas of it,” shares Carol Sauvion, Executive Director of Craft in America. Executive Producer Patricia Bischetti adds, “HOME offers a nuanced exploration of the environments we make and the personal, historical, and creative influences that shape them.”
“As we celebrate our 50th anniversary as a museum, we are delighted to share Esherick’s highly individual hand-built studio with new audiences through the Craft in America series,” says WEM Executive Director Julie Siglin. “Esherick considered his home to be his autobiography. Anyone who walks through the doors of his studio can feel the unconventional and joyful creative impulse he brought to every aspect of his life.”