Blog Archives

JRACRAFT TOUR NYC

5/17/2024

CRAFT AND DESIGN IN NEW YORK CITY
May 17 - May 20, 2024
$2,100 MEMBER | $2,225 NON-MEMBER
In Person event

Delight in the best of contemporary craft and design as NYCxDesign takes over Manhattan and beyond. Guided by independent curator Kathryn Hall Asaro, this trip will explore fine furniture, glass, ceramics, and jewelry with artists and leading tastemakers in the field. In four days, participants will enjoy a curator-led tour of Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within at the Noguchi Museum, an exclusive visit to the International Contemporary Fine Furniture Fair, and a special experience at UrbanGlass along with stops to several notable galleries, studios, and more.

Cost includes some meals, museum admission, ground transportation, and a $300 donation to JRACraft.

Hotel accommodations and transportation to and from New York City are not included. Our primary meeting place will be the Courtyard by Marriott Manhattan/Midtown West (461 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001). Book here through ICFF’s website to receive a special rate.

trip itinerary

friday, may 17 - manhattan

Welcome to New York City. We will kick off our trip in the afternoon by visiting the Gochman Family Collection, a private lending collection of contemporary art focusing on work by Indigenous and American artists. The group will then head to the Museum of Art and Design where Assistant Curator Lillian Sanford will provide a look at Sonya Clark: We Are Each Other and Anne Wilson: The MAD Drawing Room and Errant Behaviors. We’ll make stops at Friedman Benda to see Under Present Conditions and Heller Gallery to see Matthew Day Perez: Accumulation before ending our day with a special welcome meal.

saturday, may 18 - brooklyn

Visit Brooklyn Metal Works to see their latest exhibition, Spoons, and explore the metalsmithing studio. Afterwards, we will make our way to UrbanGlass for a look at their hot shop followed by a special sip and shop experience in their store. We’ll spend the rest of the afternoon visiting artist studios, including Leo Tecosky, Erica Rosenfeld, Tamara Kostianovsky, and a glass demonstration by Blown Away champion Deborah Czeresko.

sunday, may 19 - manhattan

We’ll begin our morning with a breakfast mixer with ICFF + WantedDesign Brand Director Odile Hainaut and The Furniture Society at the International Contemporary Fine Furniture Fair (ICFF) followed by a guided tour with New York-based writer and curator Adrian Madlener. We will depart for a jewelry-focused afternoon featuring Charon Kransen Arts, and the studio of jeweler and metalsmith Biba Schutz, ending with a toast at The Jewelry Library to see Keith Lewis: The Saddest Aisle. You will have the rest of the evening to explore on your own.

monday, may 20 - queens/manhattan

On our last day, we will travel to the Noguchi Museum for a tour of Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within, led by Curatorial Project Assistant Natalie Ginsberg. We’ll then head back to the city for a visit to see the latest exhibitions at R & Company with gallery owner Zesty Meyers to tour Ashley Hicks: Manhattan Stones, Rogan Greogry: Elysian Dream, and Four Rooms followed by a send-off lunch.

All cancellations must be made in writing to the James Renwick Alliance for Craft at [email protected] by April 15th. Refunds, less a cancellation fee of $150 per person and the non-refundable JRACraft contribution of $300 per person. No refunds will be made after this date except in the case of a medical emergency, in which case all funds less the cancellation fee, donation and incurred expenses by JRACraft will be refunded. In the case that JRACraft cancels the trip for any reason, a full refund will be issued.

registration

EXCLUSIVE Limited TRIP (only 1 TICKET remaining)
register today!

NYCxDesign 2023 Design Pavilion installation.

Photo courtesy of UrbanGlass.

Photo by Nicholas Knight. © The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York / Artists Rights Society.

SPRING CRAFT WEEKEND BRUNCH

5/5/2024

SUNDAY, MAY 5 | 11:30AM-2:00PM | BRASSERIE LIBERTÉ
3251 PROSPECT ST NW, WASHINGTON DC 20007
$245/PERSON | FREE FOR PATRONS
event chaired by betsy Holland & ronnie raju

Join fellow Craft enthusiasts in the heart of Georgetown for a delectable lunch to conclude our Spring Craft Weekend. You will have the opportunity to meet and learn more about the impact of our 2024 Spring Craft Weekend honorees and hear from Mary Savig, one of the curators of Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women.

Semi Casual attire. Limited parking is available at the next door garage, located at 3257 Water Street NW. A nearby garage is just over 1 block away, at 1080 Wisconsin Ave. Carpooling is encouraged.

- registration NOW full -

SEE MORE SPRING CRAFT WEEKEND EVENTS

speaker bio

MARY SAVIG

Mary Savig is the Lloyd Herman Curator of Craft at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and one of the curators of the exhibition Subversive, Skilled, Sublime, which opens at the Renwick Gallery on May 31, 2024. Savig's research interests include American studio craft, contemporary craft, American art and material culture.

subversive, skilled, sublime: fiber art by women

Subversive, Skilled, Sublime is an exhibition of thirty-four fiber artworks from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's permanent collection, accompanied by selections of archival materials and interviews from the Archives of American Art. This exhibition, which JRACraft supported with a gift of $50,000, will be on view at the Renwick Gallery from May 31, 2024, through January 5, 2025. For more information on this exhibition, please visit the Smithsonian American Art Museum webpage here.

SPRING CRAFT WEEKEND: SYMPOSIUM DAY

5/4/2024

GROUNDED IN CRAFT: HONOREE SYMPOSIUM
SATURDAY, MAY 4 | 10:00AM - 12:30PM | MCEVOY AUDITORIUM
SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM | 8th and G Streets, NW, Washington DC 20004
Event chaired by Andrea Uravitch

Free and open to the public, registration not required

Attend the Spring Craft Weekend Symposium featuring talks with our esteemed honorees Masters of the Medium Marilyn Pappas, Beth Lipman, Steven Young Lee and Distinguished Educator Susie Ganch, followed by a Q&A panel.

Casual attire. Limited on-street parking at meters; several paid parking garages are available in the neighborhood. Since the Symposium starts before SAAM opens to the public, you must enter on G Street to access McEvoy Auditorium. A JRACraft staff member will be there to greet you.

SUSIE GANCH
DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR

Susie Ganch is a sculptor, jeweler, and educator at Virginia Commonwealth University where she is head of the Metal Program and Associate Professor. She is the founder of the Radical Jewelry Makeover, a pioneering project in jewelry mining and recycling that spans across the country and internationally. Ganch's work is rooted in issues of waste and cultural consumption. In 2023, JRACraft purchased her piece "Drag" for the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery.

MARILYN PAPPAS
MASTER OF THE MEDIUM

Fiber artist Marilyn Pappas delves into ideals of the human form and beauty through her life-sized embroidered textiles and three-dimensional stitched forms. In 2022, her remarkable 60-year career was celebrated with a retrospective at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA. Her work can be found in the collections of the Asheville Art Museum in North Carolina, the De Young Museum in San Francisco, and the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery, among others.

BETH LIPMAN
MASTER OF THE MEDIUM

Beth Lipman is best known for her glass still-life installations which symbolize the grandeur of the Anthropocene. Her work seeks to reimagine history and highlight the fragility of the present alongside the enduring persistence of life. Lipman has received various awards such as the USA Berman Bloch Fellowship, and the Pollock Krasner Grant. Her work has been acquired by numerous museums including the Corning Glass Museum in New York, the North Carolina Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery.

STEVEN YOUNG LEE
MASTER OF THE MEDIUM

Steven Young Lee served as the Resident Artist Director of the Archie Bray Center for Ceramic Arts for 15 years and is currently the Director Emeritus and Special Projects Manager. Lee has maintained an active studio practice and has lectured extensively in North America and Asia. In the Fall of 2016 he was one of four artists featured as part of the Invitational at the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery. His work has been collected by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, the Portland Art Museum, the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery, and many public and private collections.

SPRING CRAFT WEEKEND: A GARDEN GALA

5/4/2024

FLORAL AFFAIR: A GARDEN GALA
SATURDAY, MAY 4 | 5:30PM - 9:00PM | AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
2000 FLORIDA AVE NW, DC 20009
$405/PERSON | $100/PERSON FOR AFTER HOURS 7:30pm-9pm
FREE FOR SPRING CRAFT WEEKEND PATRONS
event chaired by laurel lukaszewski with assistance from rebecca ravenal

Step into a world of larger than life florals, at our Saturday night Garden Gala. Surround yourself with the beauty of the natural world as you enjoy drinks and a multi-course farm fresh dinner.

After dinner, enjoy the awards ceremony to honor our esteemed 2024 honorees, educator Susie Ganch, ceramicist Steven Young Lee, fiber artist Marilyn Pappas, and glass artist Beth Lipman followed by our One-of-a-Kind awardees Jerome and Gwen Paulson.

Gala guests and after-hour attendees enjoy sunset city views as we conclude the evening with a sparkling rooftop toast and a dessert buffet.

Scroll down to see photos from last year's Spring Craft Weekend Gala!

Floral inspired cocktail attire encouraged. Self-parking is available on the street and in the Colonial Parking Garage directly across the street from the American Geophysical Union Center. Public transportation is available with the closest metro station being Dupont Circle on the Red Line, about three blocks south of the venue.

SUSIE GANCH
DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR

MARILYN PAPPAS
MASTER OF THE MEDIUM

BETH LIPMAN
MASTER OF THE MEDIUM

STEVEN YOUNG LEE
MASTER OF THE MEDIUM

GWEN AND JEROME PAULSON
ONE-OF-A-KIND AWARDEES

Gwen and Jerome Paulson joined JRACraft in 1987, with Jerome assuming the role of president from 1989 through 1991. During his presidency, JRACraft's well know Caucus Membership was founded and JRACraft began hosting trips, to great success. Gwen has spent her time as a dedicated volunteer for JRACraft, hosting dozens of Spring Craft Weekend honorees and organizing events. The couple, avid glass and wood enthusiasts, have not only shared a passion for collecting, but have also played a crucial role in the formation of the Alliance.

Join us at the Gala as we honor the truly one of a kind!

If you can not join us, consider supporting JRACraft by making a donation in honor our awardees.

MAKE A DONATION

see the photos from last year

Courtesy of Elena Volkova Photography

SPRING CRAFT WEEKEND: CAUCUS DAY

5/3/2024

CAUCUS DAY: CULTIVATING CRAFT COLLECTIONS
FRIDAY, MAY 3 | 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM | 2941 RESTAURANT
2941 FAIRVIEW PARK DRIVE, FALLS CHURCH VA 22042
$255/CAUCUS MEMBER | FREE FOR PATRONS
event chaired by reba immergut

THIS EVENT IS RESERVED FOR CAUCUS MEMBERS AND SPRING CRAFT WEEKEND PATRONS

Click here to learn about becoming a Patron!

Meander by the Koi fish and waterfalls to 2941 Restaurant where craft collectors will share their journey of cultivating, caring for and donating their stunning collections over a delectable lunch. Panelists will include Chris Rifkin, Merrily Orsini, and Gwen and Jerome Paulson.

Attire is business casual. On-site parking is available.

panelist speakers

Chris Rifkin

The private collection of Chris Rifkin is renowned for its extensive collection of American Craft, with a specialty in contemporary glass. Her home was purpose built to showcase her growing collection and now serves as a repository of some of the most significant craft artists in America. Chris is also a long-time board member and supporter of the Fuller Craft Museum. "Collecting, to me, is about passionately wanting to live with a particular work of art; that if I never saw it again, there would be a small empty space inside me." Quoted in the book International Glass Art by Richard Wilfred Yelle.

Merrily Orsini

Art collector and entrepreneur Merrily Orsini and her husband have a glass art collection of over 200 pieces, which they've amassed over years of travel and research. In addition to her collecting work, Merrily has chaired and participated in many national and international glass organizations, including two years of service as the President of the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass.

Gwen and Jerome Paulson

Archives