Fine Arts & Handmade Crafts in America

History of American Arts & Crafts

The First Arts & Crafts Movement ... Started about 1860 ; Ended about 1925

"The founders of the Arts & Crafts Movement were some of the first major critics of the Industrial Revolution. Disenchanted with the impersonal, mechanized direction of society in the 19th century, they sought to return to a simpler, more fulfilling way of living. The movement is admired for its use of high quality materials and for its emphasis on utility in design..."

The Revival of the Arts & Crafts Movement ... Started about 1960

"In the last few decades, increasingly sophisticated mass production methods have led to an abundance of choices for consumers, but with that sometimes comes a loss of individuality and quality. More and more people are therefore rejecting machine-produced products in favor of handmade items from independent retailers, crafters, and artists. This social trend mirrors the original Arts and Crafts Movement of the 19th century..."

The Stained Glass Magic Studio of Spokane Washington

Originally designed and handmade stained glass meditation windows, love & peace suncatchers, and cosmic jewelry.

Craig Goodwin Photography

Nature photographer based in Washington state, primarily focused on exploring the unique beauty of the Inland Northwest.

Literary Calligraphy

Printwork created from the calligraphic paintings of Virginia artist Susan Loy, based on the great quotations from literature, religion & philosophy.

American Folk Art by Sharon Ascherl

Maryland folk artist & painter specializing in Colonial life and America's historical past.

The Probst Furniture Studio of Hamlin West Virginia

Handmade contemporary furniture collections by one of America's premier wood furniture designers.

Cast Paper & Digital Designs

Celtic Art & Fantasy Art by Kevin Dyer

Lynn Earnest Fine Art Bronze Sculpture

Museum quality artworks from an artist who sees the spiritual side of existence as being the only reality.

Digital Visions Artwork by Ann Contois

Luminous visions in digital art, guided by love, light, truth & beauty, and greatly influenced by the organic, naturally sinuous lines of Art Nouveau masters

• ArtFairCalendar.com
• Festival Network Online
• Southern Festivals
• Festivals and Events
• Arts & Crafts Show Business
• Fairs and Festivals

• Ann Arbor Art Fairs
• Artrider
• Castleberry Fairs & Festivals
• Chicago's 57th Street Art Fair
• Gilmore/Craftsmen's Classics
• Howard Alan Events
• Ohio Designer Craftsmen
• Philadelphia Museum Craft Show

The Juried OnLine Arts Festival (JOLAF.com) went onto the internet in 1996 as one of the very first directory-type gallery sites devoted exclusively to the presentation of original art and handmade craft.  JOLAF continued until 2016, at which point the web had grown a thousand-fold, and larger, more sophisticated and better financed venues such as Etsy.com and "Amazon Handmade" completely dominated the landscape.

However for at least 10-15 years, JOLAF was the first gateway for many artists & craftspeople as they became aware of the extraordinary power of the WWW, to get their work seen not only in the USA but literally around the world.

If you'd like to get a small glimpse of what our early online gallery looked like, you can do so by clicking the link below (we've removed much of the JOLAF pages from that time period, but not the pages with various artist names & mediums). Be aware that since our founding, and even since we ceased adding new members in 2016, many of the original exhibitors have retired, or changed their online addresses, or sadly, have even left this world, so their websites are no longer active. We offer these few archived "Art Mediums" pages simply for historical purposes, to remember the golden olden days, when it all got started...