Why Make? Podcast

Episode 30 of Why Make? is a Bonus Make! We discuss with Michael Puryear the evolution and creation of his Dan chair, his interpretation of a classic African low chair, which is now a part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture.

On Episode 29 of Why Make? we talk with Michael Puryear a consummate New York based furniture maker with an elegant understated aesthetic. Please join us on one makers journey as we find out what inspires and motivates Michael Puryear.

On Episode 28 of the Why Make? podcast we talk with artist Maggie Sasso, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin based maker producing maritime influenced installation work. Maggie’s conceptual bodies of work examines material culture in relation to our collective past using comedy and levity to navigate through the harsh realities of modern life. Although Maggie has a background in contemporary craft, including w...

In Episode 27 of Why Make? we talk with John Nakashima and discuss his new documentary George Nakashima, Woodworker about his uncle George Nakashima We talk with John about making the stunning new documentary, his life long relationship with his uncle George and the 20 year journey that has taken in making the film. So grab a handplane or a chisel, pop your earbuds in and get to work on that air d...

In this episode we take a look back at the dumpster fire that was 2020 and the way we were able stay connected and talk about some of the wonderful conversations we had. We also give a preview of upcoming episodes in 2021 as well as talk about some Why Make side projects on the drawing board

Episode 25 of Why Make? is a Bonus Make! as we talk with Greenville, SC artist Daniel Marinelli about creating the new landmark sign at Penland School of Crafts. With butterflies in his stomach about creating his largest commission to date, Marinelli goes into detail about the design and fabrication of this incredible sign and the thrill of a job well done! Don’t adjust the kerning on this episode...

Why graduate school? Episode 23 of Why Make? is a Bonus Make! and we talk with artist and educator Cory Robinson about his decision to go to grad school at San Diego State University in their Furniture Design and Woodworking program and how he chose which school and program to attend. Continuing our conversation from Episode 22 we have an honest discussion about what can reasonably be accomplished...

On this episode of Why Make? we talk with Cory Robinson, an artist and educator who teaches at the Herron School of the Arts in Indianapolis Indiana. Cory grew up in small town Indiana and somehow managed to to travel the the world only to return to his alma mater and become an instructor, which was never his plan. Cory’s work encompasses painting, sculpture, furniture and design but in this episo...

Sylvie Rosenthal is a Madison, Wisconsin based artist and educator. She maintains a studio practice making commission furniture, work for online sales, and fantastic genre challenging sculpture dealing with the intersecting flight patterns of the histories of trade, hybridity, materiality, queer theory, and the natural world. On Episode 21 of Why Make? we discuss her fascinating 2018 show at the V...

Straight from the editing room workbench we are continuing with our newest feature in the Why Make? @whymakepod world... Bonus Make! These are pieces and parts from our initial conversation with Adrien Segal @adriensegal that didn’t make the final cut of Episode 19 but still make for some very compelling discussion about her life and artwork. Please enjoy Episode 20, our second Bonus Make! We talk...

Artist and “data” sculptor Adrien Segal creates evocative work, in her Oakland, Ca studio, based on both the natural and human driven changes in our world. Whether she is graphing the tidal changes of the historic Sutro Baths in San Francisco to create the table-like Tidal Dadum series or reinterpreting fire progression chart data to elegantly display the fearsome power of forest fires in southern...

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As a new element of the Why Make podcast, we are going to occasionally release snippets are our conversations with makers that for some reason or other ended up on the editing room floor but still make for a compelling discussion. We are calling these episodes Bonus Make, so please enjoy our first Bonus Make episode with Jason Schneider our guest in episode 16 as he talks about his current work.

Please help support the podcast by becoming a patron on our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/whymakepodcast

Please help support the podcast by becoming a patron on our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/whymakepodcast

https://www.patreon.com/whymakepodcast

Our introduction to the 2020 season of Why Make. Robb and Erik talk about whats new for 2020 including our new Patreon page to help fund production of the podcast, upcoming guests and of course life in these strange times of the corona virus and our new remote podcasting platform Squadcast. We also share our thoughts on our first season of Why Make and what worked and what didn’t.

A continuation of our wonderful conversation with wood turning luminary David Ellsworth. In this episode David talks about his transition from working in clay and resin to woodturning and creating functional objects and doing trade shows to focusing on one of a kind pieces and the art scene. Needles to say we spend some time discussing the whole art vs. craft dichotomy.

Part 1 of our conversation with woodturning luminary David Ellsworth. We discuss his origins as a sculptor working first polyester resin and then clay before become a woodturner and then get into a lively discussion of the nature of art vs. craft and his philosophy as a teacher.

It’s a host on host free for all! Well, no... it’s actually just a gritty and sticky conversation between two sawdust hogs. Robb Helmkamp takes the rare chance to interview Erik Wolken, his brother from another mother, in his studio in beautiful Chapel Hill, NC. In Episode 10 of Why Make? Erik talks about school, banging boxes, cartography, inspiration, restlessness and his transition from furnitu...

Trained as an industrial designer in San Francisco and then discovering a passion for furniture and getting a MFA at the School of American Craftsmen at RIT, we discuss with the Joel his journey and influences to ultimately creating figurative sculpture and wall hung assemblages.

With a career spanning close to 40 years and one of the first graduates of the program in production crafts at Haywood Community College, David gives us some practical insight into what it takes to make a career as an independent craftsperson

A revealing and heartfelt conversation with Canton, North Carolina woodworker and maker, Susan Link. After growing up in Brevard, NC and attending the Professional Crafts: Wood program at Haywood Community College in 2004, Susan has made a life for herself designing and building furniture in Western North Carolina. Susan talks with Erik and Robb about the importance of her community & friends, ded...

From growing up in rural western North Carolina to living in Costa Rica after high school and then venturing out west to attend the renowned woodworking program at the College of the Redwoods to life in his own shop and finally director of Grovewood Galllery in Asheville , Russell describes an interesting path as a maker