News

July 7–August 31

We’re thrilled to share some exciting news: the Ohio Craft Museum has been awarded a generous Capital Expense Grant from the Greater Columbus Arts Council! Thanks to this incredible support, we’ll be making long-overdue improvements to our building—enhancing your experience as a visitor and ensuring the museum continues to be a vibrant, welcoming space for our community. The museum will be CLOSED to the public July 7–August 31. During this time, we’ll be hard at work on renovations, including: New energy-efficient lighting throughout the building Updated bathrooms A refreshed front courtyard with improved accessibility While our exhibition spaces will be closed, our offices will remain open, and all scheduled summer camps will continue as planned. We appreciate your patience and support as we take this exciting step forward. We can’t wait to welcome you back in the fall to a brighter, more beautiful museum!

(Columbus, OH)—The Ohio Craft Museum is pleased to present the “Best of 2025,” a juried exhibition showcasing contemporary fine craft by 65 artists, on view May 4–July 5. Juror Michele Tuegel, founding executive director of Florida Craftsmen, Inc., selected 81 works in clay, glass, metal, wood, fiber and mixed media from nearly 400 entries. Sixteen artists received awards of excellence (see attached) in Ohio Designer Craftsmen’s annual members competition.

“I was delighted and privileged to see extraordinary and unpredictable beauty, an abundance of narrative work and storytelling, delicious surface treatments, many expressions of our human condition, fantasy, humor and articulate design aesthetics.” Tuegel said. “Work that characteristically and authentically came from your own minds, hearts and hands was foremost in my mind. And craftsmanship is paramount. A good jeweler friend once shared this with me, which resonates today: ‘Craftsmanship is like good grammar, because it helps artists express themselves in an articulate way.’ Mastering this vocabulary is crucial to content in art, and craftsmanship is how you say it.”

The exhibition opens with a Sunday, May 4, reception from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Ohio Craft Museum. Award recipients will be recognized at 3:00 pm. At that time, the Ohio Designer Craftsmen Outstanding Achievement Award will be presented xx, who has enriched their community through fine craft.

Exhibition Details

The Ohio Craft Museum

May 4–July 5, 2025

Visitor Hours:

Monday–Friday, 10:00 am–5:00 pm
Saturday, 11:00 am–4:00 pm
Admission and parking are free.

 

Wayne Center for the Arts
August 28–October 23, 2025

 

About Ohio Designer Craftsmen & The Ohio Craft Museum

Established in 1963, Ohio Designer Craftsmen engages and enriches the community through high-quality exhibitions and education programs and supports and promotes the professional development of fine craft artists. The organization owns and operates the Ohio Craft Museum in the Grandview Heights area and has organized Winterfair in Columbus for nearly 50 years. Ongoing funding is provided by the Ohio Arts Council, Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Columbus Foundation.

 

 

February 27, 2025
Media Contact:
Nichole Redinger, Marketing Coordinator
Ohio Designer Craftsmen/Ohio Craft Museum
[email protected]
614-486-4402

Ohio Designer Craftsmen Artist Travels to Nepal with U.S. Arts Envoy Program

Columbus, Ohio—Ceramics artist/Ohio Designer Craftsmen member Mark Nafziger and his wife Joyce Nafziger were invited to participate in a week-long cultural exchange workshop in Bhaktapur, Nepal, November 2024, through the Arts Envoy program.

Arts Envoy is a cultural exchange program within the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs that connects U.S. artists with international audiences for an exchange of skills and knowledge. Mark, owner of Brush Creek Pottery located within Sauder Village in Archbold, Ohio, was one of the first potters to be invited to participate in the program.

The workshop took place in Bhaktapur, one of three main cities within the Kathmandu Valley. There, Mark and Joyce were introduced to their students, a group of local female artisans. “I did a little demonstrating. They did a lot of questioning. I was questioning them, it was a back and forth,” Mark said.  “They just jumped right in and started working.”

Mark took away a new appreciation for the resources and supplies accessible to him as an American potter. “I was really impacted by the fact that as potters, you feel an immediate connection with the struggles across cultures and across the world,” Mark said. “We all deal with the same issues in just the process itself: the firing, trying to figure out problems that arise, dealing with the materials themselves. But in comparison with Nepal, if something changes with my materials, I have resources to adapt to those changes to where I can continue doing my work with no problem. They don’t have access to the materials at all.”

The program ended with an exhibition of the work the women had created throughout the week. Mark, Joyce and the students also attended a reception at the U.S. Ambassador to Nepal’s residence. The pair spoke at Kathmandu University’s Department of Arts and Design, and were interviewed by the national press.

Photos courtesy of U.S. Embassy Kathmandu, Nepal