Slow Craft Week: Making Time for What Matters

Jan. 9, 2025

There’s something quietly powerful about making something by hand.
Here in the North, people are returning to slower ways of making. It’s part of a larger shift toward sustainability, care, and connection. You see it in slow fashion, in visible mending, in repair circles, and cozy community gatherings. These aren’t just trends. They’re reminders of how we create, which can reflect how we live and relate to each other, and those are things we care deeply about.

During Slow Craft Week at the Anchorage Museum, we’re making space to pause. To spend time with materials. To learn from people who carry craft knowledge forward, sometimes across generations and sometimes across cultures. Whether you’re stitching a patch, carving a spoon, or just watching someone weave, Slow Craft is less about perfection and more about presence.

"Taking the time to do something slow is counterintuitive and we may need that now more than ever," says Anchorage Museum Director of Programs Rebecca Pottebaum. "We saw so much good come from Slow Craft Week last year, from material exchanges and new ideas to new connections (some joining us as new instructors) and joy."

For the museum, this week is about shared time more than finished pieces. It’s for anyone who’s curious, tired, hopeful, or just looking for a quiet moment with their hands busy. We hope Slow Craft Week offers a chance to reconnect with yourself, with others, and with the land and cultures that shape this place. 

SEE UPCOMING SLOW CRAFT WEEK PROGRAMS

Join us, along with the Knitters of the North and the Anchorage Weavers and Spinners Guild, to sit, mend, and learn something old that feels relevant right now.

This series of workshops and programs has been organized in conjunction with Handwork 2026, a nationwide Semiquincentennial celebation the importance of the handmade both throughout our history.