Proclamation 6516—Year of American Craft: A Celebration of the Creative Work of the Hand, 1993

While the United States leads the world in the development and use of sophisticated technology and materials, Americans continue to share a special appreciation of works made by hand. Our ancestors were skilled artisans and craftsmen, as well as accomplished hunters, farmers, and fishermen, and today we still marvel at their skill in carpentry, weaving, stonecutting, smithery, and so forth. Over the years, Americans have maintained a magnificent tradition of craftsmanship and folk art, in keeping with the spirit of our forebears, and it is fitting that we celebrate this rich portion of our national heritage.

Using their hands as the tools of their imaginations, American artisans have designed and developed a tangible record of our national experience. By plying trades that have been passed on through the centuries, from generation to generation, quilters, carvers, and other craftspeople of our day are helping to preserve America's history. These tradespeople and artists have produced objects of practical application, as well as lasting beauty, and many of our art galleries and museums display outstanding samples of their work.

We are rightly proud of American craft and folk art because, in many ways, these works of the hand embody traditional American values: pride in quality and service, diligence in pursuit of a goal, attention to detail, and respect for learning and achievement. By celebrating traditional American craft and by saluting the men and women who have mastered fine trades, we reaffirm the importance of those timeless values.

Crafts are inspired by the best in American tradition, yet they also reflect the informed creativity and vision of the present. Having learned from the past, today's artisans and craftspeople are adding their own unique touches to American culture. As we celebrate traditional craft and folk art in the United States, we also recognize each of the masters and apprentices who, through their works of the hand, continue to preserve and shape this living legacy of beauty.

The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 218, has designated 1993 as a "Year of American Craft: A Celebration of the Creative Work of the Hand" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this year.

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim 1993 as a Year of American Craft: A Celebration of the Creative Work of the Hand. I invite all Americans to observe this year with appropriate programs and activities in celebrating the traditional arts in the United States.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and seventeenth.

GEORGE BUSH