Carol Sauvion

Carol Sauvion
67th Annual Peabody Awards
Born (1947-07-29) July 29, 1947 (age 77)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma materManhattanville College
Notable workCraft in America, PBS Documentary

Carol Sauvion (born July 29, 1947) is an American crafts scholar and patron, and the executive Producer and director of the PBS documentary series Craft in America.[1]

Sauvion received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art History and American Art in 1969 from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York.[2] Living in New York's Hudson Valley, and married to singer-songwriter Don McLean (1969–1976).[3][4][5] she was also in the world of music. Toshi Seeger, wife of folk singer Pete Seeger introduced her to ceramics. Sauvion recalls one 10-day interval when their husbands were away on concert tours. Toshi offered to teach her to use a potter's wheel. The two women "let go of time and did nothing but make pots, eat baked potatoes and rest when they had to, leaving a trail of clay from pot shop to beds."[5]

Soon Sauvion, was producing functional porcelain and selling it at craft galleries and museum shops across the United States from 1969 to 1980. After Sauvion divorced and moved to New York City she continued as a studio potter, selling her Japanese-influenced work at craft fairs. In 1977 she and her second husband, Avram Reitman, moved to California. In 1980 she opened Freehand Gallery in West Hollywood, California specializing in handmade American crafts featuring artists from across the United States.[6][7]

A group of 5 people smiling in a photograph against a red backdrop.
Carol Sauvion and the crew of Craft in America at the 67th Annual Peabody Awards

Sauvion founded Craft in America, Inc., a Los Angeles–based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, in 2003 to promote and advance original handcrafted work through educational programs in all media. "Our mission is to document and advance original handcrafted work through programs in all media, accessible to all. We are dedicated to the exploration, preservation and celebration of craft, the work of the hand, and their impact on our nation’s cultural heritage.[8]

In 2007, the PBS documentary of the same name debuted. The Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning Craft in America explores America's creative spirit through all things handmade.[9] It introduces viewers to diverse artists, regions and cultures and documents the vitality, history and significance of the craft movement in the United States.[10][9][11]

In 2009, Sauvion established the Craft in America Study Center in Los Angeles, California. The research library houses craft and art-oriented books, periodicals, and videos. The center also mounts rotating exhibitions, hosts artist talks, hands-on-workshops, and various other public programs.[12]

Sauvion served on the Board of Trustees of the American Craft Council,[13] and was recognized for her decades of craft advocacy with the 2019 Distinguished Alumna Award from Manhattanville College.

On December 27, 2019, PBS Premiere's Craft in America's "Quilts" and "Identity", the twenty second and twenty third episodes in the series.

  1. ^ O'Neill, Claire. "Craft In America Is Alive And Well". NPR. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  2. ^ "CraftTexas 2014 Jurors Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.
  3. ^ Howard, Alan (2007). The Don McLean Story: Killing Us Softly With His Songs. Lulu Press. p. 420. ISBN 978-1-4303-0682-5.
  4. ^ Friedman, Roger (March 11, 2016). "Don McLean's Wife Files for Divorce Citing "adultery, cruel and abusive treatment, and irreconcilable differences"". Showbiz411. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Balzar, John (April 15, 2005). "America's story crafted from passion". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  6. ^ "Freehand". West 3rd Street. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ Moore, Indigo. "Carol Sauvion '69". Manhattanville College. Archived from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  8. ^ Sauvion, Carol. "Mission". Craft in America. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Craft in America". Create TV. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  10. ^ "Craft in America". PBS. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  11. ^ "Craft in America Center". Idealist.org. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  12. ^ Muchnic, Suzanne (October 7, 2009). "A crafty way to study the handmade". LA Times. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  13. ^ "Board of Trustees". American Craft Council. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2019.