Judy Chicago's "The Dinner Party," 1974–79. Mixed media: ceramic, porcelain, textile. Brooklyn Museum. Photograph by Donald Woodman.
Ceramics, Textiles, Glass, Jewelry – Art as a Force for Good
Folk and craft visual artists activate their talents for the common good, preserving cultural heritage and fostering connection. How can you take action today?
Folk artists and craft artisans weave culture, history, and everyday life into their work, grounding us in shared humanity.
Through ceramics, textiles, glass arts, and jewelry, they remind us why preserving cultural and natural heritage matters – and why creativity is essential in shaping a more just and connected world.
Preserve Cultural Heritage: By continuing traditional craft practices (pottery, textile art, glasswork, and more) you ensure that cultural heritage remains vibrant. Your work becomes a bridge, connecting past generations with the future through artistry and storytelling.
Empower Communities: Craftwork builds economies, sustains traditions, and fosters deep communal ties. Whether through cooperatives, teaching workshops, or mentorship, your artistry can strengthen both financial independence and collective resilience.
Promote Social Change: Through folk artistry, you can amplify voices, challenge injustice, and preserve disappearing narratives. Whether crafting protest quilts, designing symbolic jewelry, or weaving historical threads into modern designs, art remains a powerful force for social commentary.
Help Sustain the Environment: By prioritizing natural materials and responsible sourcing, folk artists set an example for sustainable creativity. Your work can call attention to environmental stewardship, whether through reclaimed textiles, biodegradable fibers, or symbolic art reflecting climate concerns.
Heal and Provide Therapy: Art, by its very nature, is a refuge. Engaging in craft-based storytelling, meditative weaving, or tactile sculpture fosters healing, offering comfort and connection. When shared in community settings, craftwork can become a space for restoration and collective emotional care.
Preserve Cultural Heritage
Hailed by The New York Times as "some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced," the quilts made in Gee’s Bend and Alberta, Alabama constitute a crucial chapter in the history of American art. Today, they are in the permanent collections of more than thirty leading art museums.
Grain of Rice Project operates a workshop in Nanyuki, Kenya where artisans sew, bead, weave baskets and more. The organization offers fair wages, training in basketry and jewelry making, and coaches its artisans in essential life skills like budgeting, savings and setting goals.
With "Is there any free will in communication?" glass artist Jiayun Ding highlights the prevalence of ineffective communication today, especially in intimate relationships, and how it can lead to unresolved conflicts and mental health issues. Photo by Dave Williams.
Constructed from used jeans, Megan Prince calls her floor sculptures "Jean Bodies." Donated jeans are an important part of the years' long project, creating relationships, empowering people, and inviting participants to discuss the environmental benefit of repurposed clothing.
Joshua Kinman Nan's work has shown that clay art therapy benefits adults with depression by improving their mood, decision-making skills, and motivation. Nan's approach to clay therapy helps individuals express emotions, which can be particularly beneficial for those who find it challenging to articulate their feelings.
Josiah Wedgwood was an English potter who created the "Am I Not a Man and a Brother?" medallion in 1787. This medallion depicted an enslaved African man in chains. It became a powerful symbol in the abolitionist movement and Wedgwood produced and distributed thousands of these to raise awareness and funds for the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade.
The NAMES Project Memorial Quilt (also known as the AIDS Memorial Quilt) was conceived on Nov. 27, 1985, in San Francisco. By 2022, the world's largest work of folk art featured 50,000 panels with nearly 110,000 names sewn into them. One of these panels was created by Duane Kearns Puryear who believed he contracted HIV after his first sexual experience while a teenager in Dallas.
Are you aware of a folk artist or artisan who is mobilizing meaningful change in the world with their art form?