Craft Museums
Smithsonian Institute
Our post Museum Collection Images outlines public and private museum collections which have images of crafted items online. Some of the museums mentioned in the post offer free downloadable images which are in the public domain.
There are also museums which don’t have extensive online collections of work, but which feature images from current and past shows, where craft items may be included.
The American Craft Council lists museums which collect and show contemporary American crafted items.
You can also search the American Craft Council’s state-by-state list of museums.
There's nothing quite like seeing museum items up close, in person, where you can get a sense of scale and put the item in historical context.
But you can also use your laptop or phone to search, study, and get inspiration from works that have been collected, photographed, and put online to share.
Below are some quick links for quilts, textiles, folk art, fiber arts, contemporary crafts, handicrafts, weaving, wood works, ceramics, pottery, and glassworks collections to visit or view online:
The International Quilt Study Center and Museum
The Quilt Index at the Michigan State University Museum
Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of American History National Quilt Collection
Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History Textiles Collection
The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
The Museum of International Folk Art
Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum
San Francisco’s Museum of Craft and Design
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Society for Contemporary Craft
National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum, Delhi, India
Thousand Islands Arts Center – Home of the Handweaving Museum
Other Choices
Three American art museums have gifted us all with free access to their collections of art books. Without committing to making a payment beyond our internet and phone charges, we can build our own online libraries of art books and exhibition catalogs, courtesy of the Guggenheim, Met, and Getty Museums. You'll be able to access books via a search for these topics:
You can start your search and library here: 600+ Free Art Books Online.
DON'T MISS our guide to downloading Vintage Maps for free. You can just frame the maps as a great home decor addition. Or, use them in scrap-booking and other paper craft projects. And, transfer them to fabric for using in quilts or making pillows.
For more inspiration, see what American Crafts have been featured in a TV show dedicated to American craft-making - with the first three seasons available for free online. It's great to see the craft-makers, their processes, and their work spaces.
We've created a page of quick links for you to get started with Crafting Resources, including where to get great free resources for crafting, crafting How-To's, and the online stores we source from for our own projects.
Collectible Art Books
If you love flipping through glossy pages of photo-rich specialty books, you'll find a great selection of art, design, fashion, and architecture books at the online stores The Met Musem Store and Taschen. [This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more information.]
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