The Craft of Community - Part One
Daily life is changing drastically these days because of a volatile new combination: climate disruption, rising population pressures, and the unbridled spread of technology. In the chaos that results, the basic human need for a sense of real, physical community only grows. In our Fall and Winter issues this year, we look at the varied ways that people across the world are trying to meet the age-old need for safety, connection, and self-sufficiency.
When Indigenous Women Win
In a small, Indigenous community in the mountains of Michoacán, Mexico, a band of determined women led the overthrow of a criminal cartel. Their victory gave the town a new sense of purpose by reviving its traditional livelihood, its capacity for self-government, and its communal spirit.
Story and photography by ANDREW SULLIVAN
The Soul Of Community
Like many American cities, Durham, N.C. has been turning once-abandoned factories into tech hubs and microbreweries. Over the decades, it has also been building a shared commitment to the poor, the disenfranchised, and people of color. Barry Yeoman, a veteran journalist who has lived in and loved Durham since 1985, digs into the city’s soul. And he discovers an architecture underneath this community with some unusual layers.
Story by BARRY YEOMAN
Photography by ALEX BOERNER
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?
By MEA MCNEIL
Other Topics In This Theme
The Wootz Hunter
Sometime in the 1800s, long after the Persians had beaten back the Crusaders, the technique for making the mighty swords that won those battles was mysteriously lost. In the centuries that followed, Europe’s best metallurgists repeatedly tried to revive this craft, with no luck. Then, in the 1980s, a lone horseshoer in Florida named Al Pendray started tinkering with steel recipes. A Craftsmanship mini-documentary
By TODD OPPENHEIMER
