American Craft is a wish book that helps creative people to see the world with fresh eyes. Its memorable stories and images inspire readers to craft a conscientious, expressive life they feel good about. The magazine celebrates the age-old human impulse to make things by hand, in order to communicate, learn, heal, and connect.

The American Craft Council is a national, nonprofit educational organization founded in 1943 by Aileen Osborn Webb. The mission of the Council is to promote understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft. Programs include the bimonthly magazine American Craft, annual juried shows presenting artists and their work, a 2006 leadership conference on craft, the Aileen Osborn Webb Awards honoring excellence, a specialized library, workshops and seminars.

The Council is today the leading voice for craft in America, celebrating the remarkable achievement of the many gifted artists working in the media of clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood and other materials. Programs through which the Council supports the field include the bimonthly magazine American Craft, annual retail and wholesale shows, and a special library on contemporary craft, education grants, workshops, seminars and other services to the public.

As a membership organization, the Council welcomes those with an interest in or curiosity about the crafts. Many institutions and individuals belong to the Council—not only artists, but teachers, scholars, collectors, gallery owners and professionals in several fields, in the U.S. and abroad. This diversity is well represented in the Council’s governance through its Board of Trustees, which is elected annually by the members.

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American Craft
1224 Marshall Street NE, Suite 200
Minneapolis, MN 55413
1.800.836.3470
letters@craftcouncil.org

Monica Moses
Editor in Chief

Julie K. Hanus
Senior Editor

Mary K. Baumann
Will Hopkins
Creative Directors

Elizabeth Ryan
Interactive Editor

Andrew Zoellner
Assistant Editor

Judy Arginteanu
Copy Editor

Joyce Lovelace
Contributing Editor

Clint Greene
Designer

All Events Listings Queries to
Andrew Zoellner
Assistant Editor
612.206.3126
calendar@craftcouncil.org

All Advertising Queries to
Joanne Smith
Advertising Sales Manager
1.800.836.3470 x3122
jsmith@craftcouncil.org

All Back Issue Queries to
Alanna Nissen
Office Coordinator
1.800.836.3470 x3120
anissen@craftcouncil.org

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WRITER'S GUIDELINES

American Craft is aimed at independent thinkers with a keen interest in the creative process. These readers recognize the many design choices they have in everyday life, including their creative pursuits, the artful objects in their homes and workplaces, the clothing they wear and the media they engage with. American Craft helps readers make excellent, constructive, creative choices. The core audience values community, sustainability, quality, and authenticity.

OUR IDEAL WRITER

We value freelancers who can write for a general creative audience with clarity and insight. We love good storytelling that explores a craft artist's struggles, doubts, determination, and triumphs. We like to read about how craft shows up in modern life – particularly if the writing is bright and accessible. Writers should take special care, when touching on craft theory or history, to write clearly, for a non-academic audience.

Most of our go-to writers have experience as arts journalists, are thorough in their reporting, and write with depth and nuance. The ideal writer can be counted on to:

• keep us apprised of changes in story concept at the reporting stage
• write to the agreed-upon length
• meet all deadlines
• collaborate on editing, responding quickly to questions and suggestions
• help to gather images when necessary

THE PERFECT PITCH

We welcome email queries that sum up in a paragraph the most interesting aspects of a story subject. Please send pitches to query@craftcouncil.org, and include the medium (glass, clay, fiber, metal, wood, paper, etc.) in your subject line, along with the department you're aiming for. Examples of good subject lines:

• QUERY: Clay/Craft in Action
• QUERY: Paper sculpture/Feature
• QUERY: Wearable fiber/Product Placement

Please also include an image or images with your pitch. The magazine must be not only well written but also visually dazzling; we generally need to see images before we agree to a story idea.

We are interested in:
• Artists who use unusual materials
• Artists who've traveled unusual paths in their work
• New artists whose work is remarkable
• Veteran artists with impressive work that has evolved over a lifetime
• Artists going through a transition, reaching a pinnacle, or facing a challenge
• Artists working in collaborative partnerships
• Artists for whom craft has been a means for healing and learning about life
• Handmade goods that are stylish, innovative and affordable
• Craft that brings together a community for a good purpose
• Craft that reflects values of sustainability and community
• People whose work might not be considered studio craft but who bring a sort of craft devotion to their creative pursuits
• People who've collected craft and art objects in a beautiful living space
• U.S. or foreign locales that offer a number of craft destinations
• Galleries that specialize in craft
• Books, films and exhibitions of interest to a broad craft-loving audience
• Schools and organizations advancing craft in interesting ways

MAGAZINE DEPARTMENTS

On Our Radar: Emerging artist doing remarkable work. 500 words

Product Placement: Stylish, inventive, practical, and generally affordable handmade goods and the people who make them. 500 words

Shop Talk: Q&A with owners of galleries who feature craft objects, on their business challenges and successes, the artists they represent, and their clientele. 500 words

Media Review: Brief review of book or film of interest to craft lovers. 250 words

Org/edu: School or non-profit organization advancing craft in interesting ways. 500 words

People & Places: News about an artist, collector, educator, or other advocate making a difference - or about an institution reaching a milestone or making a significant transition. 250+ words

Spirit of Craft: Art form that might not typically be considered fine craft (e.g., floral arrangement) but may entail the sort of devotion generally associated with craft. 500 words

Craft in Action: Artists or organizations using craft to make the world better, often reflecting values of community or sustainability. 500 words

Personal Paths: Artist doing very individual, even idiosyncratic, work from a personal motivation. 750 words.

Material Matters: Artist using unusual material to make amazing craft. 500 words

Show Review: Review of an exhibition of interest to a broad swath of our readership. Show must still be up when the magazine is published. 500 words

Wide World of Craft: Foreign or U.S. travel destination for craft lovers, providing an overall sense of what is distinctive about the city or place. 750 words

Ideas: Q&A with a thinker or practitioner whose views represent a challenge to the status quo. 750 words

Features: In-depth prose with a particularly compelling storyline. May be an artist profile or a trend piece encompassing several artists. 750+ words.