In the Tibetan language, lag zo means “handmade.” Lag Zo, a partnership with China Arts and Crafts Association, celebrated the incredible range, knowledge, and skill in traditional ethnic Tibetan craft, including thangka painting, silversmithing, wood carving, stone carving, khyenle bronze casting, black pottery, and textile arts made from felted and woven yak wool.

From 2014 to 2021, we worked with ethnic Tibetan artisans and partners in China to provide training workshops, product design and development support, one-on-one mentorship to artisan enterprises, and improved connections to both local and international markets.

My Handmade Armenia was one of the major initiatives of the My Armenia Cultural Heritage Tourism Program, funded by USAID and implemented by the Smithsonian between 2015 and 2021. My Handmade Armenia supported the growth and, in some cases, revitalization of craft traditions in Armenia’s regional communities, including wood carving, stone carving, embroidery, carpet weaving, and pottery.

While creative technology skills developed rapidly in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital city, products made by hand were often relegated to the category of souvenir. My Handmade Armenia worked with artisans and local partner Teryan Cultural Center to document craft traditions and provide training workshops including product design and development, marketing, costing and pricing, and technical skills—which expanded and elevated the notion of handmade craft in the market and launched more than sixty new artisan enterprises.

The Center partnered with the Royal Textile Academy of Bhutan in 2018 to support the sustainability of traditional weaving. The Center supported activities like professional exchanges, strategic planning, training on culture-based product development and design, research surveys to understand consumption patterns and youth attitudes toward Bhutanese textiles, and an educational color theory guide for weavers and designers.

In partnership with the Union of Artisans Kazakhstan, Chevron, and the U.S. Department of State in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the Center facilitated a virtual and in-person maker workshop series titled “Makerspace Expands.” Held in the spring and winter of 2022, the workshops aimed to support participating emerging artists to build relationships, expand their international network, and work collaboratively through craft.

The African American Craft Initiative (AACI) worked to expand the visibility of African American artisans and ensure equitable access to resources. Established through a consultative dialogue process with African American makers and organizations, and the mainstream craft sector in the United States, AACI outlined concrete actions for sustainable change.

Through collaborative research, documentation, and public programming, the initiative built upon the relationship between craft and community by amplifying and supporting the efforts of African American makers to sustain their craft practice. As of 2024, the work continues as the African American Craft Alliance, supported by the Folk School Alliance.

AACI was supported by Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Folk Education Association of America, and CERF+.

Soul of Tengri: Kazakh Traditions and Rituals was a Smithsonian Artisan Initiative pop-up at the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, developed from the Center’s collaborative work with the Union of Artisans of Kazakhstan and the Makerspace Expands! Kazakh Artisan Exchange project. Soul of Tengri brought eight Kazakh artisans to share their craft practice at the Festival through demonstrations, hands-on workshops, narrative sessions, and performances.

The pop-up was made possible with support from Chevron, celebrating thirty years of their work in Kazakhstan.

The Artisan in Residence program was a year-long public programming collaboration between the Center and the National Museum of Asian Art in 2023–2024. Through the partnership, the Center assisted the museum with identifying artisans to invite for public programming, including past Smithsonian Folklife Festival participants and artisans engaged in our Cultural Vitality projects. The Center then coordinated an enriching exchange experience for the visiting artisans in the Washington, D.C., area, including museum and studio visits with local artists and artisans.

The Center worked with local partners in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to document and highlight the cultural heritage practices of women artisans. Working with the Union of Artisans of Kazakhstan, the Center produced a digital and print publication highlighting fifty artisans to promote their work and increase awareness and appreciation of their craft locally and internationally. In addition, the Center provided virtual and in-person training for the artisans on marketing strategy and how to use the publication to promote their cultural heritage and artisan enterprises.

This project was implemented with support from the USAID Trade Central Asia Activity and the Commercial Law Development Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Heritage & Handicrafts: OAXACA was a community-based project that aimed to deepen connections between cultural heritage handicraft entrepreneurs in Mexico and markets for their goods. Working with our community partner, the Center co-created research and training activities and utilized Smithsonian platforms to enhance market access and awareness of Oaxaca’s craft heritage. All activities aimed to increase intergenerational skills and knowledge transmission and, ultimately, strengthen the stewardship of local cultural heritage sites.

Heritage and Handicrafts was a collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Center in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.