Ornament Magazine is proud to announce, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Women's Committee, a Zoom panel discussion bringing together this issue's feature artist, Harriete Estel Berman, with three exhibiting artists in the new Craft Optimism show. Ornament Editor Patrick R. Benesh-Liu will be guiding the discussion between Berman, Holly Anne Mitchell, Wayne Nez Gaussoin, and Amy Flynn this Friday, April 23 at 5 PM EST.

Join us as we explore recycled and repurposed materials in craft and jewelry, examine the issue of climate change for craftspeople, discuss the natural confluence of sustainability and craft, and discover a little more about the artists and their backgrounds. We are so excited to work with the Smithsonian Women's Committee in bringing this conversation to the public, and to help further the mission of Craft Optimism in the process! Registration for the panel is free, and can be done here: smithsonian.zoom.us/.../WN_-nOxubxPQO6ptn4K4RwCdQ.

You can read Ornament's article on Craft Optimism, appearing in our newest issue, Volume 42.1, online here, to learn more about this inaugural event: www.ornamentmagazine.org/articles/smithsonian-craft-optimism-volume-421. Taking the lessons of 2020 and declaring a bold stance on the problems of our time, Craft Optimism is a digital marketplace intended to raise awareness on climate change and sustainability in craft.

Craft Optimism opens April 24, through May 1, and is free and open to the public. You can visit the show here: www.craftoptimism.si.edu.