Craft in America Returns for a New Season With “EAST” and “WEST”
The latest episodes of the PBS docuseries explore craft across the US, beginning with stories of artists in the Eastern and Western United States.
“We are all hardwired to do things with our hands,” says Cary Schwarz, a saddlemaker from Salmon, Idaho. “The work of our hands is informing the work of our minds.”
Schwarz is an artist featured in “WEST,” one of two new episodes in the documentary series Craft in America. “WEST” premieres this December on PBS along with “EAST,” beginning a journey through the craft of the United States.
These episodes are part of Craft in America’s celebration of the country’s upcoming 250th anniversary and PBS’s slate of programming for PBS America @ 250. They will be followed by “NORTH” and “SOUTH,” premiering in 2026.
This four-episode event is part of the Handwork 2026 initiative, a nationwide semiquincentennial collaboration showcasing the importance of the handmade and celebrating the diversity of craft that defines America.
In “EAST,” Craft in America explores the intersection of history, culture, and contemporary craft in the eastern region of the United States. “My practice became defined when I started to acknowledge where it is that I’m from,” says Roberto Lugo, a potter featured in the episode. His public murals and sculptures are inspired by his background growing up in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, as well as his Puerto Rican roots.
Pop-up book artist Colette Fu of Pennsylvania, fiber artist Helena Hernmarck of Connecticut, the M&S Schmalberg flower factory of New York, and fiber artist Bisa Butler and silversmith Ubaldo Vitali, both of New Jersey, are featured alongside Lugo in “EAST.”
“WEST” examines heritage and the handmade, looking to the landscape, history, and culture of the American West. Alongside saddlemaker Cary Schwarz, the episode features bootmaker Graham Ebner of Texas, the Institute of American Indian Arts in New Mexico, and several Hawaiian artists and institutions, including fiber artist Marques Hanalei Marzan, feather artist Kawika Lum-Nelmida, Cissy Serrao, Rae Correia of Poakalani Quilters, the Bishop Museum, and the Hokule’a ocean voyaging canoe.
“The act of making is something that I learned from teachers and elders,” says Marzan. The artists and institutions of “WEST” show how traditional craft is being revived, reworked, and reinvented in the art of today.
Both episodes are streaming now on the PBS app, pbs.org/craftinamerica, and craftinamerica.org.
“EAST” and “WEST” will premiere on PBS and YouTube on Friday, December 19, 2025, at 9pm and 10pm (check your local listings).
