Chris Pellettieri, a professional stonecarver based in New York City (photograph by Candace Shacklette; image sourced from the Museum of Arts & Design)

The Museum of Arts & Design (MAD) in New York City is holding the first-ever biennial for makers in the five boroughs  -- the exhibit features work by over 100 artisans, artists and designers, and will run until October 12, 2014. As a companion piece to, among others, the annual Maker Faire at the New York Hall of Science and the Cooper Hewitt's National Design Triennial (presumably to resume as the Cooper Hewitt emerges from its refurbishment), NYC Makers:The MAD Biennial is a welcome addition to the expanding design/make landscape.

Not surprisingly, given the many definitions of "making," the exhibit is an initial survey rather than a definitive statement, a sampling from many genres and media, not always cohesive or in agreement with one another (which is not necessarily a bad thing in a new-ish field, or rather a field being rediscovered). Having said that, the lack of focus is also the show's strength, as attendees can interact with a wide variety of surfaces and styles. The range is vast, from traditional printmaking and fiber arts to neon lighting and electronica, and including along the way artisanal coffee, handrolled cigars, architectural metalwork, video installations, sculptural pieces, musical instruments, and items less easily classified. Call it an updated cabinet of curiosities.

At its best, the MAD Biennial puts the makers and the act of making front and center. Artists resident in MAD's Open Studios -- such as Pellettieri, pictured above-- provided some of the objects on display, and in some cases demonstrate the techniques of their craft. Best of all, many of the exhibits are designed for interaction with visitors, making makers of us all.

As the MAD curatorial team thinks about the next biennial, I encourage them to embrace more whole-heartedly the utilitarian purposes of objects. Some of the selections and their justifications appear hesitant, ambivalent, chosen with a nervous glance over the shoulder at the work presented at the Whitney, for instance, or PS1, or in the Chelsea galleries. Let's have more attention to the tactile, sweaty, dusty craft of making, less to conceptual concerns and the uneasy tango between theory and thing.

I also hope the biennial will connect more closely with the broader maker movement fostered by (naming just a few of many) Dale Daugherty, Limor Fried, Chris Anderson, Ayah Bdeir  (whose company's "Synth Spin Table" is included in the Biennial), and Momo Akade.

Daniel Rabuzzi is Executive Director at Mouse .