The Good Making of Good Things: Craft Horizons Magazine 1941-1979

During its nearly 40 years in print, Craft Horizons documented the craft movement, as it happened. The Good Making of Good Things pairs works by makers, most of which are drawn from the M’s collection, which were featured in the magazine, alongside articles, reviews, and letters from readers to illustrate the essential role the magazine played in the development of craft and its cultural connections. In a pre-Internet era, Craft Horizons was the field’s tutorial guide, its social network, and its image-sharing database. It gave the artist, enthusiast, scholar, and casual hobbyist access to all that occurred in craft. The magazine began as a humble, unnamed newsletter in 1941, bringing together a like-minded community that had yet to connect nationally. By the 1970s Craft Horizons had grown into the field’s leading voice. In 1979, its publisher, the American Craft Council (now based in Minneapolis), rebranded the magazine as American Craft, which is still in print today.

Utilizing original imagery, selected articles, viewpoints from artists, makers, and critics, along with representative period objects, The Good Making of Good Things: Craft Horizons Magazine, 1941-1979 provides audiences with a rich, first-hand account of the history of craft in America, alongside a contemporary selection of makers pushing the field forward today.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website