Straw Bale Construction: The Ultra-Ecological House
Every few years, discussions about using straw bales as a building material come up again. As our environmental challenges mount—from wildfires to hurricanes—straw bales seem to offer a sustainable answer. And as we in the American West seem to find ourselves in "fire season" earlier with each passing year, it’s time to ask: Has the humble straw bale's moment finally come?
Written by MEA MCNEIL
Listen to “The Great Washing Machine Scam”
As consumer technology improves, basic household appliances, like the washing machine, keep sprouting new, high-tech functions. Not surprisingly, they’re also increasingly difficult to repair. So our journalistic gumshoe ventured to find out: Who put us in this jam? And why?
Written by AARON BRITT
Narrated by MITCHELL GREENBERG
Keeping the Beat: Custom-Made Conducting Batons
A good conductor can lead an orchestra with almost anything — even a chopstick. Leonard Bernstein was known to conduct a full symphony with just his eyebrows. Why, then, in this age of cheap manufacturing, are handmade, custom conducting batons still in demand?
Written by JEFF GREENWALD
Do the Most Interesting Musical Pipes Come from Ireland?
While Scottish culture is branded by its famous Highland bagpipes, its neighbor across the water has long made a very different set of pipes that plays a much wider range of music. Our correspondent visits the indefatigable, obsessive makers of the uilleann pipes.
Story by LARRY GALLAGHER
Photography by RUTH CARDEN
Hitting All the High Notes: Delbert Anderson Trumpets On
Uniting Navajo traditional songs with the dynamic currents of contemporary jazz and jazz improvisation, the trumpet master weaves a vibrant tapestry of sound.
Written by ROSEMARY DIAZ
Explore the Magazine
The Craftsmanship Initiative is dedicated to reclaiming craftsmanship’s principles of excellence, beauty, and durability as a pathway to a more sustainable world. The flagship venture of the initiative, which operates as a non-profit, is Craftsmanship Magazine, a multimedia publication that focuses on master artisans and innovators whose work informs our quest.
Watch “Guillermo Rubio, Mexican Master Luthier, Builds a Guitar”
Step inside a family-owned workshop in Paracho, Mexico — birthplace of the ornate, white guitar made famous by the Disney movie, “Coco,” and home to some of the world’s most accomplished luthiers. Don’t miss the full story, “Mexico’s Master Guitar Makers”, written by Laura Fraser.
By Craftsmanship Magazine
Watch “Snapshots of Istanbul, Music by Niyazi Sayin”
Scenes from the world of Turkish Islamic arts, accompanied by the sound of Niyazi Sayin playing the ney.
By Tasos
Western-Wear Designer ‘Jukebox Mama’ Paints with Thread
Sarie Gessner—known for her Western-inspired suits, custom embroidery, and passion for music—is dressing some of country and Americana's brightest stars for the stage.
Written by MEREDITH LAWRENCE
Photography by MEREDITH LAWRENCE, et al
Watch “Master of the Chair”
Watch Brian Boggs use (and discuss) his wood rail-bender, which does the work that normally requires two or three people. After the bending, he moves the wood to “the hot room”: 116-120 degrees, 16 percent humidity. (He also uses the hot room to dry mullein and stinging nettle for tea.)
By Craftsmanship Magazine
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