LOS ANGELES, CA.- For artists, play can mean serious work. Play allows the mind to roam and encounter unusual solutions, whether it be in process or concept. The processes of making and imagining work in tandem for these artists, where grand, exquisite, whimsical and magical forms emerge from diligent exploration.

This exhibition now open at Craft in America Center celebrates the power of imagination, big ideas, craft ingenuity, and the child in all of us. It spotlights the work of several artists who are profiled in the 2023 episodes in Craft in America’s PBS documentary series, PLAY and MINIATURES.

It includes fantastical animals made of re-used plastic, tiny reproductions of historical furniture, intricate piñatas and celebratory assemblage work.

For artists, play can mean serious work. Play allows the mind to roam and encounter unusual solutions, whether it be in process or concept. The processes of making and imagining work in tandem for these artists, where grand, exquisite, whimsical and magical forms emerge from diligent exploration.

Participating artists:

Miniaturist Mark Murphy
Paper sculptor Roberto Benavidez
Piñata artist Lorena Robletto
Puppeteer, artist museum educator Schroeder Cherry
Artist, advocate, educator Calder Kamin

About the Episodes—NOW STREAMING!

PLAY explores the intersection of play and artistry. From puppets to piñatas to unicorns, this hour reveals how artists use the tools of childhood to inspire imagination, celebration and wonder. PLAY celebrates the power of imagination and the child in all of us. Featuring piñata artists Roberto Benavidez and Lorena Robletto, puppeteer Schroeder Cherry, artist Calder Kamin, and Noah’s Ark at the Skirball Cultural Center and the Cotsen Children’s Library.

MINIATURES explores the world of small objects and the artists that make them. From folk art to marionettes to tiny furniture, the artists of MINIATURES reveal what motivates them to work at a scale that demands a masterful attention to detail. explores the world of small objects and big ideas. Featuring miniaturist Mark Murphy, designer and collector Alexander Girard and the “Multiple Visions: A Common Bond” exhibition at the Museum of International Folk Art, the International Folk Art Market, Cuban artist Leandro Gomez Quintero, and woodblock printmaker and marionette maker Gustave Baumann.

The PBS broadcast premiere for PLAY and MINIATURES is December 29, 2023 on the PBS App, pbs.org/craftinamerica, and craftinamerica.org.