A Richly Documented Look at the Craftspeople Preserving America’s Built Environment
The Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage today launched “Built by Hand: Skilled Artisans in the Traditional Trades,” a new online exhibition that highlights the creativity, knowledge and experiences of skilled artisans and building trades.
The exhibition features in depth profiles of stone masons, carpenters, blacksmiths, stained glass artists and other skilled tradespeople whose work helps shape and preserve the nation’s built environment.
Through richly illustrated profiles and first person reflections, “Built by Hand” explores artisans’ perspectives, traditional knowledge and technical expertise, as well as the pride and satisfaction they take in their work. Participants also share their dedication to passing these craft traditions on to the next generation.
The exhibition draws on more than five decades of research led by curator Marjorie Hunt on building arts and traditional architecture, including several public presentations at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Most recently, the Next Generation Artisans in the Traditional Building Trades program at the 2025 festival brought together young students, apprentices and journeymen along with the mentors on the National Mall to share hands-on demonstrations and stories.
Several participants from that program are featured in the exhibition, including Joe Alonso and Brianna Castelli, stone masons at Washington National Cathedral, and decorative painters John Canning and Jacqueline Canning Ricco, whose work continues a multigenerational family tradition.
“Skilled craftspeople in the traditional trades play a vital role in preserving our nation’s cultural heritage and built environment,” Hunt writes in the exhibition’s introduction. “We hope this exhibition inspires a new generation of craftspeople to learn, practice and preserve the building arts, and helps us all to value the humanity of the handmade.”
For visitors interested in pursuing opportunities in the trades, the center has also compiled a resource guide featuring schools and training programs, professional associations, national and international organizations, and awards and advocacy initiatives.
Credit
This project was made possible by the support of the Smithsonian Women’s Committee. Additional support was provided by the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. This project received funding from the Smithsonian’s “Our Shared Future: 250,” a Smithsonian-wide initiative supported by private philanthropy and created to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and advance the Smithsonian vision for the next 250 years.
About the Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Inaugurated in 1967, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival honors living cultural traditions and celebrates those who practice and sustain them. Produced annually by the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the festival has featured participants from all 50 states, every U.S. territory and more than 100 countries. Follow the festival on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.