Winter 2016
When Toys Get Real
The holidays can make us feel like we’re filling our lives with more junk, so this issue focuses on real toys: building kits for girls, toy theatres, and the outlandish masks that inspire Venice’s legendary Carnival. We also follow a master kitchen knife maker as he discovers the secrets of steel, a Mexican community that’s sustaining its 500-year history of craftsmanship, and the burgeoning revolution in (wait for it) shaving gear. And, of course, an artisanal gift guide.
Can Pátzcuaro and Surrounding Colonial Crafts Towns Survive Modern Mexico?
In the 1500s, a Spanish bishop turned a collection of pueblos around the Mexican town of Patzcuaro into a center for craftsmanship. The people here are still making and marketing their wares in much the same way they did hundreds of years ago. Now they have to overcome tourists’ fears about drug traffickers, real or not.
Story by LAURA FRASER
Photography by JANET JARMAN
Let Tinkerbell Tinker
As the economy’s reliance on innovation grows, the commercial offerings of toys for girls remains, well, somewhat less than innovative. Fortunately, a few women who are educators, engineers, and entrepreneurs are starting to figure this problem out by reviving the time-honored principles of tinkering. But how could we have gotten so off track? One writer goes searching for the answer.
By DAVID MUNRO
The Rise and Fall of Toy Theatre
In the depths of London, a “toy theatre” born in the 1800s continues to stage regular performances. In their heyday, these productions drew London’s top writers and artists, creating Victorian England’s version of the modern PR campaign. Replicas of these miniature theatres are still for sale.
Written by GARRETT EPPS
Venice and the High Art of the Mask
Many cultures have enjoyed the playful freedom that one feels after donning a mask. But no place has taken it to greater extremes, both elegant and diabolical, than Venice. A tour of the world of Venetian masks, and the annual Carnival mega-party they have inspired.
Written by ERLA ZWINGLE
Photography by RICCARDO ROITER RIGONI and ERLA ZWINGLE
Other Topics In This Issue
The Kitchen Bladesmith
When Bob Kramer decided it was time to make his own cutlery, he had no idea that his career turn would take him deep into the secret lives of knives. Now he’s established a reputation as one of the most revered bladesmiths in the world—playing David to the Goliath cutlery manufacturers of Germany and Japan.
Story by TODD OPPENHEIMER
Photography by MICHAEL MATISSE and MARTY NAKAYAMA
Occupy Your Bathroom
Every few years, some new razor system hits the market pledging to save your face and your pocketbook. Virtually all of them miss the boat, because the golden age of shaving occurred 50 years ago. The good news is that all that vintage gear is still available, and a few entrepreneurs are now making beautiful, modern versions that are built to last.
Written and photographed by TODD OPPENHEIMER
Real Shaving: a Gift Guide
If you’re curious about the offerings beyond (or before) today’s over-priced, plasticized, landfill-clogging shaving gear, we’ve got you covered. A prodigious collector of traditional shaving tools, and a prolific writer on the topic, offers a primer—and some very wise buying tips. Male readers in particular, beware: It is very easy to get hooked on this stuff.
By MICHAEL HAM
An Artisanal Gift Guide
Welcome to Craftsmanship’s inaugural gift guide, where we list the best (or at least the most unusual) items that we could find during our first year exploring the artisan world. Our discoveries include fine kitchen knives, cooking pottery, guitars, harmonicas, alcoholic drinks, and, of course, some real children’s toys.
By JOHN MARCOM
More from this Issue
Podcast
Listen to “The Rise and Fall of Toy Theatre”
Written by Garrett Epps Narrated by Göran Norquist
Gallery
View “How Carlo Setti Makes a Traditional Leather Mask”
Photography by RICCARDO ROITER RIGONI Written by ERLA ZWINGLE
