Swoon over the contemporary craft of New Zealand in this unique craft lovers trip! Art Travel NZ organizes this one-of-a-kind 12 day trip, featuring stops in some of New Zealand's most popular cities including Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. With input from JRACraft caucus member, craft collector and NZ resident, Peggy Greenfield, this trip is sure to delight the craft lovers in all of us.

Cost includes accommodation in 4 star hotels in central Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, domestic flights on Air New Zealand from Auckland to Wellington, to Christchurch and back to Auckland and some meals.

​Welcome to Aotearoa New Zealand. Arrive today and transfer to your hotel in downtown Auckland to stay for the next 2 nights.
Your hotel is available for immediate check in this morning.
Welcome cocktail and city introduction.
EVENING Free

MORNING ​Visit Objectspace for a talk on the place of New Zealand craft and object art on the world stage.
AFTERNOON Enjoy an orientation tour of Auckland including a local maker or two
along the way. Auckland Art Gallery and Fingers – one of New Zealand’s longest running contemporary jewellery collectives.
EVENING Enjoy a group welcome meal.

MORNING Hotel check out and transfer to the airport for a one hour flight to Wellington. Visit Te Papa Tongarewa and enjoy a behind the scenes tour.
AFTERNOON Visit a local maker and gallery.
EVENING Free

MORNING Enjoy a visit to Lower Hutt and the Dowse Art Museum which has a focus on craft and object art.
AFTERNOON Lunch at La Bell’Italia before returning to the city to visit a local studio and a local collector.
EVENING An evening meal is included tonight

MORNING Visit Avid Gallery, one of the local dealer galleries specialising in Craft and Object art and Jhana Millers Gallery where we learn about the work of local up and coming artists.
AFTERNOON Free to visit local galleries or wander the waterfront.

MORNING Hotel check out and fly to Christchurch.
On arrival we visit the Christchurch Art Gallery and Arts Precinct for a city orientation. Christchurch has changed substantially since the 2010 earthquakes devastated the city.
Learn about SCAPE – the annual sculpture festival as we travel around the city.
EVENING Free 

MORNING AND AFTERNOON Today we take in some of Christchurch’s cultural highlights. Spend time hearing from Caroline who runs The National, the local craft, object and contemporary jewellery galleries.
Visit Dilana Rugs and learn about their bespoke artist carpets.
Visit a local studio and dealer gallery.
EVENING meal is included.

​MORNING Travel over the Port Hills to visit the home and gardens of architect Sir Miles Warren at Governers Bay, spend time in Lyttleton
AFTERNOON Return to Christchurch after lunch via a local studio.
We conclude our time in Christchurch with a local collector visit.
EVENING free

MORNING Hotel check out and fly back to Auckland for the last leg of our tour. On arrival we visit Pah Homestead, an original 1880s home turned into a local gallery hosting the Wallace Collection.
AFTERNOON Visit a local home and collection.
EVENING  Free 

MORNING ​Return to Objectspace for a talk before heading out west to Titirangi, and Te Uru Gallery, part of a local village in the bushclad hills of West Auckland. The nationally celebrated Portage Ceramic Awards are on show. This is a diverse range of New Zealand’s contemporary ceramics practice.
EVENING Free 

MORNING Today we meet some locals, spend time at Masterworks Gallery learning about local makers and visit nearby Anna Miles Gallery. Anna specialises in a lovely cross over of artists and makers.
AFTERNOON Free time to shop or revisit any of the galleries around downtown Auckland.
EVENING A farewell dinner is included tonight.

​We check out and say farewell today. Take a connecting flight to Auckland and back home or to your next travel destination.

This is expected to be one of our most popular trips in recent history. Become a Caucus Member and register today!

All cancellations must be made in writing to the James Renwick Alliance for Craft at admin@jra.org at least one month in advance of the trip start date. Refunds, less a cancellation fee of $150 per person and the non-refundable JRACraft contribution of $500 per person. No refunds will be made after this date except in the case of a medical emergency, in which case all funds less the cancellation fee, donation and incurred expenses by JRACraft will be refunded. In the case that JRACraft cancels the trip for any reason, a full refund will be issued.

Comprehensive travel insurance is mandatory. Further guidance about this will be sent as the trip nears. 

You may be asked to produce a Covid vaccination certificate and adhere to any and all New Zealand government regulations and requirements around Covid, if any at the time of travel.

​You are responsible for any visa’s to enter New Zealand such as the NZeTA 

​The James Renwick Alliance for Craft is excited to host our first craft history class, in what we hope will be one of many!

Learn about the history of craft in the United States during the late nineteenth and twentieth century. This course will examine some of the many definitions of craft as well as artists, objects, schools, teachers, and theories of making that have shaped craft (and art) history. A variety of artists working across different media, including Anni Albers, Ruth Asawa, Harvey Littleton, Charles Loloma, Joyce Scott, Peter Volkous, Toshiko Takaezu, Lenore Tawney, and more, will be discussed.

In addition to 8 live zoom classes, you will receive extensive resources for further readings and watching if you are interested and there will be an opportunity to share a favorite artist and/or a handmade object from your home in the optional assignments. Can't make a class? No worries, classes will be recorded and available for all class registrants.

TOPICS INCLUDE

• What is craft? What is art?
• Beauty for all and equality among materials: ceramics, fiber, glass, metal, wood +
• Craft and education
• Craft as collective and intermedial
• Craft as avant garde
• Craft and/as resistance
• Craft, the home, and the museum
• Craft, hierarchy, and power

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR: ERICA WARREN
You may best know Erica Warren as our Craft Quarterly editor but she is also an art consultant, curator, and scholar with over ten years of experience working with collections, in museums, and teaching. From 2016-2022, Erica was a curator at the Art Institute of Chicago, where her exhibitions included Bisa Butler: Portraits, Weaving beyond the Bauhaus, Super/Natural: Textiles of the Andes, Music and Movement: Rhythm in Textile Design, Making Memories: Quilts as Souvenirs, and Modern Velvet: A Sense of Luxury in the Age of Industry. Among her recent publications are the article “Beyond Weaving: Transdisciplinarity and the Bauhaus Weaving Workshop” in Textile: The Journal of Cloth and Culture (2021) and the catalog Bisa Butler: Portraits (2020), which accompanied her exhibition.

This class was sold out in the first day it was launched. Our instructor has offered to host an additional class if there is enough interest. To be considered for the second class, please add your name to the waiting list.

Photo of Erica Warren. Courtesy the Art Institute of Chicago.

ASPEN GOLANN
Aspen Golann is an artist and furniture maker specializing in the intersection of traditional practices and contemporary sculpture. She holds a degree in Fine Furniture from The North Bennet Street School in Boston and in 2020 was the recipient of the Mineck Furniture Fellowship. Aspen writes about craft & woodworking and is published in American Craft, Elle, Luxe, Architectural Digest, Fine Woodworking, and American Period Furniture. She has received fellowships from The Windgate Foundation, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Winterthur Museum, The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship and teaches at venues across the country including Haystack School, Fine Woodworking, Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, San Diego State University, The School of Woodwork, Austin School of Furniture & Design and others. In 2020 Golann founded The Chairmaker’s Toolbox: a project designed to increase equity and access in the field of chairmaking.

EMMA SENFT
Emma Senft holds an MFA in Studio Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2020. She creates furniture and sculpture using wood, textile and decontextualized construction materials. The interaction between our bodies and the built environment inspires her research. Using sculpture and installation, Emma works to use scale and spatial arrangement to prompt the viewer’s awareness of their own body in relation to the work. She is the recipient of grants from Canada Council for the Arts, a Center for Furniture Craftsmanship fellowship and has been a resident at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center. In 2023 she will be an Artist-in-Residence at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, South Korea.

​The James Renwick Alliance for Craft is excited to invite Boston-area friends of the JRACraft to an exclusive evening event with fellow craft enthusiasts as part of our "South Shore to North Shore" trip.

Join us at 3:30pm for a tour of of the current exhibitions at the Fuller Craft Museum, including Material Mapping: Data-driven Sculpture by Adrien Segal & Norwood Viviano opening May 13, followed by a plated after-hours dinner with the Director, Erin McGough.

Following this event, at 7pm, travel to the home of Chris Rifkin in Hingham for a tour of her stellar craft collection. Chris has one of the most impressive craft collections in the Northeast and is sure delight guests with her extensive knowledge and intriguing stories.

This evening will be part of our "South Shore to North Shore" trip to the Boston region organized by Laura Petrovich Cheney for JRACraft. Charter bus travel to/from Studio Allston Hotel in Boston may be possible. Limited spaces are available on a first come, first served basis. A $110 fee will be applied to cover expenses.

Explore the Boston region from the South shore to the North shore in this exciting JRACraft trip! Experience world class institutions and private guided tours. Visit notable galleries, meet outstanding artists and see one of the top private collections in the country.​
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Included: 2 dinners, 3 lunches, 1 breakfast, museum admission, ground transportation and organizing fees. Additional breakfasts are included by preferred hotel lodging. 
Not included: Airfare/travel to Boston, Hotel lodging, select meals. 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17
2:15pm Meet in the hotel lobby for a welcome and bus
3:30pm The Fuller Craft Museum hosts us for a private catered dinner and after hour tour of their exhibitions
​7:00pm Visit the stunning private craft collection of Chris Rifkin
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THURSDAY, MAY 18
10:00am Join us at the Museum of Fine Art Boston for exclusive access to look at Studio Jewelry from the MFA collection with curator Emily Stoehrer in the Textiles and Fashion Arts study room before visiting the Farago Craft Gallery.
11:30am Lunch at the New American Café.
1:00pm Enjoy a talk from Tess Fredette, Senior Textile. Conservator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
3:00pm Step into the life of jewelry artist and collector Efharis Alepedis at her private home.
4:00pm Time at the hotel to freshen up 
6:00pm Dinner at the home of collector Carol Green
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FRIDAY, MAY 19
8:00am Depart for the day
9:00am Breakfast at the Lucy Lacoste Gallery, see an amazing selection of ceramic work and hear a presentation
10:30am Visit the studio of Mariko Kusumoto, who has work in the collection of the Renwick Gallery.
12:00pm Stroll through the De Cordova world-renowned outdoor sculpture garden. Grab lunch at the Twisted Tree Café, open until 3pm.
2:30pm Tour the Metalwerx galleries and studio
4:00pm Visit the studio of glass artist Sidney Hutter, who has work in the collection of the Renwick Gallery.
5:30pm Be inspired by the private glass collection of Howard Cohen 

​SATURDAY, MAY 20
9:00am Explore the Brickbottom studios. See textiles by George Summers Jr. Enjoy studio visits with Kim Schmahmann, Jessica Straus, Marilyn Pappas, Jerry Lainoff and others. Both Schmahmann and Pappas have work in the collection of the Renwick Gallery. 
12:30pm Artist presentations at Mobilia Gallery and lunch with prominent special guests. 
2:30pm See the intricate glass flower collection at the Harvard Museum of Natural Science
3:30pm Nearby at the Harvard Ceramics Gallery, Kathy King will provide a tour of the facilities and exhibition. 
5:00pm Visit the home and studio of wood artist, cabinet maker, and playground designer, Mitch Ryerson.

​SUNDAY, MAY 21
9:00am Travel to the Peabody Essex Museum where we will receive a tour with the curator and will have a presentation specially tailored for our group.
12:30pm Tour the studio of trip organizer, Laura Petrovich-Cheney
1:30pm Enjoy a farewell luncheon at The Corinthian Yacht Club before driving back to Boston along the shore
​4:00pm Arrive back to Boston for Departures

By completing this form a I understand and agree to the following:

COVID VACCINATION: I confirm that I have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and agree to follow any safety protocol during the trip as outlined by the James Renwick Alliance for Craft and/or trip hosts.

​CANCELATION POLICY: If I have to cancel, I understand I must submit my cancellation in writing to admin@jra.org no less than one month before the trip. I also understand that the donation portion of of my registration fee is non-refundable.

LIABILITY: I understand that neither the James Renwick Alliance or any of the participating partners accepts liability for any expenses incurred by tour participants in preparing for the tour. We require that all participants be in good health. If you have a medical condition needing special medical attention, you must report it when filling out your application form by sending an email to admin@jra.org. We retain the right to refuse any applicant whose health, in our sole judgment, would negatively affect their full participation in the trip. Regardless of your health condition, we strongly recommend that if your current insurance does not cover medical costs while you are traveling, you insure yourself for the costs of medical care including, but not limited to: medical evacuation, baggage damage or loss, accident, and sickness. While we take every precaution, neither the participating partners, nor the James Renwick Alliance shall be responsible or liable for any loss, death, injury, illness or damage to or loss of property suffered or incurred by any person in connection with this trip.

​Enjoy the colorful Kaleidoscope Brunch at the award-winning restaurant, Ris, where we will hear about what's new and on view at the Renwick Gallery from Dr. Lara M. Evans, guest curator of Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023.

​Inspired by the idea of Kaleidoscope, we encourage all guests to dress head to toe in one of their favorite colors from the rainbow. Paid Parking available at the The Ritz-Carlton; on-street parking is is also available.​

​​Dr. Lara M. Evans is an artist, scholar, curator, and an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation. She holds a Ph.D. in art history, specializing in contemporary Native American art. In 2012 she became Visiting Faculty at The Institute for American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, NM. During her time at the IAIA, she has held the positions of department chair and Associate Dean of Academics. She has completed several publications, and curated multiple exhibitions at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Art. She writes about contemporary Native American and First Nations art and started her own blog because she believes contemporary artists need critical attention NOW and the timeline for academic publishing takes years. She came to art history and art criticism by being an artist, first, and continues to practice artmaking.​
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Immerse yourself in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, meander through the open storage of the Luce Foundation Center. Enjoy delectable dining, a celebratory awarding of our 2023 honorees, an auction of adventures and an interactive “I Spy” scavenger hunt exploring the stunning artworks that fill the space.

"After hours" guests join us at 8pm for drinks, a buffet of delectable desserts, selfie booth, and exclusive after-hour access to the Smithsonian American Art Museum Luce Center Open Storage for our "I Spy" Scavenger Hunt.

To register on the sign up page, select "Gala" and click the option box underneath to find the option to purchase After Hours Tickets.
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Learn more about the auction and submit an online absentee bid below!

Creative cocktail and artful attire. Limited on-street parking at meters; several paid parking garages are available in the neighborhood.
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​Who is making craft in the 21st century? What they are making? What materials are they using? What is being exhibited? Who is collecting? What are they collecting? Where are they buying? Explore these questions and more as we investigate the great changes taking place in craft in the 21st century and enjoy lunch with a panel of the top voices in craft including Joyce Scott, Jennifer-Navva Milliken, and Stephanie Moore, and moderated by Tim Tate. 

Attire is business casual. On-site parking is available,
​valet service is also available.​

Joyce Scott

Joyce J. Scott is a prolific and varied artist from Baltimore, Maryland who is most well known for her work in jewelry, beadwork, and glass. Her pieces serve as a commentary for issues regarding race, politics, and sexism. Of her own work, Scott says, “I believe in messing with stereotypes…It’s important for me to use art in a manner that incites people to look and then carry something home – even if it’s subliminal.” She received her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art and MFA from the Instituto Allende in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. Her work is in the collections of the Baltimore Museum of Art, Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Spencer Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. In 2016 she was named a Fellow of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Jennifer-Navva Milliken

Jennifer-Navva Milliken is the Executive Director & Chief Curator of the Museum for Art in Wood. She has organized exhibitions for museums, art fairs, galleries, and unconventional spaces, and her writings have appeared in exhibition catalogs, anthologies, and publications that investigate and critique the intersecting fields of art, craft, and design. With a uniquely global perspective, honed through a life split between two continents, Milliken is driven by the extraordinary power of the arts to challenge preconceptions and bridge divides. She received her BA in Art History from Western Washington University, holds a diploma in Hebrew and Jewish Studies from the WUJS Institute for Graduate Studies, and received her MA in Art History from The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. 

Stephanie Moore

Stephanie Moore is the Executive Director of the Center for Craft in Asheville, North Carolina. Since 1996, the Center for Craft has stood as a national nonprofit organization dedicated to resourcing, catalyzing, and amplifying how and why craft matters. In 2013, Moore oversaw the expansion and relocation of the Center to downtown Asheville where it now has approximately 7,000 square feet with two galleries, its own craft study collection and the renowned Craft Research Fund Grants which awards $95,000 every year to artists, students, and researchers in the craft field. “Craft embodies materials that we think of, but for me craft is more of a process and a community,” says Moore. 

Tim Tate

Moderator Tim Tate, a prolific glass artist and educator, is one of our beloved board members and is the current Vice President for Programs. He is a co-founder of the Washington Glass Studio in Washington, DC. He has spent many years championing LGTBQ rights in all its forms. As a 40 year HIV+ Queer Man, he founded the Triangle Artist Group in the early 90’s and helped curate the very first HIV+ art show there. Tim’s work is in the permanent collections of a number of museums, including the Smithsonian's American Art Museum. He received his Fulbright Award from Sunderland, University in England in 2012. He participated in the Glasstress show with Ai Wei Wei and Vic Muniz during the 2019 Venice Biennale.