November is CraftMonth!
Each November, in partnership with the City of Philadelphia, and local craft organizations, CraftNOW works to bring our vast contemporary craft community together for CraftMONTH.
In 2026, the theme, Radical Americana: Throughlines, considers how Philadelphia’s craft traditions, objects, and ideas connect the city’s past with the work of artists today. The theme grows out of the broader Radical Americana initiative developed by The Clay Studio and cultural partners during the nation’s 250th anniversary year. CraftNOW’s November programming carries that conversation forward, using objects, materials, places, and artistic traditions to uncover connections between Philadelphia’s history and its living creative community.
Approximately 20 exhibition partners, 10 CraftNOW Create partners, and 20 Symposium presenters will participate in programming throughout the month.
Look below for an itinerary of our CraftMONTH programming!
Community Events and Programming
Community Exhibitions
Ongoing, Ending by December
Craft Exhibition spaces throughout Philadelphia present the most honored and innovative artists working today in wood, clay, fiber, metal, and glass.
CraftNOW Create
Saturday, November 7th, 2026
Craft steps out of the studio and into the heart of Philadelphia with demonstrations and hands-on exploration. Join us Saturday, November 2nd when we take over Smith Memorial Playground with free activities.
Radical Americana: Throughlines Symposium
Thursday, November 12th 2026, at Moore College of Art and Design, and Online
The centerpiece of CraftMONTH is the free CraftNOW Symposium! This year’s Symposium will be on November 12th at Moore College of Art & Design and online.
The day-long program will bring together artists, makers, curators, scholars, museums, historic sites, and other cultural organizations to explore how craft carries Philadelphia’s history forward.
Presentations will trace the humble clothing button from an 18th-century Philadelphia industry to contemporary art; explore the city’s distinctive tradition of glass pipe-making; examine presidential china and its reinterpretation by artists today; and connect Philadelphia’s craft history to queer resistance, abolition, and social action. Other sessions will consider the work of Wharton Esherick and jeweler Art Smith and contemporary artists working within Philadelphia’s historic houses.
CraftNOW Sponsors
