What is the relationship between public health and collective memory? How can the critical and creative practices of craft and public art be imagined to better serve and support the wellbeing of BIPOC communities? Artists engaged in craft and public art both probe these connections and questions, exploring models for how to collectively shape and confront legacies of racist, sexist, homophobic, and colonial systems of knowledge and the implications of these systems on public health and wellbeing.

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The Craft Futures Fund was established in April 2020 to support craft communities around the United States and their creative responses to the coronavirus pandemic, recognizing and investing in projects that cultivate strength and sustainability within the field of craft. From May-October 2020, the Craft Futures Fund awarded over thirty craft-based education projects that serve communities impacted by COVID-19. The Craft Futures Fund recipient projects represent diverse and multidisciplinary efforts to envision and build new, resilient futures for craft.

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Ceramic artist Roberto Lugo and curator Michelle Millar Fisher both use their creative platforms to address and expose social inequities. A self-described “ghetto potter,” Lugo speaks often of what the pottery wheel can teach us about resilience and overcoming obstacles, even tagging one wheel with the resounding message that “this machine kills hate.” Fisher navigates the world of craft as a curator, activist, and educator, spearheading initiatives like the Art+Museum Transparency Salary spreadsheet to advocate for equitable labor practices in the field.

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