Visionaries in Craft
After the tumult of the past few years—with the global pandemic, increasing climate change disasters, racial reckoning, and other shifting social dynamics—the editors of American Craft decided to honor changemakers in craft whose work not only addresses the moment, but paves the way toward a more supportive and inclusive future. The initial idea for this coverage came from the board of trustees of the American Craft Council, which is committed to justice, inclusiveness, and equity. Earlier this year, staff reached out to the broad craft community and asked for recommendations, which came pouring in.
In the following profiles, which originally appeared in our Fall 2022 issue, you’ll meet some of the folks who are directly addressing social issues, the needs of artists, and the inclusion of more diverse artists in the craft marketplace. Many of them began their work long before 2020, and its impact is now coming to fruition. Others started new initiatives more recently and are already making a difference. Here’s what the 11 people and organizations we celebrate here have in common: They took a long look at the craft world and found that it needed refashioning in certain directions—toward more equity, honesty, inclusiveness, and care. Their love for craft and its artists made them intent upon the task of making craft all that it can be in the world.
We plan to include coverage like this every other year in the magazine and online, and hope to include an increasingly diverse group of people, projects, and organizations aimed at creating a more truly democratic craft world. We welcome your suggestions here.
![group of artists sitting around a table in india working on a series of black white and yellow patterned textiles](/sites/default/files/styles/square_small/public/2022-07/nest_13015443.jpg?itok=NOfFNwzO)
[Visionaries in Craft] Nest
![group of blacksmiths striking funny poses with hammers and other tools in front of a brown and green barn door](/sites/default/files/styles/square_small/public/2022-07/CROPPED-By-Michelle.jpg?itok=PmLjsTWk)
[Visionaries in Craft] The Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths
![group of students wearing masks working on a wood projects aroumnd a table in a workshop](/sites/default/files/styles/square_small/public/2022-07/HERO-Intersections2.jpg?itok=YgEH3erN)
[Visionaries in Craft] Crafting Diversity, Berea College
![historic house with sign being held up in foreground that says a black craftsperson worked here](/sites/default/files/styles/square_small/public/2022-07/HERO-Anthony-Hay-Cabinet-Shop-%28reconstructed%29-Colonial-Williamsburg%2C-Williamsburg%2C-VA.-Wiltshire%2C-an-enslaved-cabinetmaker%2C-labored-at-the-cabinet-shop-from-about-1764---1770-IMG-8326.jpg?itok=rBY4UzY-)
[Visionaries in Craft] The Black Craftspeople Digital Archive
![CRAFT EQUITY](/sites/default/files/styles/square_small/public/2022-07/craftequity_LOGO-%281%29.png?itok=kLOsa6WZ)
[Visionaries in Craft] Craft Equity
![man in red hat and jacket standing the rubble of a burned down studio](/sites/default/files/styles/square_small/public/2022-07/Eric%20Knoche.jpg?itok=jk0kTtvf)
[Visionaries in Craft] CERF+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund)
![two women wearing face masks and protective glasses working in a shop at a table saw](/sites/default/files/styles/square_small/public/2022-07/HERO_DSC_0056-photo-credit-Craig-Bailey-Perspective.jpg?itok=FfyfaxeV)
[Visionaries in Craft] The Eliot School of Fine and Applied Crafts
![portrait of artist with chin on hands holding tangle of multi-colored embroidery thread with bright red background](/sites/default/files/styles/square_small/public/2022-07/HERO-Photo-by-Gloria-Araya.jpg?itok=FeIZrj8t)
[Visionaries in Craft] Badass Cross Stitch
![puppeteer manipulating puppet on stage](/sites/default/files/styles/square_small/public/2022-07/Puppeteer%20Schroeder%20Cherry%20performs%20with%20one%20of%20his%20handcrafted%20puppets.%20Photo%20by%20David%20Moss%2C%20courtesy%20of%20the%20artist.jpg?itok=26yfD5jX)
[Visionaries in Craft] African American Craft Initiative
![various handshaped earthtoned bowls arranged on brick steps](/sites/default/files/styles/square_small/public/2022-07/99%20Clay%20Vessels2%20by%20Dejah%20Greene.jpg?itok=LXQdaVpi)
[Visionaries in Craft] 99 Clay Vessels: The Muslim Women Storytelling Project
![man and woman working together in studio surrounded by paintings](/sites/default/files/styles/square_small/public/2022-07/HERO-GRybus-IndigoArtsAlliance-Large-16-3222_Photo-by-Gretta-Rybus.jpg?itok=A9Ng-T-x)