New Craft in America Publication: Handwork: Handcrafted Objects that Made America Craft in America Center

“Hand­work: Hand­crafted Objects that Made America” is a visu­ally stun­ning, deeply inspir­ing cele­bra­tion of America’s spirit through ordi­nary, surpris­ing, and over­looked hand­crafted objects span­ning more than 250 years. The offi­cial book of Hand­work: Cele­brat­ing Amer­i­can Craft 2026 — Craft in America’s year­long, nation­wide initia­tive marking 250 years since the Decla­ra­tion of Inde­pen­dence featur­ing hundreds of museum exhi­bi­tions and events, a four-part PBS docuseries, and specially designed educa­tional compo­nents — ​“Hand­work” is essen­tial reading for anyone curious about Amer­i­can history, design, mate­r­ial culture, or craft.

Edited by Emily Zaiden, direc­tor and lead curator of the Craft in America Center, with a fore­word by Carol Sauvion, the vision­ary behind the Peabody Award– winning PBS series Craft in America, Hand­work takes readers on a journey through time and across the multi­plic­ity of cultures that have made America, uncov­er­ing the power­ful stories behind objects that shaped Amer­i­can life. The book groups hand­made objects into four curated sections — DWELL, FEED, FURNISH, ADORN — and high­lights objects that reflect inno­va­tion, resis­tance, artistry, and commu­nity, from a nine­teenth-century Kiowa cradle­board to an antique Hawai­ian papa he’enalu (surf­board) and a proto­type for an iconic sneaker.

Hand­work includes illu­mi­nat­ing texts from nearly 30 experts nation­wide that accom­pany each object, empha­siz­ing over­looked narra­tives and the under­rep­re­sented artists who helped define Amer­i­can life through their craft. Contem­po­rary makers featured through­out show how craft tradi­tions live on, a testa­ment to the human inge­nu­ity that contin­ues to shape Amer­i­can culture. An intro­duc­tion by Zaiden also speaks to her edito­r­ial approach, ​“placing on equal footing the every­day and ordi­nary, the over­looked and disre­garded, and the excep­tional and acclaimed.”

With vibrant full-color photog­ra­phy, an engag­ing layout, and a thor­ough, inclu­sive approach, Hand­work is as capti­vat­ing and eye-opening as the objects and artists it celebrates.