【BOOK INTRODUCTION】
Beyond function and beauty, a handmade object often preserves the lifestyle, cultural memory, and social values of its time. Handwork: Handcrafted Objects that Made America uses more than 250 years of American craft objects as a lens through which to reconsider how the nation gradually took shape through the intersection of diverse communities, regional cultures, and everyday life.
Edited by Emily Zaiden, Director and Lead Curator of the Craft in America Center, the book also features a foreword by Carol Sauvion, founder of the Peabody Award-winning PBS documentary series Craft in America. Organized according to the role objects play in daily life, the book is divided into four major themes—“Dwell,” “Feed,” “Furnish,” and “Adorn.” Through homes, vessels, furniture, clothing, and accessories, it reveals how craft has been deeply woven into American life while reflecting the social changes of different eras.
The featured objects span a wide range of historical periods, communities, and regions. They include a nineteenth-century Kiowa cradleboard, a silver bowl made by Paul Revere to commemorate an act of rebellion, a traditional Hawaiian surfboard, and an early prototype of what would later become an iconic sneaker. These seemingly ordinary or previously overlooked objects carry stories of innovation, resistance, migration, labor, community, and self-expression. Together, they demonstrate that American culture was shaped not only by major historical events and celebrated figures, but also by countless makers and users through generations of hands-on practice.
In addition to historical objects, the book introduces a number of contemporary makers, showing how traditional techniques continue to be reinterpreted and sustained today. Through essays written by experts from across the United States, it places particular emphasis on creators, Indigenous communities, immigrant groups, and regional craft traditions that have historically received limited attention, helping to restore voices long absent from mainstream historical narratives.
Handwork is also the official publication of Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026. Conceived to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this nationwide cultural initiative brings together museum exhibitions, public programs, a PBS documentary series, and educational resources. Through the perspectives of craft and material culture, the project reconsiders how the idea of “America” has been created, used, and passed down through generations.
With abundant full-color photography, clear organization, and writing that is both informative and accessible, the book invites readers to enter history through objects. Whether interested in craft, design, folk culture, everyday aesthetics, or American social history, readers will discover a more multidimensional, diverse, and intimately human portrait of American culture through these handmade works.
【DETAILS】
Editor: Emily Zaiden
Foreword: Carol Sauvion
Publisher: Monacelli Press
Publication Year: 2026
Dimensions: 28 × 25 cm
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 320
