Coinciding with America’s Semiquincentennial, Handworkd is an initiative introduced by Craft in America in 2024 to highlight the significance of handmade items throughout America’s history. Organizations, educators, and makers are invited to collaborate to share the stories behind the makers, their creations, and their contributions to history. Craft in America has also planned to host exhibitions, create long and short-form video series for public broadcasting and YouTube, create digital craft classes, and more.
As a promoter of heritage, Blue Ridge National Heritage Area is excited to participate in this initiative with its Blue Ridge Craft Trails. Over the next several months, we’ll be developing our project to coincide with Handwork. Reflecting on the history of craft raises various questions for artists, preservationists, and art admirers.
- Why is craft important?
- Over 250 years, how has handwork contributed to the development of America?
- What craft do you admire the most and why?
- And finally, what craft skills do you feel are in danger of being lost over time or have become obsolete?
Help keep the conversation going! Send your thoughts to bridget@blueridgeheritage.com with the subject line Keep Craft Going.
We’d love to share our responses and continue to highlight the importance of traditional crafts, especially in Western North Carolina.
To learn more about Handwork, visit: https://www.handwork2026.org/
If you’re an organization interested in participating, joining the program is easy!
And to learn more about the Blue Ridge Craft Trails, visit: https://www.blueridgeheritage.com/blue-ridge-craft-trails/
