Brian Boggs, Master of the Chair
Brian Boggs, maker of fine, handcrafted wood furniture in Asheville, N.C., just can’t seem to leave a good idea alone. A lifetime of tinkering and experimentation has led to his line of innovative woodworking tools—and to creating some of the world’s most beautiful, comfortable hardwood chairs.
Written by JANINE LATUS
Photography by MICHAEL OPPENHEIM
Breathing Lives into Wood
Mike Dangeli, a First Nations artist and craftsman from the Nisga'a tribe in Western Canada, has devoted his life to preserving Indigenous history in masks, dance, song, and, mostly now, by carving ornate totem poles. The poles, a tradition that Dangeli says date back to creation, are meant to honor important moments in Indigenous history—both the treasured and the painful.
Written by JEFF GREENWALD
Photographed by JEFF GREENWALD AND CHERYL SUMSION
Real Film Strikes Back
Against all odds, and despite the efforts of Hollywood and Silicon Valley to make movies in digital form, old-fashioned, analog, motion-picture film is hotter than ever. What is it about the mystery and magic of celluloid that digital production methods, with all their high-tech tricks, can’t seem to match?
Written by DAVID MUNRO
Listen to “The Cowboy Folklorist”
Though he calls himself simply a “songster and storyteller,” Andy Hedges is compiling a rich, unique audio archive of cowboy music and poetry—and bringing the legends of the genre together on CD and stage.
Written by MEREDITH LAWRENCE
Narrated by GÖRAN NORQUIST
The Case for a Maintenance Mindset
A conversation with Stewart Brand, one of the most influential thinkers and pioneers of our time, still known for his 1968 creation, the Whole Earth Catalog. We talk to him about his latest project: a book, being publicly drafted online, entitled "Maintenance: Of Everything"
Written by TODD OPPENHEIMER
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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
Watch: The Totem Pole Carver
Nisga’a craftsman Mike Dangeli demonstrates the tools and techniques he uses to carve totem poles. These poles have served memorial purposes for Indigenous tribes for millennia.
By JEFF GREENWALD and CHERYL SUMSION
Watch “The Masons of Djenne”
This 5-minute mini-documentary, produced by anthropologist Trevor Marchand, captures a unique and very old building technique with handmade masonry that was perfected through generations in Djenne, Mali.
By THE NATIONAL MUSEUM of NATURAL HISTORY, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, WASHINGTON, D.C.
One Night at the Fixit Clinic with Peter Mui
A white stucco building with blue trim rises on the corner of 48th and Shattuck, just a block from the hotspots in Oakland’s buzzing Temescal district. Built in 1933 as the Ligure Club—a social center for the area’s Italian garbage men—it later became the Omni: a live music venue that hosted concerts by Blue Oyster…
Written by JEFF GREENWALD
Watch “Papito and His 1957 Chevy”
Jesus “Papito” Hernandez spent his “entire life” saving up $7,000 to buy this car. Then he spent 5 years reconstructing it. Watch him tell his remarkable story in our mini-documentary.
By CRAFTSMANSHIP MAGAZINE
CRAFTSMANSHIP MAGAZINE
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.
