Craftsmanship Quarterly: Latest Stories
Spring 2023 - The Future of Craftsmanship
The Play Gap
In Providence, Rhode Island, Janice McDonnell started one of the unlikeliest of revolutions. On seven empty lots in the inner city, she set up a new kind of playground—places where kids could build anything they want, break anything they want. Her larger goals? To fight the disappearance of free play brought on by the relentless testing that’s become the norm in today’s schools—and to spread playful opportunities to all children, not just those from wealthy white families.
Written by TODD OPPENHEIMER
New Podcasts
Listen to “The Play Gap”
In the inner city neighborhoods of Providence, Rhode Island, Janice O’Donnell set up playgrounds where kids could build anything they…
Written by TODD OPPENHEIMER Narrated by AVANTHIKA SRINIVASAN
Listen to “What? A Bamboo Bicycle?”
A bicycle made of bamboo might look a little silly—brown and fat, with swollen joints. But Craig Calfee, a respected…
Written by JEFF GREENWALD Narrated by JEFF GREENWALD
Listen to “The Antidote to Fast Fashion? System Dressing”
Jill Giordano makes women’s clothing with fine fabrics in timeless styles, and in combinations that can be mixed and matched…
Written by Laura Fraser Narrated by Lindsay Scherbarth
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Videos
Watch “The Future Is Handmade”
A Dutch archaeologist finds artisans and thought leaders who are redefining craft, skill and, ultimately, the real meaning of a…
By Maikel Kuijpers
Watch “The Ancient Mangle of Santarcangelo di Romagna”
In a tiny town on Italy’s Northeastern coast, the Marchi family printworks may be the world’s last shop to produce…
By LUISA GROSSO
Watch: “Miners ‘drop the ceiling’ in Marble, Colorado”
By THE CRAFTSMANSHIP INITIATIVE
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Field Notes
San Francisco’s “Last Black Calligrapher” Invites You to Go Deeper
Hunter Saxony III imbues his lettering work with layers of meaning, while also intentionally leaving it open to interpretation. In…
Written by MELINDA MISURACA
Photography by MELATI CITRAWIREJA
Intentional Inhalations: Why Natural, Handmade Incense Stands Apart
Incense has been around for millennia, and is relatively simple to make. It can be purchased at any gift shop…
Written by JEFF GREENWALD
Chef Nephi Craig: Decolonizing Recovery through Native Foodways
Chef Nephi Craig leveraged his twin passions for cooking and Native American food sovereignty to heal himself from substance abuse.…
Written by CARRIE A. BACK & THE EDITORS OF CRAFTSMANSHIP QUARTERLY
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