“Democracy” screening at Highfield Hall

The free screening will take place on Wednesday, July 1, 7 PM at Highfield Hall & Gardens, 56 Highfield Drive, Falmouth. Registration is recommended online at https://highfieldhallandgardens.org/event/craft-in-america-democracy-screening/

The event is part of Craft in America’s “Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026,” a nationwide initiative to celebrate the diversity of crafts that define America and bring underrepresented art and artists into the spotlight. 

The artists highlighted in the film include ceramic artist and Gulf War Marine Veteran Ehren Tool who uses his work “to vindicate the principles of peace and justice in the world”; calligrapher Sammy Little, who demonstrates how cursive writing—whether in the country’s founding documents or her great-great-grandfather’s Civil War letters—creates personal connections that bring history to life; and the educators and students of historic Berea College, who sell their handmade wares to support the school’s commitment to tuition-free learning and to “lifting up democracy and the promises of America.”

Following the 56-minute film, the audience will participate in a discussion about the ideas raised by the film. Although the film premiered in December 2020, the issues it raises—the importance of federal support for the arts and national institutions, such as the Smithsonian Museum—remain current.

Alice Kociemba, chairperson of the Cultural Council, describes the film as both inspirational and provocative. “The Council thought that co-sponsoring this event with Highfield Hall & Gardens would be a way for the whole community to engage in how the arts reflect the promises of democracy. As Robert Lynch, the former executive director of  Americans for the Arts, comments, ‘I’d love to see everyone in our country as a maker…to engage with something beautiful and to understand the world in a different way because of that.”