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Carol Sauvion, Executive Director of Craft in America, To Retire at the End of 2025, After 21 Years of Leadership

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Fitton Center Call To Artists: Deadline 11/23/25

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is accepting proposals in all visual art media through November 23rd for solo and group exhibitions for the 2026-2027 schedule.

As a community arts center in Hamilton, Ohio, we engage thousands of participants monthly through exhibitions, classes, performances and rentals. Gallery openings are typically attended by over 250 people. 

A completed Online Submission Form with file uploads of 150-word Artist Statement, 150-word Install Specs, CV, 10 artwork JPEGS with corresponding Image List and $35 non-refundable fee are required for gallery proposals.  Early submissions are welcome. Selected artists receive a modest honorarium.

Get full requirements and submit your proposal. 

Questions? Please contact Cathy Mayhugh, cathy@fittoncenter.org, (513) 863-8873 ext. 122.

Call for Entry: Art Quilt Elements 2026

Art Quilt Elements 2026, the 17th International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Fine Art Quilts

March 23 – April 25, 2026
Entry Deadline: October 16 · Entry Information
Davenport Gallery, Ethel Sergeant Clark Smith Gallery

Reception, Awards Ceremony & Meet the Artists, Sunday, March 29  3-5pm

Art Quilt Elements 2026 is the 17^th biennial exhibition of this internationally acclaimed show, unique for its professional presentation of contemporary fine art quilts.  The exhibition has been widely praised by reviewers and artists not only for the presentation of the work, but also for the commitment to promoting the art quilt as a fine art form.

Jurors: Toni Kersey, Karl Reichert and Danielle Williams

ABOUT WAYNE ART CENTER AND ART QUILT ELEMENTS (AQE):

Founded in 1931, Wayne Art Center has been continuously serving the cultural needs of the community for all ages and abilities. Dedicated to enriching the community through the arts, Wayne Art Center’s mission is to afford artists and the broader community an interdisciplinary venue to explore, share and learn, while fostering a sense of community through arts education and appreciation.

Wayne Art Center’s spacious and exquisitely designed exhibition galleries are recognized as the finest in the country. Through an active and diverse schedule of exhibitions of local, regional, national and international artists, the Center is considered one of the few venues that features a diverse and innovative display of contemporary art quilts.

Art Quilt Elements (AQE), the Juried International Exhibition of Contemporary Art Quilts (established in 2008), continues to expand the boundaries of quilt making, showcasing a range of techniques that communicates a unique vision and storytelling through a variety of hand and machine quilt making methods. Wayne Art Center is grateful to the many jurors, artists, sponsors and patrons who have endorsed and supported this eagerly anticipated biennial exhibition over the years.

ABOUT THE CALL FOR ENTRY:

Wayne Art Center seeks submissions for Art Quilt Elements 2026, an international juried group exhibition of contemporary fine art quilts. Selected works will be on display in both the Davenport and Ethel Sergeant Clark Smith Galleries of Wayne Art Center in Wayne, Pennsylvania from March 23 through April 25, 2026. For more information about AQE 2026 visit: www.artquiltelements.org.

Nancy Campbell
Executive Director and Chief Curator
Director, AQE

Pam McLean Parker
Exhibition Coordinator

Karen Louise Fay
Director of Marketing and Events

AQE 2026 Committee
Libby Cerullo
Susan Leonard
Rosemary McBride

ABOUT THE JURORS:

Toni Kersey 

Toni Kersey is an award-winning mixed-media fiber artist living and working in Springfield, Pennsylvania. Her background as a graphic designer informs her work. She received her degree in graphic design from the University of Illinois and began designing and making quilts in 2005 after studying fabric painting techniques. A self-taught quilter, she has concentrated on developing a creative language that fuses African American improvisational quilt making with painterly abstraction. Kersey’s work is focused on narratives that use visual rhythm and movement to explore the shared cultural experiences of the African Diaspora. Her quilts have been exhibited nationally and internationally, most notably as part of the “Art in the Embassies” program. She explores cultural relationships combining Dutch wax and African fabric with hand-dyed and painted textiles, embroidery and beading. Her work has been included in publications such as Artistry in Fiber Volume 1 and most recently in the fall 2024 Surface Design Journal. 

Karl Reichert 

Karl Reichert serves as the Executive Director for Textile Center, a national center for fiber art based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A seasoned arts executive, he joined Textile Center in 2014 and has led the organization through an exciting decade of programmatic growth. With its mission to “honor textile traditions, promote excellence and innovation, nurture appreciation, and inspire widespread appreciation in fiber art” Textile Center’s programming includes year-round fiber art exhibitions, classes, and retail sales. The Textile Center Library is among the nation’s largest circulating libraries dedicated to textiles and fiber art, with over 35,000 books and periodicals. Reichert served as a juror for the Visions Museum of Textile Art’s Quilt Visions 2024 exhibition in San Diego, California, and he looks forward to serving as a juror for Art Quilt Elements 2026 at Wayne Art Center. 

Danielle Williams 

Danielle Williams was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, she resides in sunny Southern California, with her husband and their growing family. Since 2012, Williams has worked for Stampington & Company in various editorial roles, including managing the magazine Art Quilting Studio. She comes from a family of creatives and loves immersing herself in the quilting world. 

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

• Artists must be 18 years of age or older.
• Works submitted must be original in design. Collaborative works are accepted.
• Work must have been completed in the last two years (after January 1, 2024).
• Work previously exhibited at Wayne Art Center is not eligible.
• All work must be for sale.
• Work must remain on display for the duration of the exhibit.
• Size Limitations:  Works of any size not exceeding 12′ (144″) high will be considered.
• All artwork submitted online to AQE 2026 MUST be available for the entire duration of the jurying process and exhibition.  If a piece is accepted to both AQE 2026 and a simultaneously running exhibit, the piece must only be exhibited in AQE 2026. 
• Withdrawal of invited work by the artist prior to the exhibition will result in exclusion from exhibiting at WAC the following year.
• Wayne Art Center reserves the right to reject entries that do not meet the requirements.  Work that differs from the work invited through digital submissions will be disqualified.

Craft in America Center Education Coordinator

The Craft in America Center seeks an Education Coordinator to manage its education outreach program, Craft in Schools, with local K-12 underserved students, and to help maintain and manage the small museum’s operations with a multitude of other projects.

Craft in America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the exploration, preservation, and celebration of the handmade and its impact on our nation’s cultural heritage. The Center is a museum and programmatic space with a library located on Third Street in the heart of Los Angeles. The Center generates rotating contemporary craft exhibitions (physical & virtual), research, lectures, education outreach, publications, and hands-on art workshops. Craft in America produces a Peabody Award-winning and on-going PBS documentary series. Visit www.craftinamerica.org for more information about the organization.

The Education Coordinator is articulate, proactive, disciplined, outgoing, and organized. The Coordinator will have experience teaching students at various grade levels and an understanding of standards-based art education practices. Knowledge of contemporary crafts is a plus. An undergraduate degree in art history, museum studies, art education, studio art, or a related field is required. The Coordinator should have strong verbal and written communication skills and design abilities. The Center has a small team and the candidate must be hardworking, detail-oriented, strategic, excellent at multitasking, tech savvy, resourceful, and flexible. The nature of the position involves various additional aspects of museum operations including but not limited to: library management, collections management, grant writing and reporting, budgeting, public engagement, community building, and exhibition planning and implementation.

Regular tasks and responsibilities include:

• Developing, writing, and facilitating standards-based lesson plans for site/virtual visits and workshops
• Administering virtual meetings and webinars with students and public
• Forging relationships with external partner schools, teachers, administrators, artists & stakeholders
• Coordinating logistics, scheduling, and communicating with artists, educators, administrators and transportation companies
• Creating and implementing hands-on activities for children
• Managing administration and operations for education programs
• Assisting with event/program management and planning
• Interacting and engaging with in-person visitors
• Writing and posting social media and website content
• Assisting with exhibition logistics including loan agreements and shipping
• Assisting with deinstallation and installation, packing and art handling
• Maintaining contact and library databases
• Planning and implementing library-related programming and management

This part time position entails:

• Working some Saturdays each month
• Involves intermittent travel to participating local school sites
• Requires moving/lifting up to 40 lbs. of weight

Salary commensurate with experience, $20-25 hourly

Please submit a cover letter stating relevant experience & interest along with a cv to: center@craftinamerica.org

Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum 2025-26 Season Prospectus

Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum invites artists to submit proposals for consideration in upcoming exhibitions. We are looking for original and thought-provoking work that pushes the boundaries of contemporary art. Whether you’re an emerging or established artist, this is your chance to showcase your work in a professional museum setting and connect with a vibrant creative community.

Apply here

2026 Craft Research Fund Grant

Grants up to $15,000 are awarded to support new and interdisciplinary research about craft in the United States.

Deadline: October 17, 2025

Apply Now

https://www.centerforcraft.org/grants-and-fellowships/craft-research-fund-grant

The Center for Craft increases access to craft by empowering and resourcing artists, organizations, and communities through grants, fellowships, and programs that bring people together. We believe that craft matters. The Center administers national award programs including the Windgate-Lamar Fellowship for emerging craft artists, the Curatorial Fellowship for emerging craft curators and the Craft Research Fund program to encourage, expand, and support craft research in the United States. Additionally, the Center convenes national meetings, curates exhibitions, and programs lectures and workshops.

End of Internship Blog Post – Jana Mae Rubio

Whew. What a summer to remember!

I am so happy and grateful that I was chosen for this internship position. It’s been so cool seeing how an organization manages their exhibitions and how the complimentary documentary is produced.

Where do I begin? It’s been so awesome learning all of the different programs that help an organization to communicate with their audience. WordPress, Pinterest, Youtube Studio, Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, Dropbox. There is a staggering amount of effort that supports Craft in America’s media. I am especially excited for the social media campaign I’ve drafted that will highlight the Craft Video Dictionary! It’s important to me that the Craft Video Dictionary gets more visibility, so I’m hoping that my endless hours on Youtube Shorts pays off.

I’ve met many wonderful people both at the Craft in America Center and within the Getty Marrow internship program. Being surrounded by passion and energy all the time has reinvigorated me. While my future plans are not concrete, I am inspired to continue my path down Southeast Asian heritage preservation. I’d like to work with non-profits or museums in the Philippines that share the same values as Craft in America: recognizing the talent of the artisan, and giving them a platform to share their process with the community.

What has left an imprint on me is the energy of all the artists whose creativity is boundless. Thank you, Craft in America, for giving me the space to explore mine. I am grateful for the lessons, the laughs, and the lattes (because caffeine got me through this).

Signing off with a happy heart!

Jana Mae

EAST & WEST: *NEW* Craft in America Episodes Coming to PBS, Part of Handwork 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 16, 2025

[Los Angeles] – This December, Craft in America begins a journey around the United States with EAST, the first episode in our celebration of the country’s upcoming 250th anniversary, part of PBS’s slate of programming for PBS America @ 250. EAST will be joined by WEST, also premiering in December 2025, with NORTH and SOUTH episodes premiering in 2026. EAST & WEST will premiere on PBS on Friday, December 19, 2025 at 9pm and 10pm (check local listings) and stream starting November 24th, 2025 on the PBS App, pbs.org/craftinamerica, and craftinamerica.org. They will stream on YouTube starting December 19th, 2025. This four-episode event is a part of the Handwork 2026 initiative, Craft in America’s nationwide Semiquincentennial collaboration showcasing the importance of the handmade and celebrating the diversity of craft that defines America. Find out more at handwork2026.org. Craft in America is the Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated documentary series discovering the beauty, significance and relevance of handmade objects and the artists who make them. Stream previous episodes of the series on YouTube and the PBS App. “Craft in America…[has a] knack for telling big stories…about the formation of culture, the purpose of creativity, the idea that the pursuits of beauty and utility are foundational to humanity.”– The New York Times CONTACT press@craftinamerica.org

EAST explores the intersection of history, culture and contemporary craft in the eastern region of the US. As a nation of immigrants, these American stories, from a fabric flower factory to a silversmith to a potter and more, highlight the diverse expressions behind modern craft.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

We meet fiber artist Bisa Butler at her studio in Jersey City, New Jersey. Butler creates remarkable quilted portraits that tell stories of African American life, taking inspiration from historical photos and family history.

In Philadelphia, Colette Fu opens a giant pop-up book, revealing an intricate scene made from her photographs and cut paper. As the daughter of Chinese immigrants, the pop-up books and sculptures she crafts are inspired by Chinese American history and her travels in Yunnan Province, China, where her mother is from.

Surrounded by nature in her studio in Ridgefield, Connecticut, Helena Hernmarck weaves wall-sized tapestries designed for modern, architectural environments. She takes inspiration from nature, her life and other artists, collaborating with artists from the United States to Sweden, where she grew up.

Roberto Lugo welcomes us to his neighborhood of Kensington in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He works as a potter, taking deep inspiration from his community, graffiti and Ancient Greek pottery, and values sharing his art with the public by throwing pots in parks and creating public works of art.

Adam and Warren Brand show us around the last remaining fabric flower factory of its kind in the country, a fourth-generation New York institution called M&S Schmalberg. They use the same methods to handmake flowers that were used when the factory was established in 1916, keeping the art alive in the 21st century.

Silversmith Ubaldo Vitali welcomes us to Maplewood, New Jersey, where he makes his home and business as a fourth-generation metalworker from Italy. Vitali makes original work and restores historical silver, including the work of Paul Revere, whom we learn more about from the Paul Revere House.

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WEST celebrates the continuum of heritage and the handmade, taking inspiration from the landscape, history and culture of the American West. Working across cowboy arts, Hawaiian indigenous practices, and Native American handwork, the makers show how traditional craft can be revived, reworked and reinvented in the art of today.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

We meet bootmaker Graham Ebner in Austin, Texas, where he crafts bespoke cowboy boots. He uses traditional bookmaking techniques paired with his creative and original style to tell stories through his custom, high-quality boots.

In Honolulu, Hawaii, we are introduced to Native Hawaiian artists who are committed to keeping indigenous practices alive through their work. These artists and institutions include culture bearer and fiber artist Marques Hanalei Marzan, feather artist Kawika Lum-Nelmida, Cissy Serrao, and Rae Correia of the Poakalani quilters, the Bishop Museum, and the Hōkūleʻa ocean voyaging canoe.

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is the only educational institution in the world dedicated to the study of contemporary Native American and Alaskan Native arts. Here, we meet students and teachers and learn how the school gives them the opportunity to develop artistic practices, embracing the history and creating the future of Native American arts.

We meet Cary Schwarz, an internationally recognized saddle maker, and Jeff Minor, a rawhide braider, working in Salmon, Idaho. They demonstrate intricate leatherwork processes, and we learn how they engage with their community and work to keep traditional cowboy arts alive.

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OUR MISSION
To promote and advance original handcrafted work through programs in all media

OUR GOALS
To document the importance of handmade objects and the artists who make them
To provide a gateway to discover, explore and experience craft
To celebrate our nation’s cultures through craft

CRAFT IN AMERICA, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Made in America: Handwork 2026 invites Americans to discover, explore, and celebrate the country’s craft legacy

American Craft Council

Shivaun Watchorn

8/6/25

To celebrate American craft during the country’s 250th birthday, Los Angeles–based Craft in America has partnered with the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum to spearhead Handwork 2026, a yearlong initiative that includes new TV episodes, a book, craft tourism, a national exhibition, and much more.

Major partners, including the American Craft Council, Americans for the Arts, the Craft Emergency Relief Fund, PBS, and Ornament magazine, will help to organize and promote the initiative. More than 200 smaller regional craft museums and organizations will also participate in programming throughout the year.

“Craft is not nostalgic. Craft is alive,” says Carol Sauvion, founder of Craft in America. “That’s something we can be very proud of in our country.”

The initiative recalls 1993’s Year of American Craft, when Michael Monroe, then the chief curator of the Renwick, gathered 75 craft objects for display in the White House and brought the likes of Sam Maloof and Dale Chihuly into the storied building.

Visual arts consultant Harriett Green, who is an American Craft Council trustee, suggested doing something similar for the country’s semiquincentennial in 2026. Why not a full year of celebration of the craft that made—and continues to shape— the United States? Here’s what you can look forward to.

TV and Video. Starting in December, a four-part television documentary produced by the team behind the PBS program Craft in America will air on PBS and online, aiming to capture the full range of craft in the US with episodes titled “East,” “West,” “North,” and “South.” Three separate video initiatives—Handmade America, Craft Across America, and Crafting History—will also stream on PBS, YouTube, and Craft in America’s website.

A Book.  To be published in spring 2026 by Monacelli Press, a book will feature under-told stories about craft histories, artists, materials, and processes.

Residencies and Education. Handwork 2026 artist residencies at select universities are being funded by the Windgate Foundation. Dr. Marilyn Stewart, an arts educator and textbook author, will oversee the creation of a curriculum for K–12 students that will “take a wide look at the history, cultural traditions, and impact of craft in the United States, from Indigenous origins until today,” according to organizers.

An Exhibition. The capstone of the project will be an exhibition at the Renwick Gallery, opening in November 2026, which will draw on the Smithsonian’s permanent collection and include 10 objects acquired specifically for the show.

Regional Programming. Organizers also hope to connect Americans to the country’s craft history through programming with regional partners. In Houston and upstate New York, for example, neighboring organizations plan to offer “craft trails,” where people can visit a handful of craft sites over a weekend.

Ultimately, the goal is to deepen Americans’ appreciation of the craft artists, materials, and processes that have shaped the country in its past 250 years, divided as the country may now be.

“Craft is unifying and craft is gratifying, and there aren’t many things in this world that have those two traits,” says Sauvion.

Shivaun Watchorn is associate editor of American Craft.

PBS America @ 250 Marks Nation’s Semiquincentennial with Expansive Programming

PBS Publicity

5/20/25

PBS America @ 250 Marks Nation’s Semiquincentennial with Expansive Programming Beginning Spring 2025 and Through 2026

ARLINGTON, VA; May 20, 2025 – PBS America @ 250 is a multiyear celebration of U.S. history, culture, and children’s programming, from spring 2025  through America’s Semiquincentennial in 2026 and beyond. As part of the largest national and local engagement effort in its history, PBS member stations will pay homage to the country’s founding with events in more than 75 markets nationwide. In addition, next summer, from June 27 through July 4, 2026, PBS will showcase a collection of its programming during a special week commemorating this important milestone.

PBS America @ 250, which was first announced in 2024, is designed to engage the country and inspire conversation around history and civics. In addition to tentpole programming like THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION from Ken Burns and Florentine Films, PBS KIDS, PBS LearningMedia, PBS Digital Studios, and PBS member stations will explore these topics at a national and local level. 

With support from The Kern Family Foundation, PBS has launched the largest education and outreach effort in its history with THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. As part of the initiative, stations are hosting screenings and discussions with the filmmakers and historians. Events have already taken place in Richmond, Williamsburg, Boston, Lexington and Concord, Charleston, Raleigh, and Atlanta, with upcoming events in Dallas, Austin, Houston, and Charlottesville to name a few. A full list of events can be found at www.pbs.org/americanrevolution.

“PBS America @ 250 is an extraordinary undertaking, made possible by the dedication of our member stations, PBS LearningMedia, PBS Digital Studios, producers, and countless others,” said Paula Kerger, President and CEO of PBS.  “I could not be prouder of the powerful content emerging from these collaborative efforts. Our nation’s history deserves to be honored, and through this work, we are doing just that. PBS was made for this type of national reflection.”

PBS America @ 250 programming will span across History, Music and Culture, plus programming from PBS KIDS.  More titles will be announced on a rolling basis.

At the helm of the initiative is THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, a new six-part, 12-hour documentary series from Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, which explores the country’s founding struggle and its eight-year War for Independence, premiering Nov. 16.  A MORE PERFECT UNION: INSPIRING CIVIC & CIVIL CONVERSATIONS ACROSS AMERICA, a special from WETA in collaboration with the National Constitution Center that follows THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, examines how we think about America’s founding and how the ideas and values articulated 250 years ago remain relevant to conversations about governance today. It will premiere on Nov. 24.

HANDWORK: A CRAFT IN AMERICA 250 SPECIAL, a four-part series, will celebrate 250 years of handmade artistry with the first two episodes, “East” and “West,” premiering Dec. 19. Each episode is told through the hands of makers and explores ancestral traditions and modern innovation. Celebrating the significance of handcrafted objects in shaping and reflecting America’s diverse cultural heritage, these episodes are one part of HANDWORK: CELEBRATING AMERICAN CRAFT 2026, a multi-faceted, national initiative organized by Craft in America.  Exhibitions and community events will be held nationwide in collaboration with PBS member stations, and educational programs for K-12 will be available on PBS LearningMedia.

LUCY WORSLEY INVESTIGATES: THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, a two-part miniseries from BBC Studios marking the Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary, takes Lucy Worsley back on the detective trail as she uncovers why the British Empire, the most powerful in history, lost the War of Independence against a ragtag band of American rebels. This two-part special will premiere in spring 2026.

DECLARATIONS OF INDEPENDENCE, a documentary from VPM, Virginia’s home for Public Media, explores the American Revolution through the eyes of free and enslaved Black people in the 1700-1800s. It will premiere in summer 2026.

GREAT PERFORMANCES “SUFFS,” based on the Tony Award-winning musical created by Shaina Taub, tells the story of the passionate American women who fought for the right to vote and explores the triumphs and failures of a struggle for equality. It will premiere in spring 2026. ANTIQUES ROADSHOW’s “250 Years of Americana” special episode will feature items from 1775 through today, and a journey through time via material culture. The special will premiere in summer 2026. 

PBS will bring back several AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: PRESIDENTIAL PROFILES, examining the history of the American presidency, in addition to several original films.  CAPITOL CONCERTS 2026 will feature a variety of well-known musical artists to celebrate America.

PBS KIDS programming will feature MAP ZAPPERS, a new series from Arkansas PBS that follows three ordinary kids who stumble across a highly anticipated museum exhibit in Washington, D.C. that contains artifacts from every U.S. state and territory. When they accidentally activate a piece of technology that teleports, or “zaps,” all the artifacts back to their place of origin, the trio of friends travel across the country, recovering the lost artifacts and learning about what it means to be an American along the way. 

Additional content from ongoing PBS KIDS series will be a part of the PBS America @ 250 initiative, including a special new episode from MOLLY OF DENALI, plus new civics-themed content from ROSIE’S RULES and ALMA’S WAY. 

PBS America @ 250 will include an array of digital programs. ROGUE HISTORY, from PBS Digital Studios and PBS North Carolina, introduces audiences to the rebels and revolutionaries who lit the fuse 250 years ago during America’s fight for independence. Season 2 will premiere on May 28, on the PBS Origins Channel.

IN THE MARGINS, from PBS Digital Studios and WHYY, reveals lesser-known figures who made huge impacts on the shape of the country and tells stories that expand our understanding of American history. Season 2 will premiere on June 25, on PBS Origins Channel.

CIVICS MADE EASY is a digital series hosted by author Ben Sheehan that explains how the American government and the U.S. Constitution work. Produced by Second Peninsula, the team behind PBS’s BRIEF BUT SPECTACULAR, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the series premieres June 26, on the PBS YouTube Channel.

As part of PBS America @ 250, PBS LearningMedia will help connect teachers and students to educational resources and learning events that draw from the broad range of new programming. Through curated, media-rich collections aligned to curriculum, PBS LearningMedia will help educators and students engage with this milestone moment in our nation’s history, inviting reflection, learning, and deeper understanding of how our past continues to shape our present.

Many of the 330 public television stations are partnering with educators and a wide range of local organizations to spark meaningful conversations about the nation’s founding and its evolving story.