Heart, Head and Hand: Making and Remaking at Berea College Student Craft

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Justin Skeens/courtesy Berea College Student Craft

A person sorting broomcorn.

A student sorting broomcorn for broom production at Berea College Student Craft.

media release: October 18, 2023 – March 3, 2024 | Ruth Davis Design Gallery. Closed 12/24-1/2.

Heart, Head, and Hand: Making and Remaking at Berea College Student Craft explores what it means to make on campus – and the power of design and craft to inspire creativity across disciplines. Founded in 1893, Berea College Student Craft has become a well-established center for student-led design production in the United States. Student Craft includes weaving, woodcraft, ceramics, broomcraft, and craft education outreach programs. These areas engage not only with experiential learning, but also with the cultural myths and values that are embedded in objects fashioned by hand. With a history rooted in Southern Appalachian material culture, automobile tourism, and mail-order catalogs, today’s program focuses on student-centered pedagogy and the curious, speculative, inclusive, and future-looking potential of craft in the making – h​eart, head, and hand. This exhibition is a collaboration between Berea College Student Craft and the Center for Design and Material Culture. Support for this project comes from the Anonymous Fund and the Chipstone Foundation.

Kentucky’s Berea College was established in 1855 as the South’s first interracial and coeducational institution. Berea’s mission of equality was interrupted from 1908 to 1950 when racial segregation was legally required by the state. Since then, Berea College has expanded its mission by serving low-wealth students of high promise through a liberal arts education in which no student pays tuition. As a federally recognized Work College, students from all backgrounds, disciplines, and career goals work together in the Labor Program to support their education and, in turn, the operations of the College.

Related Programs:

Oct. 18 - Making Demonstration 2-4 pm

October 19 – Learning to Love Something: Arts Pedagogy and the Power of Making panel discussion 4 pm

October 19 – Opening Reception 5-8 pm

Feb. 17 - Open house, noon-4 pm RSVP here.

Ruth Davis Design Gallery Hours:

Monday-Tuesday: closed

Wednesday: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Thursday: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.

Friday: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Saturday-Sunday: 12–4 p.m.

By Appointment: cdmc@sohe.wisc.edu