CRAFTING A NATION will be held October 8 and 9, 2010 from 9 AM to 5 PM in the Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, located at 8th and G Streets N.W., in Washington, D.C.

The conference will welcome both craft enthusiasts and those new to the handmade to Washington D.C. for public festivities and information sharing, free to all and filled with the spirit of American craft. The conference will focus on education and jobs, indicating that age old practices are a good way to make a modern living. 

CRAFTING A NATION will explore how craft practitioners, both professional and self-taught, are a valuable national resource and an integral part of the American economy, running businesses and producing products unique to our nation and important to our economic growth in the twenty-first century. Handcrafted works are core to a healthy society and contribute to a sustainable environment that can be both joyful and profitable.

Two words “conversation” and “economy” define this event. Craft has, historically and in contemporary life, been defined by these words. CRAFTING A NATION starts with the individual maker and progresses to the national craft community.

While some of the speakers are scholars and museum specialists, the conversation format is designed to function as a forum, to encourage participation from the general public as well as those who make, collect and study handcrafted objects. The audience will be encouraged to participate in all of the discussions. There will be brief opening statements by the onstage participants followed by a free exchange with the audience, including questions and comments relevant to the topics being discussed.

The sessions will often begin with screenings of pertinent, short film clips. The participants will be surrounded by craft objects, grounding the audience in the essence of craft, adding to the power of each presentation. Artists and scholars participating in the programs will be available to speak with the public.

Crafting a Nation is organized by Craft in America and the Craft Retailers and Artists for Tomorrow in collaboration with the Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery.

For more information about participating panelists and a schedule of presentations, please visit www.americancraftweek.com/craftinganation.

If you would like to RSVP by phone, please call (310) 659-9022.

***Please make sure to include the name of your guests, if any.  Thank you.