TEXTILE ARTS LA: In Conversation
Handwork: Defining America’s Past and Present in Fiber
at Craft in America Center
Saturday, October 17, 2026
3:00 -5:00 pm

Handwork: Defining America's Past and Present in Fiber 

This landmark year in America's nationhood provides a moment to reflect on how textiles have always had a vital role as our cultural voice. This session will present historic anchoring examples alongside contemporary achievements to examine how innovation, independence, and personal expression are driving principles throughout the centuries. The past enlivens the present and future, providing depth and meaning to contemporary fiber pursuits. Our modern lens can spotlight how fiber artists and makers have always been revolutionaries and visionaries, providing inspiration for the trajectory of fiber now. Today's fiber artists are carrying a long-burning torch and continuing the evolution of a language that captures the complex, nuanced, and contested aspects of American life. 

 Our three speakers are Emily Zaiden, Director and Curator, Craft in America Center; Lauren Cross, Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts, The Huntington; and Tanya Aguiñiga, Multimedia Artist and Activist.  Emily will give us an overview of how fiber is represented in the book Handwork:Handcrafted Objects That Made America and therefore its role across American history. Lauren will talk about her essays in the book and fiber in the American collection at the Huntington, and Tanya will talk about her piece, Metabolizing the Border, which is examined in the book.

Craft in America Center 8415 W. 3rd St. Los Angeles, CA 90048

Emily Zaiden is director and curator of the Craft in America Center in Los Angeles where she has organized over eighty multidisciplinary contemporary art, craft, and design exhibitions for the center and partner museum venues. Zaiden oversees public programs, a K-12 education initiative, and digital projects, including the creation of the online Craft Video Dictionary. Her research focuses on craft processes, materiality, functional design, and cultural art, particularly from a historical lens. Zaiden has an M.A. from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture. She is editor of Handwork: Handcrafted Objects that Made America, recently published in July of 2026 by Monacelli, a division of Phaidon.