Craft in America, the Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated documentary series discovering the beauty, significance, and relevance of handmade objects and the artists who make them is showcasing the unique works created by Santa Fe artists. One of two new episodes premiering on PBS in December, Craft in America: Miniatures explores the world of small objects, from folk art to marionettes to tiny furniture. Featured in the episode are two noted Santa Fe artists, as well as coverage of the International Folk Art Market. Craft in America: Miniatures premieres on PBS on December 29, 2023 (check local affiliates for airtime), but begins streaming on December 1, 2023, at craftinamerica.org, pbs.
What is Craft in America?
Craft in America is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit arts organization founded in 2004 with the mission to promote and advance original handcrafted work through programs in all media. On the air since 2007, Craft in America takes viewers on a journey of discovery through the artists, origins, and techniques of American craft. Each episode contains stories from diverse regions and cultures, blending history with living practice and exploring issues of identity, ritual, philosophy, and creative expression.
Craft in America: Miniatures explores the world of small objects and big ideas. Featuring miniaturist Mark Murphy, designer and collector Alexander Girard, the “Multiple Visions: A Common Bond” exhibition at the Museum of International Folk Art, Cuban artist Leandro Gomez Quintero, and woodblock printmaker and marionette maker Gustave Baumann, Craft in America: Miniatures reveals what motivates these artists to work at a scale that demands a masterful attention to detail.
Craft in America: Miniatures
Miniatures, the new episode of the Peabody Award-winning documentary series Craft in America, showcases unique works created by Santa Fe artists. One of two new episodes premiering on PBS in December, MINIATURES features local Santa Fe artists and institutions that work in small scale, from folk art to marionettes to tiny furniture.
Craft in America has a long tradition of spotlighting the artists of Santa Fe. Previous featured artists include Charles Carrillo, Teri Greeves, Tom Joyce, Cara Romero, and Diego Romero. The latest episode, Miniatures, carries on that tradition by highlighting objects made by the Santa Fe craft community.
MINIATURES filmed at the annual International Folk Art Market, featuring artists from around the globe. The episode goes on to highlight two noted historical artists who lived and worked in Santa Fe, Alexander Girard and Gustave Baumann. The remarkable Girard Wing in the Museum of International Folk Art shows off the miniatures, toys, and folk art collected and arranged by designer Girard in 1982. The episode also visits the New Mexico Museum of Art, where 20th-century artist Gustave Baumann’s woodblock prints and handmade marionettes are housed, and filmed at the yearly Baumann Marionette Christmas Show.
About the Artists
Alexander Girard (1907–1993) – Craft in America visits Santa Fe, to reveal the iconic 20th-century designer’s passion for folk art through the “Multiple Visions” exhibition at the Museum of International Folk Art. In the 1980s, Girard transformed his collection of over 100,000 pieces of miniature folk art from all over the world into one expansive exhibition that has been displayed exactly as he designed it for over 40 years.
International Folk Art Market – Travel the globe without leaving Santa Fe at this annual event, where artists and makers from around the world including Mexico, Peru, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Eswatini, and more share their practices and culture through miniature folk art and other craft traditions.
Leandro Gómez Quintero – From IFAM, cross the continent and ocean and follow the model vehicles of artist to his home in Baracoa, Cuba. Leandro crafts his faithful recreations of vehicles like the iconic Willys Jeep with intricate detail and accuracy, using found materials to tell the story of Cuba and her people through his art.
Mark Murphy – meet the miniaturist living and working in Astoria, Oregon. Mark shares his process for creating intricately detailed miniature furniture. We travel with him to the Chicago International Miniatures Show and connect with his community of other remarkable miniature artists.
Gustave Baumann (1881–1971) – Finally, Craft in America celebrate the prolific multidisciplinary artist who created paintings, woodblock prints and marionettes in the first half of the 20th century. Baumann was deeply inspired by the landscape and people of Santa Fe, and the city keeps his legacy alive today with their yearly Christmas marionette show.
For more information about Craft in America, visit the website. To stream the episodes, beginning December 1, 2023, visit the PBS website.
This article was posted by Jesse Williams
