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Page table of contents STORIES TIMELINE IMPACT APPLY GIVE
"The Craft Research Fund has been at the forefront of elevating the cultural significance of craft." –Jenni Sorkin, PhD (CRF 2011, 2012), professor, Department of History of Art & Architecture, UC Santa Barbara

Compounding Effects: 20 Years of the Craft Research Fund

Robell Awake

Telling a More Accurate Craft History

Expanding the Lens of Craft Education

Expanding the Lens of Craft Education

Since 2005, the Craft Research Fund has catalyzed the thinkers, artists, curators, and scholars who shape our understanding of craft—its histories, materials, and evolving role in the world.

Forge, Shape, Gather

To mark the 20th anniversary of the Craft Research Fund, we invited scholar Jenni Sorkin to reflect on how this visionary grant has shaped the field over two decades. Her essay became the spark for a new publication: a zine that captures the spirit of the Craft Research Fund itself. We invite you to dive in and learn more about the academics and craft artists who continue to show us why craft research matters.

Read The Essay


You can also download it here.

Forge, Shape, Gather: Twenty Years of the Craft Research Fund
Twenty years of craft research

2002

Center for Craft convenes a Craft Think Tank to brainstorm strategies that address the persistent dismissal of craft within academia.

2005

Center for Craft launches the Craft Research Fund. In its first year, the Fund supports graduate and project research that begins integrating the study of craft into art and art history.

2011

Edited by Craft Research Fund recipient Maria Elena Buzsek (CRF 2008), Extra/Ordinary chronicles the relationship of craft to contemporary art and documents the rise of activist crafting, or craftivism.

2015

Supported in part by a Craft Research Fund grant, Crafted: Objects in Flux opens at the MFA Boston—one of the largest exhibitions on craft to date at a major U.S. museum.

2020

Center for Craft introduces the Artist Fellowship category of the Craft Research Fund, resourcing 11 artist-researchers to realize projects outside traditional academia.

2022

Awarded a Craft Research Fund grant, Crafting Freedom: The Life and Legacy of Free Black Potter Thomas W. Commeraw opens at the New York Historical Society. The exhibition draws national attention to a once-overlooked craftsman.

2025

The Craft Research Fund celebrates 20 years of expanding the scope of craft research. In total, 255 projects have received nearly $2 million in direct support through the Fund.
255 projects in 41 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: over 90 institutions of higher education, 153 scholarly publications, 43 exhibitions, and $1,900,000 total funds awarded.
Craft research often begins in liminal spaces: in the margins, in oral traditions, in the under-documented, and in the overlooked. The Craft Research Fund invests in the thinkers who explore these spaces and make their meaning visible.

Shaping and Reshaping

This virtual program took place on June 25, 2025. Moderated by Alpesh Patel, it features reflections from former Craft Research Fund grant recipients Anthea Black, Nicole Burisch,  Maria Elena Buszek, Faythe Levine, and LJ Roberts, with a special note from Sarah Rosalena on craft futures.

Be Part of the Celebration

Craft research is not only about what is made—it’s about how we understand the act of making and why it matters. Join us for a series of programs, exhibitions, and events as we celebrate 20 years of the Craft Research Fund.

Explore Archives in Practice
Future Histories
Illustration of a manila folder with a lined paper sheet listing upcoming Craft Research Fund events. At the top, the word EVENTS appears in blue all caps. Below, four event listings appear in black typewriter-style font with red-stamped dates: 1. Shaping & Reshaping Virtual Conversation — original date JUN 25 25 crossed out. 2. Craft Watch CRF20 plus Silent Auction Kick-Off — SEP 10 25. 3. Archives in Practice — SEP 12 25 to FEB 17 26. 4. Future Histories A Celebration plus Benefit — OCT 11 25.
Donate Today
The Craft Research Fund would not exist without the generosity of individual donors who believe in the power of preserving ideas to reshape the future. Please support the next 20 years of innovation in craft research.
"I will always be grateful to the Craft Research Fund for the window it provided onto a world in which craft was seen and valued." –Sarah Alford, PhD (CRF 2005), assistant professor, Liberal Studies, Alberta University of the Arts
Major funding for the Craft Research Fund is provided by the Center for Craft with additional support from the Windgate Foundation.