About

The Craft Video Dictionary (CVD) is a new digital tool for understanding how objects are made. Launched in early 2024 with an initial exemplary array of video definitions that span media, material, process, and discipline, the CVD will continue to expand and develop over time. New, additional video definitions will be added at later intervals in 2024 and beyond.

The first-phase CVD video definitions include many demonstrations of the building blocks of art and making. These are the common techniques—nuanced, and varying in time and complexity—that artists and makers widely rely upon for creating their work. Most of these techniques have remained relatively constant and unaltered throughout history. In addition to defining craft techniques, these CVD videos serve to document craft in this day and age.

CVD videos are not intended as how-to’s for making, however they can be viewed to deepen understanding of how objects are generated and shaped. Especially for those who are not makers or artists, the CVD provides a chance to gain awareness about the crafting of objects, in real time.

Explore what words alone cannot describe. Watch as makers shape raw materials through actions and movements. View the nuanced gestures of the maker’s hand. From the building blocks and fundamentals of handwork, to the innovation and technical prowess that has driven making for centuries. Age-old processes and techniques that remain vital today are documented and available at your fingertips. These educational videos are intended to clarify, elucidate, document and explain craft techniques.

The Craft Video Dictionary is supported by the Decorative Arts Trust Prize for Excellence and Innovation.