Craftsmanship

Quilting, which is so often treated as a “domestic” art or folk art, is a serious craft— and a serious business. Today’s featured story profiles a master artisan who has been part of the modern quilting movement for more than four decades. The Uncommon Quilts of Joe Cunningham" was written and narrated by Jeff Greenwald. You can read the original story at https://craftsmanship.net/field-notes...

The work of David Drake, or “Dave the Potter,” commands eye-popping prices at art auctions. Drake (c. 1801-1870) was a formerly enslaved Black American ceramicist who would become one of the most famous names in Edgefield pottery. He signed his own pots and sometimes inscribed them with a poem, defying the strict anti-literacy laws of the time.  Contemporary ceramicists are continuing a long legac...

India’s artisans are often knowledge-keepers of centuries-old craft traditions. But they face an uncertain future. In this episode of the Craftsmanship podcast, writer Laura Fraser looks at some of the ongoing efforts to support these master artisans before their skills fade into history. Laura Fraser's article, “The Fragility of India’s Artisan Communities,” was originally written for Crafts...

On this edition of “The Secrets of Mastery,” a production of Craftsmanship Magazine, we talk with musical inventor Andy Graham, whose long-term fascination with a centuries-old Australian aboriginal wind instrument, the didgeridoo, has yielded several off-the-wall new musical creations.  The Electric Stringed Didgeridoo, the Didge-ly Bow, the Fiddleridoo and the “Didge Bass” all are just a few ite...

On this edition of “The Secrets of Mastery,” a production of Craftsmanship Magazine, we’re talking about taking bamboo to new heights.  Jonas Hauptman, an industrial design professor at Virginia Tech, has been experimenting with ways to use bamboo, a giant grass, to build multi-story housing.  Hauptman says bamboo could be key to housing the world’s growing population in a more ecological way.   B...

On this edition of “The Secrets of Mastery,” a production of Craftsmanship Magazine: why is entomologist Doug Tallamy on a national crusade to get private landowners to tear their lawns? As a wildlife ecology professor at the University of Delaware, Dr. Tallamy sees the world from a bug’s point of view. He’s also a co-founder of an organization called Homegrown National Park. The organization is t...

It’s one thing to make, it’s another thing to sell.  On this edition of “The Secrets of Mastery,” a production of Craftsmanship Magazine, we talk with Rebecca van Bergen, founder and executive director of NEST, about what craftspeople need to have thriving businesses. NEST helps craft businesses around the world grow by providing training, resources and sales opportunities. The international organ...

On this edition of "The Secrets of Mastery," we’ll hear one woman’s journey from starving artist to owner of a successful, large-scale glassware company. 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. “The secr...

This week on "The Secrets of Mastery" produced by Craftsmanship Magazine, we’re talking about letterpress printing.  For centuries, newspaper and book publishers used this analog method of printing, involving heavy machinery, ink, paper, and thousands of tiny metal typecasts, to reproduce their words for the masses.  Though it’s largely been replaced in commercial printing by cheaper, fa...

On this episode of "The Secrets of Mastery," from Craftsmanship Magazine, we walk into the world of drought-resistant gardening at the Ruth Bancroft Garden and Nursery in Walnut Creek, California. Cricket Riley, former design services director for the garden, gives us a tour of the 3-acre oasis of succulents, cacti, and herbaceous plants that need very little water. Then we sit down for...

On this edition of “The Secrets of Mastery,” a production of Craftsmanship Magazine, we hear from Italian gelato-maker, Andrea Soban, based in the northern city of Valenza, Italy.  Soban is a third-generation gelato maker, who continues to win prizes at international competitions for the quality of his coveted dessert. In 2019, Soban published a book titled simply “Making Italian Gelato.” In this...

On this episode of "The Secrets of Mastery," we learn about an unusual folk art of the American West called horsehair hitching. Horsehair hitching involves the knotting of horsehair into complex patterns to make belts, necklaces, decorative walking sticks, and—of course—accessories for horses.  Shoni Maulding, who has been practicing the craft for more than 30 years, talks with Craftmans...

On this episode of "The Secrets of Mastery," we discuss the value of handmade work with master woodworker and furniture maker Gary Rogowski. The founder of the Northwest Woodworking Studio, Rogowski is also the author of many books about woodworking and creativity in the digital age. In this interview, we discuss whether technology helps or hinders us in the creation of beautiful things....

As consumer technology improves, basic household appliances, like the washing machine, keep sprouting new, high-tech functions. Not surprisingly, they’re also increasingly difficult to repair. So our journalistic gumshoe ventured to find out: Who put us in this jam? And why? “ The Great Washing Machine Scam ,” originally appeared in Craftsmanship , a digital magazine about master artisans and inno...

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. "The Cowboy Folklorist" originally appeared in Craftsmanship , a digital magazine about master artisans and innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more s...

Ever open a brand new package of clothing and get a strong whiff of chemicals? Journalist Alden Wicker took a deep dive into the chemicals in our clothes in her new book, “To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion is Making Us Sick and How We Can Fight Back.”  Craftsmanship Magazine interviewed Wicker about the prevalence of chemicals in clothing, and about the regulatory efforts and personal choices that can...

Our hands are deep in a new audio project - a series of interviews with master artisans and craftspeople. We’ll be talking to makers of culturally distinct crafts from around the world - about their passion, and secrets to their mastery. We’ll hear from a horsehair hitcher in Montana, a compost king in Oregon, and about Greece’s secret to honey making.  And there will be many more stories. Look ou...

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, customized batons still in demand? Written by JEFF GREENWALD Introduction by PAULINE BARTOLONE Narrated by JEFF GREENWALD Produced by PAULINE BARTOLONE Music by Town Market by Blue...

When a promising rock musician tired of the road and the pressure, he gave up music and got a job at a hardware store. Then one day, he had a revelation. "The Cigar Box Guitar Maker" originally appeared in Craftsmanship , a digital magazine about master artisans and innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other res...

When Hohner, the world’s largest harmonica manufacturer, changed its flagship model (and in the process, its signature sound), a few musicians and harp customizers waged a quiet rebellion—and won. "The Return of the Harmonica" originally appeared in Craftsmanship , a digital magazine about master artisans and innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stor...

Oboists can spend more time making reeds for their instrument than playing their music. One such musician, the comic monologist Josh Kornbluth, has a lot to say about reed making's painfully exacting process. "The Agony and the Ecstasy of an Oboe Reed Maker" originally appeared in Craftsmanship , a digital magazine about master artisans and innovators, and the architecture of excell...

The late Butch Morris, a figure from the outer edges of jazz, reimagined conducting as a form of composition, coining his own word for the combination of the two. "The Conductionist" originally appeared in Craftsmanship Quarterly , a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, an...

In the inner city neighborhoods of Providence, Rhode Island, Janice O'Donnell set up playgrounds where kids could build anything they want, and break anything they want. She has been stunned by what everyone has learned in the process. "The Play Gap" originally appeared in the Spring 2019 issue of Craftsmanship Quarterly , a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, an...

A bicycle made of bamboo might look a little silly—brown and fat, with swollen joints. But Craig Calfee, a respected pioneer of carbon fiber bicycle frames, swears by their strength, flexibility, and ecological value. "What? A Bamboo Bicycle?" originally appeared in the Summer 2016 issue of Craftsmanship Quarterly , a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the archit...

Jill Giordano makes women’s clothing with fine fabrics in timeless styles, and in combinations that can be mixed and matched in multiple ways. The goal: Improve your look, save the planet, and save money. "The Antidote to Fast Fashion? System Dressing" originally appeared in the Fall 2017 issue of Craftsmanship Quarterly , a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the...