Creativity will reign over the city this November — CraftNOW’s annual CraftMONTH series is back.
Marking 11 years in 2026, this go-around’s theme is officially dubbed ‘Radical Americana: Throughlines’, exploring how “artistic traditions, materials, ideas, and cultural identities travel across generations to shape the city’s ever-evolving creative landscape.”
The theme is especially timely, with this year being the nation’s 250th anniversary. And throughout November, more than 25 regional partners will present exhibitions and programming across the city showcasing everything from wood, clay, fiber, metal and glass.
Participating venues to check out include The Clay Studio, Da Vinci Art Alliance, The Fabric Workshop + Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Museum for Art in Wood, Pentimenti Gallery, and plenty of others (a full list can be found online).
The festivities officially kick off Saturday, Nov. 7, with CraftNOW Create, a free, family-friendly celebration at Smith Memorial Playground from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Designed for elementary-age children, the event invites young creatives to get their hands busy with engaging projects, demonstrations and guided activities led by professional teaching artists.
Another highlight will take place on Nov. 12, with the annual Radical Americana: Throughlines Symposium, hosted at Moore College of Art & Design from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free with registration, the symposium will also be available for virtual audiences, and it plans to bring together artists, curators, scholars, and craft leaders for a series of discussions. Presentations will cover subjects like historic architecture, regional pottery traditions, queer resistance, glass pipemaking and “the often-overlooked creative labor of motherhood.”
CraftMONTH also coincides with another major milestone: the 50th Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, taking place Nov. 6 to 8 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Featuring 195 craft artists from across the country, this annual show offers visitors the opportunity to meet makers, discover distinctive handmade works, and purchase directly from the artists, who receive 100 percent of their sales proceeds. The show begins with a Preview Party on Nov. 5.
“Our 11th CraftMONTH celebrates the makers, businesses, collectors, and institutions that shape Philadelphia’s rich craft heritage and its cultural and economic life,” says CraftNOW Board Chair Elissa Topol in a statement.
“CraftNOW connects and supports this community while inviting everyone to discover the possibilities of craft.”
For the complete schedule of exhibitions, events, and symposium registration information, visit craftnowphila.org
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