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 he’s learned from experience.
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 glass cannot match.
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.
“The New Didgeridoo,” with Andy Graham
Andy Graham—musician, instrument maker, inventor, and patentholder—takes us on a brief but fascinating “tour of sound.” Graham’s enchantment with a centuries-old Aboriginal wind instrument, the didgeridoo, has yielded several new instrumental creations. His passion for experimentation shines through as he discusses the process behind his work; the joys of tinkering; and some of the highlights…
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.
“Why Letterpress Endures,” with Blake Riley of Arion Press
Blake RIley, the creative director of San Francisco’s beloved Arion Press, discusses some of the long history and persistent myths of letterpress printing; what keeps a centuries-old, labor-intensive industry going in a high-tech world; what ‘mastery’ means to him (it may surprise you!)—and why he never gets bored.
How Glass Artist Annie Morhauser Adapted—and Built “Annieglass”
Annie Morhauser, founder of Annieglass, started her business 40 years ago with little more than debt and determination. Today, her glassware can be found on fine dining tables across the country—as well as in The Smithsonian. On her journey from struggling artist to owner of a successful, large-scale glassware company, Morhauser says: “I don’t care how…
Climate Resilient Gardening, with Cricket Riley
Take an audio tour of the famed Ruth Bancroft Garden and Nursery in Walnut Creek, California, with expert garden designer Cricket Riley, gleaning inspiration (and a few tips) for planting a climate-resilient garden of your own. Riley, a former design services director at the garden, gives us a tour of its 3-acre oasis of succulents, cacti,…
Introduction to “A Perfect Note: Café Jacqueline and The Art of the Soufflé”
Deep in San Francisco’s storied North Beach neighborhood, Jacqueline Margulis has been making soufflés for her café’s customers five nights a week for more than 40 years. Welcome to our story—and mini-documentary—on the only restaurant in the U.S. that specializes solely on this challenging but famously scrumptious symbol of French cuisine.
Film by PHOEBE RUBIN
Story by TODD OPPENHEIMER
