American Craft December/January 2018

reality bites

IT WAS ALREADY NOT MY favorite morning. I was running late, traffic was awful, and I’d had a little spat with my sweet husband. As I entered my office, the phone rang, and the woman on the other end unleashed her anger about our August/September issue. “Why did it have to be so political?” she yelled. “That’s not craft!” Our team had anticipated a little blowback; after all, the issue included an essay on racial tokenism, a story on a museum that caters to immigrants, an artist who helps protesters print giant banners, and a story on the pussyhat-knitting movement that swept the country after the 2016 election. My caller was particularly livid about that last story. “Who are these vile women,” she fumed, “and why do they have to talk that…

to the editor

No Politics Allowed? THE AUGUST/SEPTEMBER issue of American Craft echoes closely the social messages I found off-putting in your first issue of American Craft Inquiry. I will wait patiently to see if indeed you continue on this course. What has happened at ACC? Why is it that you need to take craft into the “social help” world we are already inundated with elsewhere? Why do you think this is necessary and appropriate for an organization that supposedly supports craft? I truly hope you don’t ignore this concern, because I’m not alone in my feelings about this. Please do not destroy your previously excellent magazine. ~Bob Weston via email Wonder: Pass it On I LOVE EPHEMERAL ART [“Ephemeral is Beautiful,” Jun./Jul.]. It’s so serendipitous to come across while wandering. It’s fun to leave behind you, too –…

voices

THE FIELD OF CRAFT is evolving as makers integrate various computer-aided design systems into their creative practice. This inclusion of digital options enhances skill, extends the touch of the hand, and expands visual and conceptual vocabularies. With sensitivity for personal, cultural, and environmental values, the search for meaning and beauty through craft media will remain vital. ~JANICE LESSMAN-MOSS, professor and head of textile arts, Kent State University, Kent, OH DURING PERIODS OF ECO-nomic or environmental pressure, craft always grows and evolves by necessity. Political and technological threats to the field will always give rise to an eventual backlash. If we make intelligent and enlightened choices for our future, then our politics, technology, and the environment will be the most powerful means by which we further our endeavors in craft. Either way, the…

aurélie guillaume

AURÉLIE GUILLAUME’S ENAMEL creations sport offbeat titles and curious characters, but color – bright and glossy – is the first thing you notice. Take Honey Dog, a brooch of an abstracted animal in tans and browns with a rim of light blue. The juxtaposed shades play off each other, strengthening the effect; the coolness and light of one spot enhances its warmer, earthier neighbor. Guillaume often achieves her remarkable colors with cloisonné, a technique that involves applying silver wires onto a sheet of copper, using a layer of transparent vitreous enam - el in between. To reduce the weight of her larger pieces, Guillaume has recently begun using another technique, cutting shapes out of preenameled steel and painting li quid enamels directly onto the lightweight surfaces. “This process is much faster.…

makwa studio

WHAT’S THE KEY TO RUNNING a business while maintaining an art practice? “I pretty much work seven days a week,” says designer and fiber artist Maggie Thompson. And there’s a good reason: The 28-year-old not only machine-knits cowls, hats, and scarves for Makwa Studio in vibrant patterns influenced by her Ojibwe heritage, she also manages Two Rivers Gallery in her hometown of Minneapolis, dedicated to nurturing the careers of emerging Native artists. Plus she creates concept-driven work exploring contemporary Native identity, and she recently finished a multiyear collaborative project, designing, sewing, and overseeing production of a 4,000-square-foot quilt for an all-night outdoor performance. It sounds like a lot, but as a young maker, Thompson has a hard time saying no to opportunities. It helps that each of these demanding roles –…

homemakers

When eco-friendly print line Kei & Molly Textiles took off, owners Kei Tsuzuki and Molly Luethi shared their success by hiring refugees living in the shop’s Albu querque, New Mexico, neighborhood. Their original hand-printed designs celebrating home and com munity are available on an assortment of household wares, including dish towels, compostable sponge cloths, napkins, and pillow covers. keiandmolly.com Swoon Living’s handblown Optic Twist glasses may look topsy-turvy, but Chicago maker Patrick Fitz patrick’s deft design keeps them from spilling. And ideally, those who spend an evening sipping from them won’t topple over either. swoonliving.com L&M Studio ceramists Meg Oliver and Lucie Piedra create porcelain homes for all types of living things in their Hudson Valley workshop. Some, such as their Basket Bird Feeders, are equally well suited for foliage and fowl.…