Video Craft, an exhibition currently showcased at San Francisco's Museum of Craft and Design (MCD) until August 16, 2026, delves into the intricate relationships between video, film, and traditional craft mediums such as ceramics, textiles, and glass. Historically marginalized in discussions about new media, these craft practices are now receiving renewed attention. The exhibition highlights themes like encoding, looping, and sampling, broadening the conventional understanding of media art by incorporating diverse materials and techniques rooted in craft traditions.
The artworks featured in Video Craft are categorized into three main themes. Encoding refers to the transformation of concepts from one medium to another, often resulting in structural changes. Works in the looping category emphasize tactile engagement, showcasing the physical connections between video and craft, akin to the rhythm of knitting. This category highlights the shared physicality and interconnectedness of these two forms of expression. In the sampling section, artists reinterpret patterns from various material histories, recontextualizing them within the sensory dimensions of video and film, thus altering their original meaning and composition.
Curated by Sarah Mills, PhD, alongside Ariel Zaccheo, the MCD Curatorial Director, Video Craft features 19 artists at various career stages--from pioneering figures like Beryl Korot to contemporary digital innovators such as Sabrina Gschwandtner and Kate Nartker. As numerous modern artists embrace video not as a departure from materiality but as a means to enhance it, Video Craft exemplifies a compelling synergy between the tangible nature of craft and the transient essence of digital media.
Participating Artists: Danielle Andress, Sydney Cash, Gregory Climer, William Cobbing, Kelly Egan, Sabrina Gschwandtner, Kira Dominguez-Hultgren, Lauren Kalman, Beryl Korot, Ahree Lee, Jodie Mack, Aaron Marcus, Kate Nartker, Megumi Naitoh, Senga Nengudi, Sarah Rosalena, Richard Vijgen, Jennifer West, and Shaheer Zazai.
This exhibition not only celebrates the convergence of craft and digital art but also paves the way for future explorations in how these disciplines can inform and enrich one another.
