One of my jobs is working at the American Craft Council Library, and every year, I get to work in the ACC Library booth at the St. Paul ACC Show. This year, it is the best yet. Forage Modern Workshop has sponsored our space, providing bookshelves, a coffee table, a couch, and fun chairs. We brought a good number of beautiful craft books and vintage Craft Horizons and American Craft magazines (published by the ACC) from the ACC Library for show attendees to browse.

We brought our vintage photograph embroidery project, using extra photographs that were sent with press releases for exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Craft, then a part of the American Craft Council, now its own entity as the Museum of Art and Design.

One of my favorites:

Opposite the Library Lab is the Let’s Make pavilion with local organizations such as the Textile Center, Foci Glass, and the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Directly opposite is Urban Boatbuilders, a local organization that offers apprenticeships for area youth building boats. They did an ACC Library Salon, and it was such a treat to be able to attend. Check out past and future Salons; our next one is this coming Wednesday, April 12, with production papermaker Mary Hark.

We also brought a small sampling of items from our archive, including local favorites Warren MacKenzie and Joan Mondale.

There are more that 225 top craft artists at the show. I made my main purchase already at the Preview Party this evening, a bronze Seckel pear with a ferric nitrate patina by Laura Baring-Gould.

The patina is extraordinary on this little guy, 2″ from its bottom to the top of its stem. As solid bronze, it weighs in at more than 9 ounches.

I will have more time to browse the show tomorrow, and I will thoroughly enjoy it. The show runs through Sunday, April 9 at the Saint Paul RiverCentre.