After Initiatives in Art & Culture’s 2025 Arts & Crafts Conference, which took attendees to Central New York, specifically the area around Syracuse, it was clear that greater Upstate New York left much more to explore related to historic and contemporary expressions of the Arts and Crafts movement. This year’s event, titled Reckoning with Reform, and now in its 28th year, will take place in Western New York, with a focus on Rochester, Buffalo and East Aurora.
“One of our central ambitions is to broaden the generally accepted geography of the Arts and Crafts movement, says IAC founder and president Lisa Koenigsberg. “We challenge the reflexive thinking that posits the American Arts and Crafts movement was only significant in certain centers such as Boston and Pasadena and landmarks such as Craftsman Farms. We strive to demonstrate that manifestations of the movement can be found throughout the country and that thus this was a truly national movement, albeit with regional expressions.”
George Eastman House west garden, Rochester, NY. Photo: Courtesy of the George Eastman Museum.
From September 23 through 27, participants will visit important historic sites in the legacy of the Arts and Crafts movement, and take guided VIP tours of museums, private homes and historic neighborhoods; listen to engaging lectures and panel discussions by leading scholars and, of course, enjoy the camaraderie of the equally inquisitive.
One of the highlights of the 2026 Arts & Crafts Conference, is a trip to Rochester’s George Eastman Museum, the first museum dedicated to photography and that houses one of the most comprehensive film archives in the world. The 1902 house that Eastman built and lived in is also on the grounds, as well as expansive period gardens. Also on the agenda is a visit to the Wendell Castle Workshop in Scottsville, New York. A pioneer in furniture design and craftsmanship, Castle founded the school in 1980. Today, Castle’s signature work is on display at the workshop, which continues to offer classes and residencies today.
Frank Lloyd Wright, interior of Darwin D. Martin House. Photo: Courtesy of Darwin D. Martin House
Architectural expressions of the Arts and Crafts movement always figure prominently in the IAC conference. This year, the group will visit two important Frank Lloyd Wright homes—one of which was the inspiration for Wright’s iconic 1904 “tree of life” windows—as well as Buffalo’s Guaranty Building, a National Historic Landmark designed by Louise Sullivan and Dankmar Adler and completed in 1896.
Wendell Castle, “Victory” Desk and Chair, 1980, walnut, walnut plywood, 28 ¼ in. high, 69 in. wide, 31 ½ in. deep. Photo: Courtesy of Christie’s.
Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, Guaranty Building façade, Buffalo, NY. Photo: Courtesy of Warren LeMay.
Koenigsberg says, “In our 28th annual Arts & Crafts Conference…Initiatives in Art and Culture draws attention to the region’s appetite for social change and its rich history of embracing design reform, two trends that are inextricably linked. Also important is linking these locales’ expressions of the Arts and Crafts to those of the thriving centers of the movement in the Midwest. We can see the hands of architects and craftsmen in both regions that might have seemingly been distinct. With such considerations, we are mapping a more national vision of the American Arts and Crafts movement. We look forward to the next chapter exploring the marriage of reform in design to an openness to progressive social reform, while also focusing on regional expressions of the movement and the connections that tie them together.”
Visit the IAC website for a complete schedule of events and to register. —
Powered by Froala Editor
