Maintaining a Complex Building Culture: The Precarious State of Heritage Crafts in the United States

Abstract

This article examines the current shortage of heritage craft workers in the United States and how the nation has reached the current situation of crisis. It considers the complexity of America’s building tradition and the role that immigration has played in the shaping of its built heritage. Through those immigrant traditions, it studies the desire for assimilation into American life through successive generations transitioning away from building craft. It concludes by exploring the current issues facing the heritage craft industries, the initiatives being undertaken to address these concerns, and the need to expand such practices.

Keywords

• Building Crafts
• Intangible Heritage
• Education
• Training
• Craft workers