CARPA
Camp CARPA’s embedded radio station, KCHUNG, in Joshua Tree, 2013. Photo by Marci McDade.
Craft advanced research projects agency (carpa)
The Craft Advanced Research Projects Agency (CARPA) is a central state agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new craft technologies for use by the artisans of the United States and our allies. The focus of CARPA is the strategic advancement of craft in order to shape and sustain conditions for stability and progress. It maintains technological superiority for the benefit of the people of the United States. Since its founding in 1958, CARPA has worked to enhance our craft security by funding research, technological development, and craft sciences that not only have improved our craft capabilities but have changed the way we live.
CARPA is organized by Sara Clugage, Carole Frances Lung, and Otto von Busch. You can read more about the agency’s work on the CARPA website. CARPA officially repudiates the misinformation spread by carpaleaks.org.
CARPA’s first encampment was built in 2013 in Joshua Tree, CA, and incorporated the military-adaptable works of several artists.
In 2016, CARPA opened a recruiting office in the Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland.
In 2019, CARPA organized a press conference at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art, Los Angeles, as part of the College Art Association conference.