Center for Craft

05/15/2026

2026 Windgate–Lamar Fellow Summer Escaño Aquino is a transdisciplinary artist from the Philippines, currently based in Alfred, New York, where they work in ceramics.

Their practice moves between functional objects, performance, public art, and site-responsive installation—grounded in an interest in how material and touch can give form to complex, poetic ideas. Through clay, Aquino explores the relationship between the infinite and the subtleties of personal sensation, using craft to bring these connections into tangible form.

Aquino’s work has been presented at Kunsthaus Salzwedel (Germany), the Power Station (Dallas), and Turner Gallery (Alfred, New York), and published by the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Nasher Sculpture Center magazine, and others. They are the recipient of the Dallas Museum of Art’s Kimbrough Artist Award, a Haystack Mountain School of Crafts Fellowship, and the NCECA Regina Brown Fellowship.

https://www.centerforcraft.org/recipient/summer-escano-aquino

05/14/2026

Thank you so much to and for hosting us at their studios on our recent trip to Philadelphia!!! What an incredible glimpse into their ideas and processes—and a real treat to get to experience up close the work we have admired from afar. The Philly craft community was so welcoming and generous in showing us around. We cannot wait to come back!

05/14/2026

More than 25,000 digital assets from the American Craft Council (ACC) Library and Archives Collection are now available through our new Community Library and Archives landing page on the Center for Craft website.

This open-access resource includes thousands of images, documents, and media—including 70 years of Craft Horizons and American Craft magazines, along with photographs, catalogs, and files documenting six decades of ACC conferences, exhibitions, and fairs.

Explore the collection and learn more about our new Community Library and Archives, opening in Asheville in 2028.

https://www.centerforcraft.org/library

05/13/2026

Center for Craft in Philadelphia! ✨

Thank you to the Clay Studio in Philadelphia for hosting our recent panel discussion, Teaching Artists as Time Benders. The conversation featured recent Teaching Artist Cohort grant recipients Sophie Glenn, George Rodriguez, Samantha Jacobs, and Amy Lemaire, and was moderated by our Craft Education Fellow Leia Lewis. Together, the artists discussed the ins and outs of maintaining their own creative practices while also teaching, what it means to build up a community of learners, and the value of letting craft knowledge be free.

While we were in town, we were also honored to celebrate Fleur Bresler as she nears her 100th birthday as a thank you for her extraordinary contributions to craft philanthropy. Thank you to the Museum in Art in Wood and to everyone who came together in recognition of Fleur's lifelong commitment to collecting, supporting, and living with craft. From early experiences in her family’s jewelry store to building one of the most significant personal collections of craft in the United States, her relationship to material culture continues to shape the field in lasting ways.

05/12/2026

We’re hiring a Grantmaking Manager!

This position leads the day-to-day ex*****on of the Center for Craft’s grantmaking portfolio, supporting funding initiatives that serve artists, researchers, curators, and organizations nationwide.

We’re looking for a highly organized, systems-oriented project manager who can oversee complex workflows with clarity, precision, and care while helping strengthen the future of mission-driven grantmaking at the Center.

The position is full-time, with a time limited term (24 months).

Application deadline: June 1, 2026.

Apply: https://www.centerforcraft.org/news/now-hiring-grantmaking-manager

04/30/2026

We’re excited to share that 2026 Curatorial Fellow Alyssa Velazquez is featured on the Clever podcast!

In this episode, Alyssa reflects on her path to curatorial work—from a foundation in theater and performance to her interdisciplinary role today—and discusses her exhibition Craft-itarianism: Community Action Through Craft, currently on view at the Center for Craft.

The conversation explores how craft can distribute resources, generate opportunity, and create meaningful connections, particularly for at-risk and marginalized communities. Drawing on her work at Carnegie Museum of Art and beyond, Alyssa highlights how making can function as a tool for social change—through approaches like job training, art therapy, and social enterprise.

Listen to the full episode to learn more about Alyssa’s practice and the ideas shaping Craft-itarianism:
https://www.cleverpodcast.com/blog/alyssa-velazquez-curator-craft-itarianism

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Alyssa Velazquez's Teacher Residency at Carnegie Museum of Art. Photo courtesy of Carnegie Museum of Art

04/29/2026

Applications are still open for the 2026 Craft Archive Fellowship. Four fellows will be awarded $5,000 to support archival research on underrepresented and nondominant craft histories in the United States, such as feminist, intersectional, q***r, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and other communities and approaches that may not be specifically listed here.

Independent scholars, artists, and emerging to established researchers are encouraged to apply. Fellows may engage in both conventional and innovative approaches to research in an archive of their choosing. Their research will be published in an article on Hyperallergic. They will also participate in a virtual program about their research methods hosted by the Center for Craft.

Apply by: May 20, 2026

Learn more: https://www.centerforcraft.org/grants-and-fellowships/craft-archive-fellowship

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Photo credit: The American Craft Council Library and Archives Collection. Design by Manuel Miranda Practice

04/28/2026

Excited to share Asheville Downtown Association’s new video featuring our very own Stephanie Moore, Executive Director at the Center for Craft.

Downtown Asheville is a tapestry—woven together by the people, stories, and moments that give it life.

At this year’s State of Downtown, ADA premiered "Fabric of Downtown," a short documentary by filmmaker Sekou Coleman that captures exactly that—the threads that connect our community and shape the heart of Asheville.

8 likes. "Fabric of Downtown | Screening Cut"

04/23/2026

Please join us in Philadelphia for a lively panel discussion featuring artists from the Center for Craft’s Teaching Artist Cohort. If you’re interested in the intersection between craft and education, this conversation will consider why investing in teaching artists matters and what it means to build a life that balances personal practice with supporting the next generation of makers.

Framed through the archetypes of Lineage Keeper, Innovator, Disruptor, and Connector, the conversation will explore how teaching artists sustain traditions, spark new possibilities, and build meaningful connections through an ever-evolving craft practice.

Moderated by the Center’s Craft Education Fellow Leia Lewis and featuring artists Sophie Glenn, George Rodriguez, Samantha Jacobs, and Amy Lemaire.

Presented in partnership with The Clay Studio. Space is limited.

Thursday, April 30, 5:30 pm–7 pm
Free registration required
The Clay Studio | Philadelphia

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/teaching-artists-as-time-benders-tickets-1985166095230?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl