Collection Spotlight: May, 2026

Handwork 2026 Exhibit

Interview with Art Complex Museum Deputy Director and Contemporary Curator Craig Bloodgood on upcoming exhibitions marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Yes, we’re presenting five exhibitions, both in our galleries and across our grounds, that connect to the 250th anniversary, or Semiquincentennial. One of the most significant, opening this month, is American Beauty: Shaker Furniture and American Craft from the Collection. This exhibition is part of Handwork 2026, a nationwide celebration of craft initiated by Craft in America, the Los Angeles PBS station, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution. We’re honored to be among the many museums participating. It’s a wonderful opportunity to highlight how contemporary makers connect skill, material, and innovation.

How did you approach presenting American Beauty within the museum’s mission?

The museum has long recognized craftsmanship as both an art form and a reflection of cultural identity. For American Beauty, I wanted to feature artists who represent the diversity of craft today–people who experiment with materials while honoring long-standing traditions. At its core, the exhibition is about the human connection to making, and the satisfaction that comes from shaping something by hand.

What makes American Beauty a strong companion to that national initiative?

It grounds the broader conversation in our own collection and in New England’s design heritage. The Shakers valued purposeful beauty; they created objects that were elegant because they were useful and well made. By placing their work alongside contemporary craft, visitors can see how those values persist. The forms may evolve, but the commitment to integrity and craftsmanship remains central to American design.

What do you hope visitors take away from these exhibitions?

I hope people leave inspired by the idea that making things thoughtfully, carefully, and beautifully still matters. Whether it’s a Shaker chair or a contemporary work in ceramic or wood, each object tells a story about creativity, ingenuity, and the ongoing American pursuit of beauty through work.

You mentioned five exhibitions. Can you tell us about another?

Beginning in June, we’ll present an outdoor exhibition titled Under Construction: America at 250. It will feature 17 sculptures: 15 on the museum’s grounds and two offsite, at the Senior Center and Maxwell Park near the Bluefish River. Running from June 28, 2026 through August 29, 2027, the exhibition invites artists to reflect on America’s past, present, and future.

We asked participating artists to consider this: America is 250 years into an ongoing experiment in democracy, and that work is not finished. We’re aiming to create a diverse and compelling exhibition that explores where we’ve come from, where we are now, and where we might be headed. What does America mean today, 250 years in? Artists have always had a unique ability to tell us who we are, and where we stand. I think they came through in a big way.

American Beauty:
Shaker Furniture and Contemporary Craft from the Collection

May 10 – September 6, 2026
Reception: Sunday, May 17, 2026, 1 – 4pm

Under Construction: America at 250

June 14, 2026 – August 29, 2027
Reception: Sunday, June 14, 2026, 1 – 4pm

https://www.handwork2026.org/participant/art-complex-museum/  

Read about other artists on the Meet the Artists page.