Smithsonian Opens Craft Archive Exhibition in Washington

The Archives of American Art's new show gathers about 70 objects from 30 artists and craft professionals, alongside a new monthly podcast.

Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Fine Art

Gouache-painted editorial illustration of a ceramic bowl, carving tool, and curl of paper on a wooden plinth, evoking the handmade process behind craft. — The Smithsonian's Archives of American Art opened a Washington exhibition of about 70 postwar craft objects from 30 artists, alongside a new monthly podcast. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

The Smithsonian's Archives of American Art has opened "Materials, Methods, and Meanings: Craft in the Archives of American Art" at the Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery in Washington, D.C. The exhibition is part of the Smithsonian's celebration of the United States' 250th anniversary.

Why it matters

The show brings archival material on postwar craft, including tools, sketches and notes, into public view, showing how artists developed their work. The accompanying podcast extends that focus to craft traditions across several states.

The exhibition displays approximately 70 original objects drawn from the collections of 30 artists and craft professionals, focused on the postwar period. The stub does not specify the exhibition's run length or closing date.

The players

Smithsonian's Archives of American Art

The Archives of American Art is a research center within the Smithsonian Institution that collects records documenting the history of American art.

Chyna Bounds

Chyna Bounds is an associate curator at the Archives of American Art who organized the exhibition.

Glenn Adamson

Glenn Adamson is a historian and curator of craft and design who hosts the United States of Craft podcast.

The details

The exhibition includes material samples, artists' tools, preparatory sketches, notes, news clippings and photographs that show the experimentation behind creative work. It features items from the collections of Toshiko Takaezu, George Nakashima and Joyce J. Scott, along with newly acquired collections from Otto and Gertrud Natzler, Jan Yager, Cheryl Riley and Paul J. Smith.

The exhibition is on view now at the Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery in Washington, D.C.
United States of Craft releases new episodes monthly.

Big Picture

The exhibition draws on the Archives of American Art's holdings to place postwar craft within the documentary record the institution has built on American art. It extends that archival work into public display and a monthly podcast.

Visitors can see the exhibition in person at the Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery in Washington, D.C. New United States of Craft episodes arrive monthly for listeners who prefer audio.

The takeaway

Archival material such as sketches, tools and notes shows how craft objects were made, not only how they look. The exhibition invites visitors to consider that process alongside the finished work.