
J. Isaac Vásquez García, master weaver and dyer, is featured in the Craft in America “Borders” episode. (photo by Denise Kang)
Craft in America has been named the inaugural recipient of the Decorative Arts Trust’s prize for excellence and innovation. The $100,000 prize recognizes scholarly endeavors undertaken by a nonprofit organization to advance the public’s appreciation of decorative arts, fine arts, architecture, or landscape design.
As part of the Decorative Art Trust’s dedication to nurturing academic and educational programs, Executive Director Matthew Thurlow announced that Craft in America would receive the award in a special presentation. Craft in America was one of four finalists, which included the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, in addition to the Cincinnati Art Museum and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.
“The inaugural prize is a watershed moment for our organization,” Thurlow said. “We are proud to be one of the few organizations able to offer $100,000 in support of a decorative arts project at this critical moment in the cultural sector. In recent years, we have helped hundreds of students and young professionals make strides toward their careers in the arts, and the prize will reinforce the value of their dedication.”
“Craft in America will blend the contemporary with the historic by sharing the techniques of talented living craftspeople who represent a continuum of artisanship that stretches back centuries,” Thurlow added. “The project is scalable, malleable, inclusive, and accessible in a manner that will continue to draw interest in and promote the importance and artistry of objects. Craft in America has an impressive history of producing video and narrative of the highest quality. We are proud to reach across the country to support a smaller organization that will make an incredible contribution to further appreciation for the decorative arts.”
“This project will organically demonstrate the ongoing continuity of historic craft processes in modern life,” Craft in America Center Director Emily Zaiden said. “The beauty and core of this project is that it captures precisely how historic craft and decorative arts processes are very much alive in the hands of contemporary makers and craft artists. It will demonstrate our connection with the past, with the work of the hand, and our inherent connection with tactile objects and the material culture of our world. These videos will bring to life, in this modern, tech-dominated era, the age-old techniques from our craft heritage. We could not be more thrilled and honored to receive this support from the Decorative Arts Trust.”
Craft in America is preparing a free online video dictionary of tools, techniques and materials spanning all decorative arts media. This free resource for researchers, art historians, students and the public will serve as an evergreen and widely accessible tool to demonstrate handmade crafts production. Each dictionary “entry” will consist of a short video of a professional artist-maker explaining and documenting a specific process.
For more information, visit craftinamerica.org.
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