Celebration: Festive Craft from the Episode

The Craft in America Center marks the holiday season with a new exhibition, CELEBRATION: Festive Craft from the Episode, on view from December 5, 2015 through February 20, 2016. CELEBRATION examines the role craft plays in our holiday customs, with a focus on our winter observances that are handed down through generations as well as new rituals that define the season. This exhibition accompanies the nationwide premiere of CELEBRATION, Craft in America’s newest episode airing on PBS on December 11, 2015 at 10pm.

Across the United States, the character of our holidays is defined by craftsmanship from singular communities that engage diverse histories. Founded in Detroit in 1905, Pewabic is honored for ceramics with a unique iridescent glaze and distinctive ornaments that decorate Christmas trees across the country. In Chicago, artist Babatunde has been making kinaras, the candleholders for Kwanzaa celebrations, for more than forty years. Woodblock artist Yoshiko Yamamoto connects families all over the world through handmade greeting cards created by Arts & Crafts Press in Tacoma, Washington. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Motawi Tileworks produces simple and elegant ceramic tiles using a signature raised-line technique and a combination of computer tools along with traditional hand craft methods of applying glazes. In San Francisco, the 150-year-old Chinese New Year festival has grown to be the largest celebration of Asian culture outside of Asia. Artists Corey Chan and Jeff Lee carry on the tradition of the lion dance and dragon-making to a new generation of artists, while Dave Thomas, Stephanie Mufson, and Yumei Hou, with a staff of exceptional artists, create over 20 floats for the parade.

This exhibition offers a diverse selection of American craftsmanship that defines the look and feel of our winter celebrations.

Photos by Madison Metro