Season Two of the Peabody-Award Winning Series CRAFT IN AMERICA Premieres Tonight on PBS

Season Two of the Peabody-Award Winning Series CRAFT IN AMERICA Premieres The Journey Into the Diverse and Ever-Evolving World of American Craft

The second season of the Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning CRAFT IN AMERICA, a filmed journey of the history, artists and techniques of our nation's rich craft culture, airs Wednesday, October 7, 2009, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET on PBS.  

The new episodes of the critically acclaimed series, which premiered on PBS in 2007, continue the journey into the diverse and ever-evolving world of American craft.  

"Origins," airing at 8:00 p.m. ET, focuses on the origins of the American craft movement and features artists who tie their work to early craft techniques and pass these techniques to others in a continuum of creativity. Featured artists include South Carolina blacksmith Philip Simmons, North Carolina potter Vernon Owens, Kiowa beadworker Teri Greeves, weaver and UCLA teacher Jim Bassler and New Jersey glass artist Paul Stankard.

"Process," airing at 9:00 p.m. ET, looks at what inspires a person to choose a career in craft and shows how each goes about acquiring the knowledge and necessary skills. Artists and institutions featured include New York City's 92nd Street Y; Professor Cary Esser, of the Kansas City Art Institute, and Nikki Lewis, a recent graduate of her ceramics program; Miguel Gomez-Ibanez, the director of Boston's North Bennet Street School, which has been training people for employment in the crafts since 1885; book artists Julie Chen and Tom Killion; and jewelers David and Roberta Williamson. The episode also looks at some of the best and most interesting artists who turned to craft as a second career later in life.

"Origins"
The American craft tradition did not just appear, fully formed and mature. Where have our craft practices come from? How do they continue? The artists featured in "Origins" tie their work to early craft techniques and demonstrate how they are involved in passing on these techniques to others in a continuum of creativity.

Since earliest time, human beings have made objects. Most, such as tools, cooking utensils, blankets and clothing, served a simple utilitarian function. If they performed well, appearance was unimportant. Other objects, like beaded jewelry, were used for both personal adornment and for symbolic purposes. As tradition and convention established and standardized the shape, size and function of these objects over time, more personal imprints were incorporated into their production. "Origins" references the traditions, tools and techniques developed millennia ago to explore how today's artists put them to use in their work and reflect our national roots and heritage.

Philip Simmons, a blacksmith in Charleston, South Carolina, is directly linked to the traditions of African-American metalworkers in the South and to age-old metalworking techniques. Simmons, who passed away in June 2009, and the people who have apprenticed with him are responsible for many of the iron gates that give Charleston its unique identity.

Vernon Owens, master potter of Jugtown Pottery, Seagrove, North Carolina, is a sixth-generation potter who's been making pots at Jugtown for more than 50 years. His story - and that of one of America's oldest potteries - continues with Pam Owens, his wife; son Travis, 22, who recently graduated from the College of Art and Design at NCSU; and daughter Bayle, 17, all of whom work at Jugtown and continue the family tradition. Viewers also hear from potter and former owner of Jugtown Pottery, Nancy Sweezy, and potter Mark Hewitt.

Teri Greeves is a beadworker who both follows and updates the Kiowa tradition of beadwork and is a modern link in the chain of personal adornment that began thousands of years ago. Greeves uses her talents to tell the story of the American Indian, both contemporary and historical. Her works include books, jewelry and even high-top sneakers!

Jim Bassler is a weaver and teacher who re-invents ancient weaving techniques from Peru and Mexico and uses them to express his ideas about the importance of fiber techniques to the history and evolution of humanity. The segment features some of Bassler's students in the World Culture program at UCLA, where he encourages the consideration of the tactile and handmade in our modern, technological culture.

Paul Stankard, a glass artist in Mantua, New Jersey, follows in the tradition of centuries-old European lampwork, elevating the practice of flamework through his botanical paperweights. Stankard lives and works in an area of southern New Jersey where glass has been produced since 1739. With him in the studio are his daughters Katherine Stankard Campbell, Pauline Stankard Iacovino and Christine Stankard Kressley, and long-time assistant David Graeber, accomplished flamework artists who assist in the creation of his masterpieces.

"Process"
In a fast-track, high-tech, drag-and-drop world, what inspires people to choose a career in craft and how do they go about acquiring the knowledge and necessary skills? What makes an established professional give up everything to make a 180-degree turn to the arts in mid-career? What educational opportunities are available for people of all stages of life who harbor the desire to learn a craft?

This episode answers many of the questions that viewers of the first CRAFT IN AMERICA series have posed, including how to learn a craft, how to make a living as a craft artist and where an artist finds the creative strength to overcome the struggle with his or her demons - the twin terrors of success and failure - prompted by their talents or the sheer physicality of their materials.

"Process" takes the viewer to the places where craftspeople learn and practice and follows them into the world to see how they demonstrate their importance and value to society.

New York City's 92nd Street Y has been a seminal part of craft education for decades, even training artists under the GI Bill. A program like theirs is often a step in the process from amateur to professional craft artist. "Process" visits with several students and teachers, including Jonathan Wahl, the Y's director of jewelry and metalsmithing, and Robert "Bobby" Silverman, director of ceramics.

Professor Cary Esser of the Kansas City Art Institute goes beyond teaching skills and techniques, preparing her students for a career in ceramics by mentoring them as they evolve from students to trained professionals. It is a credit to Esser's influence on her students that so many of them attempt and succeed at having a career in the ceramics field. Nikki Lewis, a graduate of Esser's program who went on to receive her MFA at UCLA, is now a professional potter and teacher in Los Angeles, carrying on the tradition of passing along knowledge to another generation of prospective craft artists.

Boston's North Bennet Street School has been training people for employment in the crafts since 1885. The school pioneered the concept of intensive instruction in a classroom/shop setting for the sole purpose of learning a trade. Director Miguel Gómez-Ibáñez is himself a graduate of the furniture department and a teacher dedicated to preserving and advancing craft traditions and promoting greater appreciation of craftsmanship. The school is unique in training students for careers in diverse areas like bookbinding, cabinet- and furniture-making, carpentry, jewelry-making and repair, locksmithing, piano technology, preservation carpentry and violin-making and repair - all traditional trades that use hand skills in concert with evolving technology. Gómez-Ibáñez demonstrates the methods and value of this unique education.

The works of Julie Chen, a book artist in Berkeley, California, defy traditional definitions of bookmaking, combining original works of poetry and three-dimensional paper techniques to stunning effect. Each one holds embedded messages to be discovered and journeys to be taken, in form and text. Chen works like a conceptual artist, allowing an idea to determine form and content. Her book forms reflect the variety of concepts that fascinate her, including language, history, memory and time. Every element - structure, shape, color, material - is in symbiotic relationship with the concept. In contrast to Chen's highly innovative and conceptual books is the work of Tom Killion, printmaker and book artist, whose work reflects a traditional aesthetic.

David and Roberta Williamson, jewelers in Berea, Ohio, create jewelry that combines ephemera and found objects, some of which have been passed down in their families and others found at the many flea markets and antique shows they frequent. Working as true partners in the process, Dave brings the technical skills that complement Roberta's creative combinations of art and design. Part of their own lives goes into each of these talismans, and the story they tell is interpreted and re-invented by the wearer. Through classes the Williamsons teach locally, students are encouraged to "find their own stories" and build a piece of jewelry that captures and envelops an emotional moment or memory dear to them.

Some of America's best (and most interesting) artists turned to craft later in life as a second career. CRAFT IN AMERICA examines what has driven them to reinvent themselves - and by so doing perhaps fulfill the craftsman's credo best: live craft as a calling, not just a career.