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DEMOCRACY

DEMOCRACY explores how craft is intertwined with our nation’s defining principles. 

Featuring: Robert L. Lynch, President of Americans for the Arts, speaking about craft in U.S. history and the role of government in the arts; calligrapher Sammy Little demonstrating cursive handwriting and its importance in our founding documents; National Museum of African American History and Culture curator Joanne Hyppolite, Ph.D., speaking on the role of craft in the African-American experience and the legacy of continued racial injustice in this country; Cheyenne Peace Chief Harvey Pratt, designing the National Native American Veterans Memorial; the Hearts of Our People exhibition at the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, featuring art by Native American women; the Veterans History Project, where we hear from veteran artists who express themselves through craft; democratic approaches to creativity in the exhibition Islands in the Land, organized by visionary curator Eudorah Moore; and Berea College, where traditional Appalachian craft is kept alive through innovative programs and a diverse and integrated student body.

PBS Broadcast premiere December 11, 2020

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Stephen Burks works with Berea College student Joseph Tayo Opaleye. Courtesy of Berea College.

 


RELATED CONTENT

ARTISTS

Learn more about the artists in the DEMOCRACY episode HERE >

EDUCATION

Visit the EDUCATION section to explore the DEMOCRACY education guide and download the lesson guide HERE >

TV SERIES

Explore all episodes HERE >

Explore weaving at Berea College
Explore weaving at Berea College
Meet the Cheyenne and Arapaho Peace Chiefs
Meet the Cheyenne and Arapaho Peace Chiefs
Learn about the Year of American Craft
Learn about the Year of American Craft
See Gere Kavanaugh's designs
See Gere Kavanaugh's designs

Robert L. Lynch / Americans for the Arts segment

National Museum of African American History & Culture segment

Robert L. Lynch / Val-Kill / Year of American Craft segment

Hearts Of Our People exhibition at the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum segment

Robert L. Lynch / Americans for the Arts segment

Calligrapher Sammy Little segment

National Museum of the American Indian and Artist Harvey Phillip Pratt segment

Veterans History Project segment

Eudorah Moore segment

Berea College segment