Carol Sauvion (born July 29, 1947) is an American

craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale prod ...

s scholar and patron, and the Executive Producer and Director of the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

documentary series

Craft in America Craft in America, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Carol Sauvion in 2003, and based in Los Angeles, California. Its mission is to document and advance contemporary American craft and traditional craft practices through educ ...

. Sauvion received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art History and American Art in 1969 from

Manhattanville College Manhattanville College is a private university in Purchase, New York. Founded in 1841 at 412 Houston Street in lower Manhattan, it was initially known as Academy of the Sacred Heart, then after 1847 as Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart ...

Purchase, New York Purchase is a hamlet in the town and village of Harrison, in Westchester County, New York, United States. One myth explains that its name is derived from Harrison's purchase, where John Harrison was to be granted as much land as he could ride in ...

. Living in New York's Hudson Valley, and married to singer-songwriter

Don McLean Donald McLean III (born October 2, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his 1971 hit song " American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minute folk rock "cultural touchstone" about the loss of innocence of the early ...

(1969–1976). 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." 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. Sauvion founded

, Inc. is 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. In 2007, the PBS documentary of the same name debuted. The Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning

explores America's creative spirit through all things handmade. It introduces viewers to diverse artists, regions and cultures and documents the vitality, history and significance of the craft movement in the United States. 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. Sauvion serves on the Board of Trustees of the

American Craft Council The American Craft Council (ACC) is a national non-profit organization that champions craft based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1943 by Aileen Osborn Webb, the council hosts national craft shows and conferences, publishes a quarterly maga ...

, and was recognized for her decades of craft advocacy with the 2019 Distinguished Alumna Award from

. On December 27, 2019,

Premiere's

's "Quilts" and "Identity", the twenty second and twenty third episodes in the series.

References

External links

Craft in America official website
Living people Television producers from New York (state) American women television producers Manhattanville College alumni 1947 births 21st-century American women {{US-tv-bio-stub