25 Years of Artist Support by CERF+

The Smithsonian Women's Committee and the Smithsonian Craft Show recognize CERF+ for 25 years of dedicated support to the American craft community.

For 25 years CERF+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund+Artists’ Emergency Resources) has been strengthening and sustaining the careers of craft artists throughout the United States. From electrical fires and health crises to devastating earthquakes and Katrina, CERF’s emergency relief assistance has helped hundreds of professional craft artists recover from career-threatening emergencies. As a national non-profit, CERF+ has awarded more than $1.4 million in grants, loans and brokered assistance to artists after emergencies.

In addition to emergency relief and recovery, CERF+ is also focused on artists’ emergency readiness and has recently launched the Studio Protector: The Artist's Guide to Emergencies. This first-of-its-kind, artist-designed, artist-tested wall guide and its companion website help artists cover their "A's" — art, assets and archives — in the event of an emergency. This survival kit is expanding CERF+’s impact exponentially, you can learn more about it at www.studioprotector.org.

To learn more about CERF+, see the CERF+ video, produced by Craft in America, which is showing continuously in the show cafe, and ask the artists with buttons about CERF+, and check their web at www.craftemergency.org.