As a prominent contemporary ceramicist and alum, Lugo continues to bridge the gap between traditional craft and social activism. His inclusion in Handwork: Handcrafted Objects that Made America highlights his role in redefining American material culture by integrating themes of community and resistance into his artistry. Lugo’s work, which often reimagines classic pottery forms through a lens of urban culture and heritage, serves as a testament to the enduring power of handmade objects to tell diverse and inclusive stories of the American experience.

Handwork: Handcrafted Objects that Made America is a visually stunning, deeply inspiring celebration of America’s spirit through ordinary, surprising, and overlooked handcrafted objects spanning more than 250 years. The official book of Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, Craft in America’s yearlong, nationwide initiative marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence featuring hundreds of museum exhibitions and events, a four-part PBS docuseries, and specially designed educational components. Handwork is essential reading for anyone curious about American history, design, material culture, or craft.

Edited by Emily Zaiden, director and lead curator of the Craft in America Center, with a foreword by Carol Sauvion, the visionary behind the Peabody Award, winning PBS series Craft in America, Handwork takes readers on a journey through time and across the multiplicity of cultures that have made America, uncovering the powerful stories behind objects that shaped American life. The book groups handmade objects into four curated sections-DWELL, FEED, FURNISH, ADORN-and highlights objects that reflect innovation, resistance, artistry, and community, from a nineteenth-century Kiowa cradleboard to an antique Hawaiian papa he’enalu (surfboard) and a prototype for an iconic sneaker.

Learn more about the book here.