What tools and resources do communities need to live apart from the rest of society? How might their crafts manifest their ideals or support their utopian endeavors? In 1516, the philosopher and statesman Sir Thomas More introduced a new word to the English language when he published his book Utopia, describing a fictional ideal society on an island in the Atlantic Ocean. Derived from the Greek words ou (“no” or “not”) and topos (“place”), utopia literally means “not a place.”
Read MoreThere are so many ways to describe the act of repairing something: to restore, reconstruct, rebuild, fix, mend, darn, patch, conserve, and heal, to name just a few. And there are nearly as many philosophies of repair that guide the professionals who bring objects back to life. The right approach depends on what the object is, where it lives, and who has been tasked with its care.
Read MoreThe cover of the July 1952 issue of House Beautiful featured a sunlit wooden table laid with Heath Ceramics dinnerware in earth tones and pale blues, each place setting with its own small covered dish promising something savory under the lid. Waves crashed in the background. It remains an ideal scene of California entertaining, something that Edith Heath was passionate about promoting and shaping throughout her career.
Read MoreIf you tour the design studios of a major car company, you might expect to see lots of glowing screens and high-tech equipment giving shape to the vehicles of tomorrow. What you might not expect, however, is to come across a large curved form with the unmistakable craggy surface of clay being smoothed over by a pair of hands and a smoothing tool. But even in 2020, that’s just what you’ll find: sculptors working on precisely formed life-sized models of new cars – in clay.
Read MoreAmerican homes are hotbeds of creativity, and not just because artists and makers often convert their basements and garages into studios. Reality and educational TV, including streaming content, YouTube, and even social media, offer viewers practical instruction alongside something perhaps even more valuable: a taste of the discourse around different kinds of making from professionals in different fields.
Read MoreWhat if you have an idea for an artwork inspired by Wedgwood ceramics, but you want to make it with paper pulp? Or if you know how to sculpt in clay, but want to make a fishbowl in glass? What if you dream of crafting pillows in porcelain? Artist residencies often attract medium-specific makers who want to spend time doing exactly what they do best, perhaps teaching workshops or giving demonstrations. But what about artists who want to explore something they’re not an expert in?
Read MoreWharton Esherick’s name looms large in Philadelphia. The famed sculptor and woodworker (1887 – 1970) was born there and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. His studio in nearby Paoli is now the site of the Wharton Esherick Museum, home to what is undoubtedly the most famous spiral staircase in Pennsylvania – a feature that he designed and built himself.
Read MoreWhen Mexican puppeteer Sofía Padilla met Davey T. Steinman, a performance artist who hails from Minnesota, while volunteering at Vermont’s celebrated Bread and Puppet Theater in 2015, they were right in the thick of it, Padilla says, “stomping on clay and doing papier mâché for a 10-foot-long puppet hand.” Perhaps they didn’t realize it then – with glue on their hands and clay on their feet – but that initial collaboration would soon blossom into a romantic partnership and the formation of their own touring puppet theater, Paradox Teatro.
Read MoreWhen Sonya Clark and the team at the Philadelphia’s Fabric Workshop and Museum were putting the final touches on the installation of her exhibition “Monumental Cloth, The Flag We Should Know,” it became clear that the gallery space – which houses an array of works made from subdued white textiles – needed a bit of vivid color.
Read MoreOn October 15, 2008, 27 prominent American ceramic artists unveiled a diverse group of cups, plates and other pots called "Obamaware" as a fund-raiser for Barack Obama's presidential campaign [figure 1]. It was a great idea-a convergence of the handmade aesthetic beloved by progressive Americans, a "green" object you can use over and over, and a way to support the arts during difficult economic times. What better way to support the candidate for change?
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