Tools of the Trades: American Handmade Implements & Devices

Tools of the Trades: American Handmade Implements & Devices is the first exhibition of its kind to highlight beautifully designed, hand-crafted tools made by contemporary toolmakers in the United States. It is the first in a series of exhibitions for Handwork 2026, a nationwide semiquincentennial collaboration celebrating the diversity of craft that defines America.

A particular hammer head, the grip of a handle, the perfect density of a brush: artists, particularly craftspeople, rely heavily on tools in the creation of their work. Some processes might require implements very idiosyncratic to an artist’s process, that aren’t simply available at the hardware store. Tools of the Trades: American Handmade Implements & Devices will focus on contemporary, handmade tools, made by artists distinctly for craft processes, with extreme attention to craftsmanship and design. Vintage tools will round out the selection.

Prior to today’s mass-production, makers and artists fabricated their own implements as needed. In doing so, they might decide to add a bit of beauty to the functional with some decoration. Tools of the trade celebrates the ingenuity born of necessity and the special narratives in the hand-crafted. The objects pertain to a wide scope of crafts: ceramics, textiles, hot glass, wood working, and metal, including the niche fields within them, such as ironwork or spinning.

Artists include: Jeff Amundson, Randy Augsburger, Jim Austin of Alchemy Metalworks, Brent Bailey, Brien Beidler, Bosworth Spindles, Elia Bizzarri, Med Chandler, Saign Charlestein, Dennis Dusek, Dyakcraft, Troy Evans, Janet Fox of Handywomanshop, Seth Gould, Max Grossman, Spencer Hamann, Kelly Harris, Arlen Heginbotham, Indian Lake Artisans, Ben Jackel, Rachel Kedinger, Clark Kellog, Andrea and Chuck Kennington of NC Black Co., Jay Burnham Kidwell, Kalia Kliban, Anna Koplik, Will Larranaga, Tom Latané, Terry Lee, Shanna Leino, Robert Liu, Jim Moore, Liza Nechamkin, Potter USA, Douglas Pryor, William R. Robertson, Eleanor Rose, Fabiano Sarra, Reid Schwartz, Michael Sherrill with Mudtools, Elias Sideris, Randy Stromsoe, Tony Swatton, Dossain Valencia, Watanabe & Co., and John Williams of Guildwerks.

Guest curatorial consultant to Emily Zaiden: Heather McLarty