39th Annual Contemporary Crafts

Highlighting the finest in contemporary crafts from across the country, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum’s Annual Contemporary Crafts exhibition has become a benchmark for innovation and quality. Representative of traditional craft mediums including ceramics, fibers, basketry, metals, wood, glass, jewelry, papermaking and book arts, this exhibition showcases 52 artworks by 46 artists, representing 16 states.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.

Whether or not you go, Nation Building: Craft and Contemporary American Culture is a beautifully designed and illustrated volume. Leading craft scholars, curators and artists come together to assess the post-War history and contemporary flourishing of craft in America. Their critical gaze encompasses craft practice by artists, professional makers, and amateurs; crafting as it takes place in the studio and in the domestic space, and as it is exhibited in museums and galleries; craft that uses materials and crafting in the digital arena, and critical issues confronting craft such as industry, education and digitization.

Nation Building: Craft and Contemporary American Culture