The creativity and skill of New York artisans are legendary. The many unique styles of arts and crafts you'll see in New York reflect regional heritage, natural resources and landscapes. Some are functional like pottery, household items or furniture; examples include Mohawk baskets at Akwesasne Cultural Center and St. Lawrence River skiffs at the Antique Boat Museum. Others are purely decorative. Great works are on display (and often for sale) throughout the state, from New York City's Museum of Arts and Design to East Aurora's Roycroft Campus, a pioneering community in the Arts & Crafts Movement of the early 1800s.
In the Hudson Valley, Sugar Loaf Arts & Crafts Village's artisan studios and galleries are within easy strolling distance of cafes and restaurants. And put Crafts at Rhinebeck on your calendar. This yearly festival at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds is considered the premier arts & crafts show of the Northeast. Byrdcliffe Art Colony in Woodstock, a Catskills community, continues craft traditions begun there in 1902.
The Corning Museum in the Finger Lakes highlights local glassmaking history highlighted with creations by Steuben and Tiffany studios. Watch glassblowing demonstrations there and throughout the Gaffer District. Overlooking Cayuga Lake in Aurora, MacKenzie-Childs, world-renowned designer of hand-decorated tableware and furnishings, offers studio tours and garden strolls.
In the Adirondacks, you can follow scenic routes to studios and shops selling works by local artisans. Many love to tell about regional furniture making (you know, those famous chairs) and other craft traditions.