The 2005 edition of the Smithsonian Craft Show promises to be one of the strongest ever, showcasing the work of one hundred twenty craft artists, forty-three of them exhibiting in this venue for the first time. Organic, optical, outre - the diversity of aesthetics is impressive and confirms the wealth of work being created across the land. Artwork by Michelle LaLonde and Sandra Clark.

BEADWORK SUBVERSIVE
Chatt, of Seattle, Washington, is an extraordinary artist by any definition. He makes sculptures that are astute commentaries on current events and society as well as pieces that have deep roots in art history. Photograph by Harriet Burger.

PRESERVING COMMUNITY AND INDIVIDUALITY
Artist Catherine Bacon does not just make clothes, she makes community. "I work with the most wonderful group of artists," she says. "I couldn't do any of this without them. I think of myself as a collage artist, something like a conductor of a symphony. You need all the players to make music." Photographs by Susan Schelling.

BEAUTY AND ARTISIANSHIP IN BERBER LIFE
The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University houses an extensive collection of the arts from the Berber regions of North Africa. Peabody Museum, Harvard University, Photo T4991.1.

OUTSIDE THE BOX
The way Good weaves theoretic thought within the context of very tangible techniques of metalsmithing sets him apart from many of his fellow designers and has also gained him a distinguished place in the universe of jewelry. Photograph by Benjamin Magro.

PRECOLUMBIAN, HISTORIC AND CONTEMPORARY SOUTHWEST JEWELRY
It is the genus Spondylus that has been so important in jewelry and as intact shells or components for ritual use, from precolumbian to contemporary times. Photograph by Robert K. Liu/Ornament.