By Jennifer Hemmingsten

“Creating a physical work by hand from raw materials is magic!” declares Alisa Banks, a visual artist from Dallas whose fiber-based books and collages explore her Louisiana Creole heritage and the African diaspora. It’s this sense of wonder—shared by artists working in disciplines from basket-weaving to bronze sculpture—that will animate Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026.

Handwork 2026 recently launched as a year-long national initiative honoring the handmade traditions that have shaped America’s 250-year history. It is led by Craft in America, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit known for its long-running PBS series. More than 250 partner organizations are participating, with BARN joining a strong Pacific Northwest cohort that includes the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle.

BARN’s contribution to this historic celebration is Handwork Week—an extraordinary gathering of ten accomplished artisans from April 26 through May 1, 2026. The intensive workshops will bring together makers whose work represents the rich diversity of American creativity for what BARN Executive Director Grae Drake describes as “transformative community building.”

“Craft has this remarkable power to bring people together across all kinds of boundaries,” Drake says. “When you gather makers this accomplished and this diverse in one place, something extraordinary happens.”

The Magic of Making by Hand

“It is more important than ever to kindle in others a relationship to nature and to be part of a community,” says Melinda West, who has been practicing plant-fiber weaving for four decades. Using materials from gardens and Pacific Northwest landscapes—barks, grasses, leaves, vines, roots, and limbs—West creates functional basketry and art that both teaches and transforms. “The value of being outside, working with plants, learning their stories, and then learning to make things with them is empowering. The act of making can be healing.”

Brian Gillespie, a software developer who creates abstract geometric art inspired by the work of Alexander Calder, offers a different but equally compelling perspective: “Working with our hands gives our minds a rest. For me, there’s nothing more relaxing than spending time making. It brings me joy. I believe we need more soothing, connection with ourselves, and joy in America today.”

Daniel Winterbottom, whose urban sketches document everything from COVID’s impact on community to Seattle’s vanishing bungalows, frames the urgency clearly: “As fewer people gravitate towards handwork, it actually becomes more valuable. Just finding competent craftspeople is becoming challenging. As gaming and AI become more of the common vernacular, the skills of the craftsperson who uses their hands, eyes and brains to create beauty and meaning will offer a touchstone to those that still need the human touch.”

Diverse Voices, Shared Passion

BARN’s Handwork Week roster brings together voices rarely gathered in one place:

Alisa Banks will guide participants through creating artist’s books that explore personal narratives. “I primarily present tactile, sculptural stories in fiber-based books and collage,” she explains, drawing inspiration from “little known histories, family stories, material culture, traditions, plants.” Her work has been exhibited internationally and is housed in collections including the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress.

Melinda West will teach plant-fiber weaving, going deep into “the lessons plants have to offer; the cultures that have held and practiced this transfer of knowledge through their plant craft; and the artistic expression that can come through the practice of plant-fiber technologies.” A five-day intensive (overview), she notes, makes this depth possible.

Suzanne Williams brings three-dimensional jewelry fabrication from Colorado. Her workshop focuses on “multi-layered constructions that use both abstract and narrative themes” and “focal pieces with clasp mechanisms that fit together like puzzles.” Inspired by everything from landscapes and clouds to “urban and industrial scenes with factories, cityscapes, storefronts, reflections on windows and curved surfaces,” Williams finds visual inspiration everywhere.

Brian Gillespie will explore custom-designed mobiles inspired by Alexander Calder, melding manual craft with computational methods. “Alexander Calder devoted his life to the creation of the mobile,” he says. “We get to spend a week exploring the form using both manual and computational methods.”

Daniel Winterbottom teaches urban sketching as documentation and advocacy. An urban sketcher whose work ranges broadly across geographies, Winterbottom has created reportage projects on COVID’s effects, disappearing agricultural landscapes, and Seattle’s vanishing historic fabric. “For me art is not benign,” he says. “It can be a considered point of view that offers an insight and new way of seeing something that may have previously been ignored or dismissed.”

Randi Purser (XWibulica), an elder of the Suquamish Tribe, brings traditional woodworking and carving knowledge passed down through generations. Her work includes the 14-foot Welcome Pole representing Chief Seattle’s father at the start of the Sound to Olympics Trail near coner of Winslow Way and State Route 305.

Ricardo Ruiz, a first-generation Mexican-American poet and son of potato factory workers from Othello, Washington, elevates marginalized voices from rural communities through his writing.

Jonathan Evison, New York Times bestselling author and Bainbridge High School graduate and Bainbridge Island resident, brings the craft of storytelling to a week otherwise focused on material making. His ten novels include Lawn Boy and Small World.

Richard Parrish operates a kiln-glass studio in Bozeman, Montana, where he’s inspired by the big sky and spectacular landscape of the American West. He brings an architect’s training to his teaching on color theory and design.

Jeff Oens creates bronze sculptures ranging from miniature to monumental. Best known for wildlife sculptures, his work also includes human figures and mythical creatures, with many pieces visible around Bainbridge Island’s Three Tree Lane.

The Power of Intensive Learning

What excites the instructors most is the unprecedented gathering of disparate disciplines. “I am excited to meet artists working in such disparate media,” Banks says, while West adds, “I love to hear the stories of other makers who are passionate about learning and building community.”

The five-day format makes transformation possible. Banks hopes participants “will feel empowered to share something that is meaningful for them—that they understand if something is important to them, then there are others who will be interested. The beauty of the artist’s book format is that it allows for an idea to unfold in multiple ways. I’m really excited to be guide and witness their unfolding.”

Williams notes that intensive workshops “give participants more time to learn, increasing their ability to adapt new knowledge to their own creative visions and work, while inspiring new project ideas.”

Winterbottom emphasizes the freedom the format provides: “An intensive (workshop) offers the opportunity to build upon the experiences that have preceded each session, to refine techniques and explore them to their fullest. It removes the pressure that a one-day workshop might suggest, and students can more fully explore and take risks.”

A Celebration Continues

Throughout 2026, more than 250 organizations nationwide are hosting Handwork exhibitions, workshops, and events. Visit handwork2026.org to explore the full calendar of programming across the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

As Williams articulates, “Handmade work can not only bring utility, convey ideas, and enrich lives, but also create beauty and enjoyment. Handmade work reflects cultural expression, common purpose, and facilitates connection on both community and national levels.”

West offers perhaps the most profound summary: “The practice of making can give a person time for reflection. It can help one process strong emotions. It gives opportunity for expression, experimentation, and discovery. Handmade work is the visible product of a healthy community.”

“I’m incredibly proud that BARN can serve as the gathering place for this kind of transformative community building,” adds Drake. “In an increasingly digital world, Handwork Week offers participants the chance to be part of a national moment celebrating enduring values—and to experience, as Banks promises, the magic of creating physical work by hand from raw materials.”

Jennifer Hemmingsen is a former journalist and the Marketing Communications Director at the BARN.

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