On Crafts

On Crafts

From Design Emergency by Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli

May 20, 2026 · 34 min · Season 6 · Episode 6

About this episode

Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli explore the evolution of craft as a powerful force for social, cultural, and environmental change.

In this episode of  Design Emergency , Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli explore how craft has evolved into a powerful force for social, cultural, and environmental change.  Design, art, and craft have had a long, complex relationship. For most of human history they were inseparable: the objects people made — textiles, sculptures, tools, paintings, ceramics, furniture — belonged to the same continuum of human creativity, skill, and material knowledge. Industrialization disrupted that balance, introducing divisions between art, design, and crafts, while often relegating crafts to the margins as decorative, domestic, and secondary to industrial production. Yet in recent years, amid ecological crisis, technological anxiety, and a growing desire for more meaningful forms of making, craft has returned with renewed urgency and visibility.  Through a series of parables spanning continents and generations, Alice and Paola uncover remarkable examples of crafts as catalysts for social and cultural change: Ethel Mairet’s radical weaving experiments in 19th century England; Ruth Clement Bond’s quilting initiatives among African American communities in the American South…

People in this episode

Hosts: Alice Rawsthorn, Paola Antonelli

Topics covered

  • craft
  • social change
  • cultural change
  • environmental change
  • design
  • art
  • industrialization

Keywords

  • craft
  • social change
  • cultural change
  • environmental crisis
  • industrialization
  • design
  • art
  • material knowledge

Mentioned in this episode

Places: England, American South, Mexico, Chicago

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