Craft in America is pleased to announce the launch of Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, a national Semiquincentennial initiative to showcase the importance of the handmade, both throughout our history and in contemporary life.
Handwork 2026 will be a year-long collaboration among organizations, educators, and makers to celebrate the diversity of the crafts that define America, bringing compelling stories and underrepresented art and artists into the spotlight.
Craft is universal and democratic; it unites us by bringing people of all backgrounds and beliefs together. A deeply important carrier of tradition and cultural practice, the handmade connects us through history and time.
The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the national museum dedicated to American craft, is the lead partner for the initiative and will host the core exhibition for the project.
Americans for the Arts, a leading non-profit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, is the Awareness partner for this project.
Handwork 2026 will focus on the following programs:
EXHIBITIONS
Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026 culminates with a CORE EXHIBITION opening in late 2026 at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Museums and art centers joining as participants in the Handwork 2026 initiative will complete the rich diversity of interpretations on the work of the hand with EXHIBITIONS and related programs throughout the year. We invite all museums and regional arts centers to join this effort with the craft-centric, culture-based exhibitions you are planning for the year 2026.
DOCUMENTARY FILM SERIES
A four-part DOCUMENTARY FILM SERIES, EAST, WEST, NORTH and SOUTH will be produced by the team behind the Peabody Award-winning, PBS national series Craft in America. The series will present a rich, democratic exploration of the handmade in traditional, studio, ethnic, and contemporary practices. Three DIGITAL CONTENT initiatives will complement the Handwork 2026 episodes:
Handmade America
Short form videos featuring new artists and integrating 17 years of media from the Craft in America archives to stream on YouTube, the PBS video app, and the PBS, Handwork and Craft in America websites.
Craft Class
An intergenerational companion series to Craft in America, Craft Class will connect leaders in the craft field with viewers at home, inviting multigenerational family viewing and helping viewers to become makers. Craft Class will be a fun, upbeat, and inspirational experience on PBS Digital, the PBS video app, YouTube, and the PBS, Handwork and Craft in America websites.
Craft Across America
A curated selection of craft-based films and videos from independent PBS member stations and hundreds of participating Handwork organizations, museums and institutions nationwide. This vast selection of videos will play on the Handwork website, an intersection of hundreds of Handwork participating organizations and a hub for all things craft.
For more information about where each digital series will be available, please visit handwork2026.org.
BOOK
Presenting the extraordinary range of the handmade in the United States, the Handwork 2026 BOOK will feature craft history, artists, materials and processes, focusing on undertold stories. The book will be object-based and object-driven. It will include essays by leading experts, artist statements, and images of exquisite and remarkable handmade objects and a craft timeline. It will illuminate the contributions of craftspeople throughout our history. It will be one of the first and only books to bridge history by exploring the craft continuum over the span of American culture.
EDUCATION
The EDUCATION component of Handwork 2026 will include interdisciplinary learning initiatives at all levels of the education system, with a special focus on grades K–12. It will take a wide look at the history, cultural traditions, and impact of craft in the United States, from Indigenous origins until today. Marilyn Stewart PhD, a nationally recognized art educator and author of art textbooks, will oversee the creation of the education guides. The guides will include hands-on craft activities and will be available on craftinamerica.org and handwork2026.org.
ENGAGEMENT
In partnership with local, state and national organizations, Handwork 2026 will be amplified by a robust SOCIAL MEDIA campaign: Craft250. Handwork 2026 will collaborate with craft makers, artists, museums and organizations to feature 250 posts – one for each working day of 2026 – to shine a spotlight on a particular object, process, technique or tradition, sparking a conversation and creating a forum for new ideas. There will also be an aggregate WEBSITE: handwork2026.org, which will house all information about Handwork 2026 activities, participating organizations and how to join the national celebration.
Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, an idea envisioned by a group of dedicated craft professionals and artists, takes its inspiration from a similar project, Year of American Craft 1993, that benefitted millions of artists, makers and appreciators. Much has changed in America since 1993, but the practice of making things by hand endures. The crafts built our nation and they sustain it through challenging times. Nationwide programs will honor American makers, then and now, pointing the way to a robust future for the crafts and the country.
For more information and a full list of partners and participating organizations, visit handwork2026.org.
