Welcome to our Field Notes
Reports from the intersection of craft and culture: A mix of short narrative features, profiles, think pieces, and quick takes that reflect on—and beyond—our magazine issue themes.
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The Mad Science and Master Craft of Handblown Lab Glass
With specialized training, professional glassblowers, like those of the West Berkeley co-op Adams & Chittenden, can also make scientific glass, turning out precise, customized tools for advancing research and discovery—tools that machine-made...
A Man on an Unusual Mission: Bringing the Alphorn Back to France
In a former silk weaver’s workshop in Lyon, a carpenter and trained musician is breathing new life into the alphorn—an instrument that was on the brink of extinction in France....
Woodworking vs. Perfection
Wood entices us with its natural beauty, usefulness, and endless variety. Yet, perhaps more than any other raw material, it defies the artisan's...
The Espadrille: Spain’s Beloved, Timeless Shoe
The long march of espadrilles, from medieval Spanish peasantry to global shoe icon....
Fighting Fast Furniture Waste, One Reupholstered Sofa at a Time
Cindy Feinauer wants to talk about “fast furniture.” More than 9.5 million tons of furniture are thrown into U.S. landfills every year, according...
Porcelain Handbags? A Tale of Two Cultures and One Bold Career Leap
Anne Loquineau left a traditional career path to follow her passion. Now she crafts sculptural (and surprisingly sturdy) porcelain bags that highlight her dual heritage and unique vision....
My First Design
Gary Rogowski, a master woodworker and furniture designer (and longtime Craftsmanship collaborator) reflects on how his first handmade bench came...
The Last Jacquard Silk Weavers
In Lyon, the silk-weaving capital of Europe for centuries, the rhythmic clatter of Jacquard Looms once emanated from about 30,000 workshops....
Vintage Machines, Perfect Prints: The Legacy of The Sherwood Press
To letterpress lovers, the Heidelberg Windmill is a beloved icon of beauty and durability. This historic print shop in Olympia, WA, is devoted to keeping its Windmills—and their flawless prints—alive....
The Uncommon Quilts of Joe Cunningham
When Joe Cunningham started making quilts, in 1979, it was an unusual occupation for a man—a fact that set him free as a fabric artist....
Rediscovering the Craft of Slow Writing
A pen, a notebook, a vintage typewriter, some art supplies: A writer’s quest to reclaim her love of the craft opens up a new creative chapter (so...
Measuring by Eye
Precision is more than a relative concept. One is not ‘sort of’ precise in furniture-making. Precision involves an attitude about the work;...
The Puzzling Craft of Dissectology
Our contributing editor digs into the fascinating, unusually detailed world of handcrafted jigsaw puzzles—and the little-known word for their devotees....
“How to Make a Good Day”: Scott and Ene Constable on Crafting a Meaningful Life
For the team behind Wowhaus Studio, great public art isn't just about design; it's about creating purpose, meaning, and joy. They apply this...
Looking for an AI-Proof Career? The Trades are a Smart Choice.
While AI proceeds to decimate career paths, take heart: Not all jobs are at risk. Educators, and many others, are seeing the hands-on trades as skilled, high-paying careers that robots can’t replace....
The Fragility of India’s Artisan Communities
India’s communities of specialized artisans—who are often the knowledge-keepers of their centuries-old craft traditions—face an uncertain future....
Alissa Allen’s Mycopigments Create a ‘Palette of Place’
A Pacific Northwest textile artist and naturalist uncovers nature’s hidden hues, creating stunning natural dyes from fungi and lichens foraged near her home....
Black Artists Are Reshaping How We Think About American Ceramics
Contemporary Black ceramicists are continuing a long legacy of Black Americans working in clay. As they find new ways to tell their stories, the art world is finally catching up....
Calligraphy’s Hurdles
Picking up a longtime hobby, our publisher tries out some new calligraphy tools and techniques, only to find that mastering graceful script is...
Reviving the Craft of Plant-Based Photo Developing
For Beatrice Thornton, an artist, photographer, and archivist based in Oakland, CA, nature is more than a muse: It's also the source of the sustainable materials she uses for developing analog film....
What Science Says About Craft, Creativity, and Mental Health
For nearly 30 years, woodworking has provided Miles Boudreaux with purpose, connection, and a creative "fix." Now, science is catching up to what...
Calligraphy’s Magicians
Inside the quiet world of calligraphy, a robust subculture keeps the ancient craft alive by continuously evolving, blending tradition with innovation in unexpected ways....
A Hand-Painted Welcome: Ira Coyne’s Lasting Imprint on Olympia
By the late 90s, digital printing was king and hand-painted signage—as well as apprenticeships for sign-painters—were fading fast from the American landscape. Ira Coyne didn't let that hold him back....
Preserving the Art of the Written Word, One Vintage Keystroke at a Time
Setting out to buy herself a manual typewriter, an AI-weary writer visits the last full-time typewriter repair shop in Washington state—and encounters a time machine, of sorts....
From Plastic Waste to Zero-Waste, One Soap Bar at a Time
How one journalist (and her daughters) turned her frustration with household plastic waste into a sustainable, handmade line of organic soap bars—crafted with creativity and a whole lot of heart....
My Father’s Mallet
After graduating college, I finally got up the nerve to quit trying to be what everyone else wanted me to be: priest, professor, or professional. My Lit major brain was tired from working up essays on nothingness. Working with my hands, now this...
In a Tiny Sardinian Village, a Traditional Craft Holds on by a Thread
Maria Luisa Frongia sews and embroiders traditional garments by hand, one at a time, keeping a centuries-old custom alive in a rapidly changing world....
Brian Callan Reclaims Ireland’s Fallen Trees—and its Tradition of Harp-making
Brian Callan is part of a slow, steady revival of traditional harp-making in the Emerald Isle. Most of his handmade harps are built from fallen trees—some of them ancient; each with a story to tell....
The Moral Lessons of a Fountain Pen
Back in the day—in this case, from the early 1900s to around 1950—if someone wanted to write anything down with permanence, they reached for a pen of the kind one rarely sees anymore. These were called fountain pens, and their highly refined...
A Chiseled Education
My understanding of the chisel, a common tool at my workbench, grew until I thought I knew everything about it. Then a revelation occurred that changed both my use of the tool and my sense of how I learned. Consider the mighty wedge, one of the...
The Artisan’s Paradox
It's a curious truth: In a world dominated by mass production, the finest handmade goods often cost less than their factory-made counterparts....
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...
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....
When Life Handed Her Yarn, Adella Colvin Spun a Bright Future
The founder of LolaBean Yarn Co. didn’t expect to move from New York City to rural Georgia, or to become obsessed with hand-dyeing yarn. But when opportunity knocked, Adella Colvin didn’t hesitate. Back in her 20s, New York urbanite...
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....
Mending: An Ancient Craft for Modern Times
Traditional DIY basics like clothing repair have become covetable knowledge again. With the fast-fashion machine on notice for its abysmal climate footprint, could this be mending’s big moment?...
The Cowboy Folklorist
Though he refers to himself as simply a "songster and storyteller," Andy Hedges is compiling a one-of-a-kind historical archive of cowboy music and poetry—and bringing the legends of the genre together on CD and stage....
The American Folk School Movement and ‘Slow Economics’
Rather than looking to big corporate employers like Walmart for economic stability, could more rural communities in the U.S. welcome a slower growing, more sustainable economic partner?...
Berea College Students Craft a Bright Future, Tuition-Free
As U.S. student debt balloons to $1.75 trillion nationally, calls for loan forgiveness and low-cost or free college tuition programs are getting louder. Sound impossible? Kentucky’s Berea College has been tuition-free since 1892 — and offers an...
Redesigning an Old Recipe: The School Lunch
Stereotypical school lunch fare (think fish sticks and frozen “pizza”) has been the butt of jokes for decades. It’s an industry ripe for change, and Chef Joan Gallagher is at the vanguard — blending culinary expertise with...
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 the process, he’s taking an age-old, traditional art form in a new direction. One summer morning in 2018,...
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 for a few dollars, so why spend more for the handmade, whole-plant version? Mike Paré, one of very few traditional incense makers in...
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. Today he uses his personal experience—and his kitchen—to support other Native people who are recovering from...
Shrine and the Art of Resilience
Pandemic, political strife, poverty, war. In times of extreme upheaval—global or personal—can the act of art-making ease suffering and strengthen resilience? photo by Melati Citrawireja The first time I met the outsider artist known as Shrine,...
The Little Block-Printing Workshop that Could
“A rising tide doesn’t raise people who don’t have a boat. We have to build the boat for them. We have to give them the basic infrastructure to rise with the tide.” – Rahul Gandhi Padmini Govind awoke at 3 a.m. to...
The Craft of Reclamation: Sustainable Addiction Recovery in Appalachia
In Appalachian Ohio, craftsmanship is a vital piece of the growing support system for recovery—philosophically, economically, and on a very personal scale. Editor’s Note: On March 1, 2022, in his State of the Union speech, U.S. President Joe...
Build Back with Beer (Craft Beer, to be Precise…)
When veteran journalists James and Deborah Fallows spent four years criss-crossing the U.S. looking for what makes small-town revivals succeed, they repeatedly found one near-constant: craft breweries There are various ways to measure the civic...
Congressman John Lewis’ Artistic Side
The late congressman’s civil rights legacy of “good trouble” is well-known, but his inner circle also knew him as an art lover and avid collector, particularly of works by Black artists. February 21 is the late Congressman John...
Metalsmith Forges Opportunities for Black Women Artists
Within an arts ecosystem that often marginalizes people of color, Karen Smith found a nontraditional path to becoming a metal artist. Now she’s inspiring women like her do the same. Karen Smith’s website bio opens with a deceptively...
New Mexico’s Modern Saint-Makers
The carving and painting of santos, or devotional art, is one of the oldest living folk art traditions in the U.S., dating back some 400 years. As Semana Santa (Holy Week) marks the holiest of days for millions of Christians around the globe, we...
For Lifelong Artist Kimberly Camp, Art is Life
“There’s no retirement for an artist; it’s your way of living, so there’s no end to it.” ― Henry Moore Following a long, influential career as an arts administrator, Kimberly Camp, 64, seems to be working harder than ever. And...
Can Japan’s Akiya Movement Rebuild Rural Communities?
While rural Japan may not be the first place one envisions as a production site for medieval and Renaissance-era instruments from Europe and Central Asia, this was precisely the craft of master instrument-builder Kōhaku Matsumoto, founder of the...
A Traditional Balinese Craft Rediscovers Its Roots — in Leaves
If you’ve ever been lucky enough to visit Bali, Indonesia, you might have fond memories of white-sand beaches, ornate temples, and gracious hospitality. But for many Western visitors, the island’s most striking feature is its rich cultural...
In Your Words: Making Matters, More than Ever
As part of our Spring issue theme, “Sheltering at Home Creatively”, we asked our Craftsmanship community to tell us: How has the coronavirus crisis affected your life and livelihood? Has it changed your values or priorities? Taken...
Film’s New Generation of Experimentalists
In a recent article I wrote for Craftsmanship Magazine, “Real Film Strikes Back”, I tell the story of analog film’s surprising comeback in a motion picture industry that has become almost entirely digitized. Yet unbeknownst to most of us, there...
“Alebrijes,” Handcrafted Monsters on Parade in Mexico City
Sometime in the 1930s, a Mexico City artisan named Pedro Linares lay on his bed delirious and racked with fever. In his hallucinations, he felt surrounded by a series of terrifying monsters, who were made of parts from different animals in...
The Democratization of Craft
Earlier this month, some 400 devotees of the arts and crafts spent three days in Philadelphia exploring the meaning of their obsessions, and the possibilities of spreading the faith. The crowd was gathered by the American Craft Council, an...
Sustainable Fashion, Hands-On Education: a Fibershed Gala
In our fast-paced consumer culture, on a planet that is quickly heating up, how do you spend your dollars in a way that minimizes environmental damage, especially when it comes to clothing and other textiles? Is it possible to also go one step...
By Western Hands: Saving Traditional Western Crafts from Extinction
If you watch the video at the end of this story, done by Lisa and Loren Skyhorse, two custom Western saddle makers in Durango, Colorado, it’s easy to be inspired by their skill, and touched by their decades of dedication. But the film ends on an...
Back to the Future: IFAM Invests in Sustainable Cultural Traditions
Through a wide range of media and styles, the nearly 200 artists who participated in the 16th annual International Folk Art Market (IFAM) in Santa Fe represented vastly different geographic, cultural and creative territories....
Fileteado Porteño: Preserving the iconic street art of Buenos Aires
It’s been years since I’ve walked the cobblestone streets of Buenos Aires, but the sights and sounds of the city that doesn’t sleep have never left me. Strolls down narrow alleys and the expansive city avenues of B.A., and the street art I...
The Intelligent Hand
For many anthropologists, their work involves delving into obscure corners of humanity’s past; for Trevor Marchand, a Canadian-born anthropology professor in England, the field offered him a way to look into the work of living master artisans,...
A Crucible for Tomorrow’s Trades
The nation’s largest non-profit facility dedicated to education in the industrial arts runs out of a seemingly simple warehouse in West Oakland, California. Fittingly called The Crucible, the venture was launched in January of 1999 by a mixed...
Crafting a Snow-Covered Castle: The Modern Snow Globe Maker
As she hikes amongst limestone, pine, and the remains of Polish castles, Paulina Ciepał imagines holding it all in the palm of her hand — a world of its own wrapped in glass, always a shake away from a winter snowfall. A self-taught craftswoman,...
Crafting a More Human Future
Exhibition “HOMO FABER” The intriguing title of this monster exhibition of European craftsmen and women, shown in Venice, Italy, during the final weeks of September, 2018, is not only clever, it’s also extremely efficient; faber translates...
Finding Your Ikigai in Craftsmanship
The Japanese have a term for what we as human beings search for in life and it’s called Ikigai, or “the meaning of life.” Many people struggle to know exactly what their purpose is, which is why it’s important to never stop...
Folk Art by the Feds: How a tiny NEA program for apprentices helps keep folk art alive
Apprentice Valerie Edwards (left) has been learning to make Yamani Maidu burden basketry from master artist Shewaya Peck (right). Burden baskets were traditionally used by the Yamani tribe for storage, gathering roots, berries, food, and...
Craftsmanship and Community
Connecting with like-minded makers both online and off The work of a craftsperson is precise, detailed and focused. It can also be solitary and isolating. As a hand engraver, most of my time is spent alone at my workbench, quietly focused. ...
An Inside Peek into Small Farm Life
To say that “fiber farmer” Tammy White is a busy woman would be an understatement. And to only address her as a farmer would certainly not encompass the many hats she wears. Add to the list: natural dyer, shepherdess, homesteader,...
My Adventures with Gold Leaf
When I was younger, I worked as a union painter in Los Angeles (District Council 36, Painters and Allied Trades), and in the early 1980s, I had the opportunity to work on a Bel-Air mansion that belonged to descendants of the late, great...
Catching Color in Food Waste
Onion skins, avocado pits, beet root tops and used coffee grinds — all items many people think have no other use than the compost pile. But food waste can actually have a much longer shelf life, in the form of natural dyes. Natural dyeing can be...
Felipe Ortega, The Clay Raven
The world recently lost a great talent. For those who were lucky enough to know him, Felipe Ortega’s passing runs deep, even more so because this craftsman was one of only a few master teachers left who handcraft micaceous-rich clay pots, just...
The Iconic Icelandic Wool Sweater: An Invented Cultural Statement
On this Nordic island, marooned near the peak of the globe, the temperature can drop below -20 degrees. A sweater is a must. Toddlers, teens, and fishermen alike all wear the Icelandic wool sweater, a uniform that the nation of ice and snow...
The Vanishing Generation of Italian Shoemakers
The Sustainability of an Important Craft It is commonly accepted if you are making high-end luxury shoes, the shoes are made in Italy regardless of where the brand is based, with few exceptions. Post-World War II, Italy flourished as a high-end...
New Life in the Scrap Heap
Three VW Restorers Find Beauty in All the Unexpected Places Amid mounting turmoil over Volkswagen’s diesel emissions scandal, the company has made an announcement that should help to re-polish its old, culture-defining image. At the Frankfurt...
Why Nothing Writes Like a Fountain Pen
A good fountain pen requires virtually no pressure—it just glides across the page. And the ink, which now comes in myriad colors, goes beyond creating letters. It seems to almost decorate a piece of paper. Starting off to find a fountain pen can...
Do-It-Yourself Gelato: How to Attempt the Sweetest Craft at Home
Craftsmanship comes in all shapes, sizes—and flavors. And, as exemplified in Erla Zwingle’s “The Secrets of an Italian Gelato Master,” in Craftsmanship’s Summer 2017 issue, the simple delectability of a frozen treat is far more complex than what...
