Society of Arts and Crafts

CONTACT:

175 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
617-266-1810
www.societyofcrafts.org

Beth Ann Gerstein, Executive Director

DESCRIPTION:

Founded here in 1897, SAC is really a national as well as statewide institution. It is the oldest philanthropic craft organization in the country, and was a pioneer in fostering the arts and crafts movement nationwide in all media: clay, metal, glass, wood, and fiber. It supports the work of craft artists from across the country in 4-6 exhibitions annually in its retail and exhibition gallery on Newbury Street; in its national Medal for Excellence in Craft Award (est. 1913); and in its nationwide Furniture Slide Registry featuring the work of over 100 furniture makers. It presents numerous lectures, symposia, studio tours, videos, and other illuminations of contemporary work. To promote crafts as a career, the Society presents workshops explaining what young craftspeople need to know about legal, tax, and finance issues, establishing cooperative studios, career options in the craft community, and marketing. And most recently, it started CRAFTBOSTON, an exhibition and sale of contemporary craft featuring 175 artists in all media from across the U.S. So if you are at all interested in crafts, it's all here and here is where you can get involved.

(1999: CULTURE: Arts: Visual, Literary and Crafts)