The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) has opened the exhibition 'Clutch City Craft,' which explores the craft traditions and material cultures that define Houston. The show features a diverse range of making practices, from mosaic street signs and cowboy boot making to fiber artists involved in aerospace design, framing the city's creative density as an extension of its industrial identity.
Hervey Bay Regional Gallery in Queensland is closing out 2025 with three new exhibitions by local artists, opening November 28. The shows include a solo exhibition by Alywarr artist Dion Beasley, titled "Six Dogs," featuring his playful drawings of camp dogs inspired by his hometown of Tennant Creek and his children's books. Also on view are Brisbane-based Tyza Hart's "Appearing," a decade-spanning installation of ceramics and self-portraits, and the collaborative project "Weeds to Paper" led by papermaker Zela Bissett, which transforms invasive plants into handmade paper artworks in partnership with Butchulla Traditional Custodians.
Globally-renowned English felt artist Lucy Sparrow has opened a new 13,000-piece felt exhibition titled "Lucy Sparrow’s Quick Shop" at FloridaRAMA in St. Petersburg, Florida. The immersive grocery-themed pop-up features handmade felt versions of everyday products like avocados, toothpaste, and seafood, and functions as both an art installation and a shop where visitors can purchase the signed felt items. The exhibition will remain open only as long as the stock lasts, with special shopping events alongside the artist scheduled for November 25, 26, and 28.
St. Albert’s youth artists are showcasing their work at Amplify’s third-annual Artist Alley Winter Market: Dreaming Edition, held November 8–12 at St. Albert Place. The event features a five-day exhibition of 33 works by students from local schools, a one-day craft market with 26 artisans, and three workshops, two of which are already sold out. The theme “dreaming” inspired a wide range of pieces, from digital art and photography to acrylics and a clay sculpture titled "Stewed Tomatoes" by Grade 10 student Elle Pigeon. Live music and beginner-friendly workshops, including a Paint Party led by instructor Kaylee Rose, round out the program.
The Morris Arboretum & Gardens in Philadelphia recently displayed supersized red poppies at its entrance, reproductions of the colossal sculptures "Papaver Rubrum Giganteum" created by the late artist Gary G. Miller. Originally installed at the arboretum in May 2008, the installation featured 300 handmade aluminum poppies with 20-inch flower heads on 10-foot stems. Miller, a sculpture and photography teacher at Germantown Friends School and a facilitator at Woodmere Art Museum, was killed by a drunk driver in 2013. To commemorate his work, the Chestnut Hill Community Association organized an exhibition titled "Papaver Rubrum Giganteum Redux," featuring photographs of the poppies in a pop-up space from September 27 to October 4.
Baltimore textile artist Jamaal "Feedy" Jackson, who works in cybersecurity, debuts his first solo exhibition "Follow Your Joy" at the Monument Sotheby's International Realty gallery in the Village of Cross Keys. Jackson uses a tufting gun and punch needle with acrylic yarn to create handmade rug art that resembles painting. The exhibition runs through December 5, 2025, and is nearly sold out, with pieces priced upwards of $20,000.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington presents 'Portals,' an exhibition curated by Donna Honarpisheh featuring three rising female artists—Aryana Minai, Shyama Golden, and Aiza Ahmed—who explore the concept of liminality through dreamscapes and half-seen worlds. Minai’s works use handmade paper, bricks, and skeleton leaves to create tactile portals and altars; Golden’s oil and acrylic paintings depict a surreal journey into a subconscious dream world inspired by 'Alice in Wonderland' and Sri Lankan folklore.
The Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State has opened a new exhibition titled "Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper," running from June 7 to July 27. The show features nine contemporary Japanese artists—Hina Aoyama, Eriko Horiki, Kyoko Ibe, Yoshio Ikezaki, Kakuko Ishii, Yuko Kimura, Yuko Nishimura, Takaaki Tanaka, and Ayomi Yoshida—who transform traditional handmade washi paper into textured two-dimensional works, sculptures, and installations. The exhibition explores paper's versatility through techniques like layering, weaving, and folding, highlighting its connection to the natural world.
Kimie Joe, an artist and former engineer who worked on the International Space Station program and with Northrop Grumman, is the owner of the Gallery of Hermosa in downtown Hermosa Beach, California. In this interview, she discusses how her gallery serves as a cultural hub for emerging and established artists, offering rotating exhibits, workshops, and artist talks. Joe also shares her artistic practice, which blends materials like handmade ceramic tiles, epoxy resin, oil paints, and woven papers, drawing on her engineering background to create layered, tactile works that explore memory, place, and the natural world.
A new art gallery called Visual Feast Gallery has opened in the Patton Creek Shopping Center in Hoover, Alabama. Founded by 78-year-old abstract artist Rose Cook, the space features her original abstract paintings, handmade jewelry, vintage finds, and works by traditional artists. The gallery also offers art classes, creative workshops, and rentals for small events. Cook moved to Birmingham in 2025 and has been creating art professionally since 1986, previously running a successful handmade jewelry business.
The 'Evanston Woods II' exhibition at Space 900 Gallery in Evanston, Illinois, showcased wood in various forms through works by six local designers and makers over three days. Organized by Chicago woodworker Paul Segedin, the show featured visual wood sculptures, practical furniture, and mixed-media pieces, including Madeline Usher's sculpture 'I Wish You Could Join Me Up Here' and a coffee table by architect Len Koroski made from a downed tree. The event aimed to connect the public with handmade furniture and woodcraft, highlighting the challenges of finding such work in Chicago.
Fashion brand Libertine, founded by Johnson Hartig, will host a pop-up at the Hotel Jerome in Aspen from July 27 to August 2. The event will feature one-of-a-kind handmade pieces from Hartig’s Los Angeles atelier, previews of the Fall 2025 collection, and Aspen-only exclusives. The brand, approaching its 25th anniversary, draws on Hartig’s own art practice, including a pattern derived from his gouache painting.
The Howard Whittemore Memorial Library in Naugatuck, Connecticut, will host a new exhibition titled 'Mandalas and More' throughout May 2026, featuring artwork created by students of local artist and retired public school art teacher Rose-Ann Chrzanowski. The pieces were produced in Chrzanowski's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) course, which uses mandala-making and mixed-media techniques to encourage personal reflection and relaxation. The exhibit includes works using jewelry, torn handmade paper, feathers, paint, and sand, and will be displayed on the Whittemore Gallery Wall and in the library display case through June 1.
The Southborough History and Arts Center (SHAC) is hosting an opening reception and gallery talk on May 9th from 4:00–7:00 PM in its Long Gallery at Fayville Hall, featuring artist Beverly Ramsay. Ramsay, who creates intricate works by transforming handmade paper into pictures celebrating global cultural heritage, will discuss her artistic journey and techniques. The free event requires pre-registration and includes refreshments.
The Edmond Arts Festival is currently underway in Edmond, Oklahoma, featuring over 160 exhibits and booths that include paintings, handmade crafts, and food. The festival runs through Sunday evening, offering family-friendly entertainment in the heart of the city, with local artist Kris Fairchild highlighting the supportive atmosphere and unique, humorous artwork on display.
William & Mary students showcased their handmade artworks in the Hart Gallery's "Handmade" exhibit, held in conjunction with the Ampersand International Arts Festival. Curated by alumna Zara Fina Stasi '12, a Richmond-based artist and founder of Good for the Bees, the multimedia exhibition featured approximately a dozen student submissions including assemblage, collage, sculpture, sewn hangings, and traditional painting. Student curators Gibran Adnan '27 and Rebecca Graber '27 collaborated with Stasi to select and install the works, which explored themes of experimentation, self-expression, and the human process of creating by hand.
The Grayson Gallery & Art Center (GGAC) in Grayson, Kentucky, is hosting an opening reception for its annual 'Celebrate the Earth 2026' art show and sale on April 24. The event, part of the non-profit's monthly Final Fridays series, will feature original, handmade works from regional artists focused on Earth Day themes, alongside a display of art by homeschooled children. Live music will be provided by the band Kentucky Memories, and the evening will include an awards ceremony with cash prizes and ribbons.
International environmental artist Sandra Hansen's exhibition 'Our Exquisite Pollution Series: Under the Sea' is on view at the Evanston Art Center from March 28 to April 26. The show features large-scale marine scenes made from handmade paper and repurposed plastics, including a 12-foot paper whale and kelp columns braided from hundreds of plastic bags, all highlighting the impact of plastic pollution on oceans. Hansen began the series in 2014 after learning about agricultural runoff in Lake Erie and has since collected beach trash to incorporate into her conceptual art.
Artist Kate Ferris is presenting her solo exhibition "Flow & Form" from April 16 to May 3 at Tea Amantes – Tearoom & Gallery in Fleetwood. The show features her fluid art paintings, created using acrylic pour techniques that embrace unpredictability and spontaneity, alongside a selection of handmade jewelry.
The "Artist of the Earth" exhibition recently opened in Paris, featuring a diverse collection of works by Syrian artists including miniature Damascene house models, paintings, mosaics, and traditional crafts. Organized by the association "Valuable Hands," the event concluded with a spiritual Sufi whirling performance and a ceremony honoring the participating creators.
Chicago is experiencing a surge in "Sidewalk Joy Spots," miniature art-sharing stations modeled after the "Little Free Library" concept. These small, community-maintained boxes allow residents to exchange handmade jewelry, miniature paintings, and sculptures, effectively turning residential sidewalks into decentralized public galleries.
The Kalachaya Darpan Art Gallery in Pune is hosting a three-day exhibition titled "Strokes of Devotion," featuring handmade traditional Indian folk art created by 18 women from Studio Art for All. Founded by Shraddha Trivedi, the studio has trained over 10,000 students globally in indigenous art forms, ranging from Mata ni Pachedi to Varakari traditions. The showcase highlights freehand interpretations of spiritual themes, including the Dashavatara and Hanuman Chalisa, created by women balancing careers in medicine, law, and technology.
The Kniznick Gallery at Brandeis University has opened "Who Will Draw Our History? Women’s Graphic Narratives of the Holocaust, 1944-1949," an exhibition curated by Rachel E. Perry. The show features the work of ten female survivors who utilized visual storytelling—including handmade albums, pictorial diaries, and wordless novels—to document their experiences in concentration camps like Auschwitz-Birkenau and Ravensbrück. These "graphic narratives" serve as early visual testimonies, often created as a "call to duty" immediately following the liberation.
This weekend in Leamington, the Friday market continues with local produce, clothing, handmade items, and baked goods, organized by CJ's Events Warwickshire. Additionally, the 'Childish Things' exhibition is on display at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum, featuring artworks and objects from the museum's collection that explore childhood, including Anne Finlay's 'Study For A Woman's Life', alongside toys, games, and social history objects. The exhibition runs from October 24 to February 1, 2026, and is free to attend. A run club hosted by Sculpt also takes place on January 8.
Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood, Ohio, is hosting Art Treasures 2025, an annual holiday exhibition and pop-up shop featuring handmade goods by local Northeast Ohio artists. Open through December 27 in the Hoffman-Stach Gallery, the show includes paintings, jewelry, photography, wood sculpture, comics, and more. Participating artists include Debbie Clapper, Patsy Coffey Kline, Rita Elswick, Ryan Finley, Mark Gifford, Tanya Long, Mary Pat Oliver, T.J. Rovito, and Patricia Sigmier. A free public reception is scheduled for December 5.
Greenock Art Club has opened its winter exhibition at Stables Studios in Gourock, showcasing over 100 artworks from around 50 members. The exhibition, which opened the previous weekend, continues on Saturday, November 29 and Sunday, November 30, featuring paintings, handmade crafts, jewelry, and Christmas decorations available for purchase. Featured artists include Lana Zukevych, a 22-year-old Ukrainian member who joined earlier this year, alongside club secretary Arlene O'Donnell and trustee Catherine Soulier.
San Antonio ceramic artists Michelle Hernandez, Hilary Rochow, and Rikkianne Van Kirk initiated ClaySA, a grassroots effort to unite the local ceramics community. The program includes a group exhibition titled "The Mark of the Hand," featuring 23 local artists working in clay, and 12 studio tours across two weekends in November. The exhibition, curated by Rochow, builds on a previous show called "Clay Symphony" and is supported by an all-volunteer committee including Contemporary Art Month Executive Director Roberta "Nina" Hassele and other artists.
Milwaukee tile artist Ben Tyjeski has opened his first solo exhibition, 'Birds and Blooms,' at the Grove Gallery in Milwaukee, running through October 18. The show features 40 handmade faience tile panels depicting native flora and fauna, inspired by the historic ornamentation of Milwaukee's Wells Building and the artist's explorations of local parks and natural spaces. Tyjeski, who previously wrote about Milwaukee's historic faience tiles and architectural terra cotta, uses a wet-clay carving and hand-glazing process to create intricate, nature-themed designs.
Archaeologists have discovered that Native Americans were engaging in games of chance using handmade dice as far back as 12,000 years ago, during the Late Pleistocene. A new study by researcher Robert Madden reveals that these artifacts, found in sites across Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, predate the previously oldest known dice from Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley by over 6,000 years. These early dice, often made of bone and decorated with pigments, were used by the hunter-gatherer Folsom culture.
The Old Town Arts & Crafts Guild, a nonprofit organization, is hosting an Artist's Showcase at Dart's Barn in Southold, New York, on May 2nd and 3rd from 9 AM to 4 PM. The event will feature fine art, photography, handcrafted items, and works by Carolyn M. Bell and the Peconic Impressionists, with free admission and light refreshments.