Cut the Craft

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Recorded June 6, 2023. William Deresiewicz is a non-fiction writer whose work includes The End of Solitude , Excellent Sheep , and A Jane Austin Education. In this episode he speaks with us about his book The Death of the Artist: How Creators are Struggling to Survive in the age of Billionaires and Big Tech. Over the course of our conversation Bill gives us a synopsis of the book and highlights different factors that have resulted in the current marketplace for creatives. He includes the new formation of “parasocial relationships” with fans and customers that are a part of selling creative work and acknowledges the death of institutional gatekeepers, which is a double edged sword. This interview is one you will not want to miss. To find more of Bills’s work visit: https://billderesiewicz.com/ Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Recorded May 8, 2023. Kyle Tallio, from Nuxalk and Hailzaqu Nations, makes Northwest Coast Art primarily out of Prince Rupert in Canada. Kyle focuses primarily on wood carvings that are used traditionally: masks, spoons, bowls, and boxes. He comes from a family of artists and started out his creative pursuits in two dimensional work. As his carving has progressed he has gleaned inspiration from the traditional principles of Northwest Coast Art but is settling into his own style. Kyle highlights the importance of actively creating community relationships as well as a generous mindset. He also touches on the tough conversations around museum collections and Indigenous art, the truth behind those acquisitions and the nuanced perspectives involved. To find more of Kyle’s work visit: Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery , Inuit Gallery of Vancouver , Lattimer Gallery , Instagram: @kyletallio . Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Recorded April 18, 2023. Addison de Lisle is a metalsmith who primarily focuses on non-ferrous metals but with a very eclectic range of forms. Within his breadth of interests, Addison makes an effort to set himself a few parameters; his work is metal, should at least hint at utility, and shouldn’t shy away from conceptual ideas. In other words, he’s free to explore! During the course of our conversation he shares the view that craftspeople are alchemists who are a bridge between nature and culture, that new processes such as 3D printing have a place in craft and how his experiences at craft schools have influenced his career. To find more of Addison’s work visit his website: www.addisondelisle.com , Instagram: @de_lisle_iron . Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Recorded March 20, 2023. Kathryn Sullivan is a woodworker who focuses on restoration and conservation. Over the course of our conversation Kathryn highlights the importance of communication with their clients. Learning more about what a piece will be used for and the client's motivation for Kathryn's services informs how they will approach the restoration process. We also dig into the series of choices Kathryn made that brought them to restoration and how their academic background helps inform their work. They have a unique perspective around our material culture and its role in cultural heritage that you will not want to miss. To find more of Kathryn’s work visit their website: www.kathrynsullivanrestoration.com , Instagram: @ksullivanrestoration , TikTok @queercusstellata , LA Conservators: www.laconservators.com Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Recorded March 13, 2023. Robell Awake is a furniture maker based in Atlanta Georgia. He has a background in the trades, but has dedicated his current efforts in ladderback chair making and green woodworking. Along with making the furniture itself, Robell has researched the true origins of the Poynor chair; a mule-eared, curve-backed ladderback chair designed by one of the most prolific Black furniture makers in the 19th Century; Richard Poyner. Robell’s research has led him toward combating the erasures of black craftspeople in the United States with his own work and also educating others in the field to set the historic record straight. To find more of Robell’s work visit his website: www.robellawake.com , Instagram: @robellawake Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Recorded February 6, 2023. Gabriela Marván is a cartonera living and working in Wisconsin. Cartonería is a paper sculpture technique that has roots in the beginning of colonialism in Mexico. The Catholic Church used sculptures to communicate its doctrine with indigenous people but now the technique is used during celebrations and folk art of all kinds. Gabriela specializes in Day of the Dead decorations and loves the artistic flexibility that comes along with designing Catrina’s (the iconic elegantly dressed skeleton figure). It’s become a way to remember the busy mercados in Mexico and build up her local community celebrations at the same time. She finds a lot of fulfillment in the festival, food, and music but most importantly through educating people through her vibrant sculpture. To find more of Gabriela’s work visit her website: www.folkartcollective.com , Instagram: @poshemx , @folkartcollective Photo credit for the banner: Hanna Agar Photography Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Recorded January 2, 2023. French bookbinder Louise Bescond is couched within the multifaceted world of bookbinding. She describes her niche as bookbinding “haute couture,” but despite her exacting eye, she acknowledges the moving bar of perfection in her professional life. Admittedly not a bookbinding historian, Louise gives us a sense of the historical context for these bindings, as well as an overview of the variety of specialized craftspeople within the field that emphasizes the collaborative nature of her own work and all the people who help make her books special. To find more of Louise’s work visit her website: http://www.louisebescond.eu/ and Instagram: @louise.bescond . Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Recorded December 12, 2022. Letterpress printer and designer Ben Blount believes in the power of the printed word. He uses design as a way to communicate, motivate, tell stories, and record histories. He uses the printed word as a vehicle for conversations ranging from race and identity to stories we tell ourselves. Ben loves to highlight nuance and use the intricacies of larger cultural contexts to create catalysts for questions and new conversations. To find more of Ben’s work visit his website: http://benblount.com/ and Instagram: @blountben Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Recorded November 7, 2022. Jögge Sundqvist is a slöjdaire from Umeå Sweden. As a multi-talented woodworker he’s made everything ranging from butter knives to theater entrances. During this episode, Jögge helps us clear up the definition of slöjd and its cultural roots. Technically speaking the word means being “clever in your hands”, but Jögge also gives the term a wider context and shares how it applies to his own understanding of craft. He elaborates on the connection between the rhythm in woodworking and music, and in the past created a touring musical show with Beth Moen (a fellow woodworker) and others exploring that abstract link. Jögge also makes a point to share how joy guides his work and inspires him to work directly with the material; it’s a collaboration between his personal expression, tools, folk art tradition, and the wood itself. To find more of Jögge’s work visit his website: www.surolle.se , Instagram: @surolle and check out his books at Lost Art Press . Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Recorded September 19, 2022. Dr. Esra Alhamal creates illuminated paintings and works out of England. In this episode, she clears up the language surrounding biomorphic patterns and the western idea of Islamic Art. Instead, Esra promotes the Arabic word Nabati; meaning “from plant” to describe the organic curvy patterns she uses to create illuminated paintings. She guides us through regional differences in the stylized visual patterns and talks about her own process as she creates different pieces. She teaches illumination, has her own paint company, and publishes a podcast about art, but still finds time to relax with the repetition of her own practice. As she says, it’s nice to have a goal but being true to your creative self leads to satisfaction. Clarification: Esra was referring to two different books. Richard Sennet’s “The Craftsman” and Peter Korn’s “Why we make things and why it matters” To find more of Esra’s work visit her website: https://www.islamicillumination.com/ , or bristleandbrush.co.uk , and listen to her Podcast: https://www.islamicillumination.com/podcast Instagram: @artilluminatedpodcast , and @islamicillumination Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Recorded July 25, 2022. Ceramic artist David “Swen” Swenson creates his utilitarian wares in Clearwater, Minnesota. His work is a cacophony of design elements and motifs that fit together like quilt pieces. Swen draws inspiration from a variety of places, from ancient pottery in museums to art history, but always manages to work his own narrative into his pieces. He gives credit to his dyslexia for his spatial acumen, and also for understanding how students learn in different ways when he’s teaching. As an artist, he remains flexible while he brings many elements together into something that remains playful and is a joy to use. To find more of Swen’s work visit his website: https://swenwares.wixsite.com/swenwares , or his Instagram @swenwares . Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Recorded April 25, 2022. Episode contains some language. Textile Artist and surface designer Aliyah Salmon has had a recent breakthrough with her large hand-tufted wall hangings. The opportunity came quickly to start working with tufting during the pandemic and she’s taken the opportunity in stride as she builds her work and creates larger contemporary yarn paintings. Aliyah offers a fresh perspective on building a vocabulary of motifs and the complex meaning behind the images she hand-tufts. She is truly synthesizing her observations and making sense of them through her artistic process as she uses yarn, an approachable material to spark conversation about uncomfortable topics. To find more of Aliyah’s work visit her website: https://www.aliyahsalmon.com/ , Instagram @tyrabanks_official , and TikTok @aliyahsalmon . Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Recorded May 2, 2022. Bladesmith Andrew Meers focuses his creative practice on making a variety of knives. Most of his knives are heavily embellished art and are not strictly utilitarian. Conversely, he also sometimes makes batches of kitchen knives. Andrew often incorporates story and narrative themes to his work, especially in his decorative inlay which includes anything from a leaping fox to a bee pollinating a flower. His relationship to his work has changed overtime, and he notes that it seems paradoxical: sometimes freeing, sometimes constraining. He also points out his need for balance when incorporating automated machine systems and wonders where the line is formed around his creative work within those processes; a question many craftspeople grapple with in their own work. To find more of Andew’s work visit his website: https://www.andrewmeersstudio.com/ , Instagram @mr.meers , Facebook: Andrew Meers. Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Recorded April 18, 2022. Soapmaker Andrea Davis is the owner of Motherland Essentials in South Carolina. She focuses on cold process soapmaking and loves the interplay between art and science that soapmaking allows. During our interview she guides us along her path into soapmaking: from a traumatizing situation in the corporate world to how she relied on creativity to help the healing process as she dealt with personal loss. She is making more than nourishing skin and body products; Andrea is resting healing spaces and community with her craft in direct contrast to her previous career. To find more of Andrea’s work visit her website: https://www.motherlandessentials.com/ , Instagram + Facebook + TikTok + Pinterest @motherlandessentials , Twitter @motheressential , Support the show

Recorded March 28, 2022. Blacksmith Caitlin Morris is the founder of Ms. Caitlin’s School of Blacksmithing in Frederick, Maryland, and “is dedicated to sharing the craft with as many unsuspecting people as possible!” Caitlin is a dedicated teacher who learned the perils and triumphs associated with learning when she first started her craft. As a smaller-built person, she noticed the difference between technical nuance and brute strength. She learned how to get the results she wanted by breaking down body mechanics to make blacksmithing accessible to anyone and everyone who was interested. During our conversation, she underlines the importance of allowing for failure and the ways in which risk and certainty inform the processes involved in being a successful craftsperson. Caitlin’s ability to observe her students and teach to their skill level is a fantastic example of the craft of teaching itself. To find more of Caitlin’s work visit her website: Ms. Caitlins School of Blacksmithing , Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mscaitlinsschool Instagram @mscaitlinsschool , and Youtube: Ms Caitlin https://youtu.be/hIw8J9h55_I Society for Inclusive Blacksmiths Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Recorded April 4, 2022. Ceramicist Makeda Smith took a leap of faith during 2020 to start her own business. She had dabbled in ceramics in college, but when a friend saw her talent and encouraged her to take her creative side more seriously, she decided to accept the challenge. The acknowledgement and support she received from her community culminated in her own home art show called Funktion. From then on, Makeda was hooked. Since then she’s opened a storefront, and was able (with the blessing of her students) to leave her teaching career and become a full-time small business owner. Makeda has so many wonderfully encouraging things to say in this episode. Do not miss the chance to hear them; she’ll brighten your day and change your perspective. To find more of Makeda’s work visit her website: www.sioceramics.com and Instagram @sioceramics and her storefront at 716 Monroe Street NE Studio 11, Washington DC . Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Episode Recorded February 28, 2022. Jesse Merrill is a craft baker and greenwood worker/turner from Ontario Canada. He has his feet in two areas of craft. Running Polestar Hearth Bakery supports his family through the planned obsolescence of bread baking which gives him room to delve heart first into green woodworking and turning. During this conversation we talk about craft vs. industry and where those lines are drawn. We elaborate on how we all manage our perfectionism and how loosening up our grip is something very personal, and how it affects various aspects of creativity. Join us Tuesday for more of this introspective conversation! To find more of Jesse’s work visit his website: www.polestarhearth.com Instagram @sapwood.and.stars , @polestarhearth Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Episode Recorded February 21, 2022. Eleanor Rose is a craft-based sculpture artist, and toolmaker currently based in Pennsylvania. During our conversation, she shares how she started making tools; she didn’t have access to what she needed during her undergraduate studies, so she made them herself! Our candid conversation floats in and out of the undefinable nature of some of Eleanor's work- going back and forth between a more craft based approach to tool-making and the heady conceptual nature of her woodworking collaborations with her partner-in-craft, Stacy Mott. Eleanor also shines a light on personal breakthroughs, her experience as a trans woman and how she wants to help other folks who share the struggles and gate-keeping she faced in undergrad and grad school. Join us Tuesday for this important conversation! To find more of Eleanor’s work visit her website: http://www.ladieswhoblank.com/ Instagram @ladieswho______ , @off_artisan , @stacy.mott.art , @trans_craft_soc. Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! GreenWood Wright’s Fest Festival Tickets! Support the show

Episode Recorded February 7, 2022. Mikko Snellman specializes in knot tying and ropemaking and comes from a long line of sailors in Finland. During our conversation, he shares the important place cordage has in human history and how it helps us today. Personally, he grew up tying knots and was familiar with ropework from sailing with his father, but as he grew older he stepped into craftwork at a cabinetry shop where he learned that handcraft is not a series of tricks but a mindset. Later, as life crumbled around him, he remembered that he could help himself by the repetitive motions of tying knots and has not stopped since. He shares his work with people all around the globe and the lessons learned by entering into the meditative world of fancy knotwork. To find more of Mikko’s work visit his website: www.snellman.ax , his Instagram page @mikkosnellman , his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/mikkosnellman , his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MSnellmanRopeworks2 and his Ropeworks community on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ropeworksgroup . Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! GreenWood Wright’s Fest Festival Tickets! Support the show

Episode Recorded February 2, 2022. Gabriel Frey is a 13th generation Wabanaki basketmaker from the Dawnland. During our conversation Gabriel shares the importance of indigenous land stewardship and the role basket weaving has as a vehicle for cultural transmission. He shares the historical importance basket weaving has in preserving indigenous agency, especially in the time where Wabanaki territory was stolen, sold and repackaged as compliance rations. In spite of that trauma, basket weaving has helped preserve Wabanaki culture and its importance shines through Gabriel’s work. To find more of Gabriel’s work visit his website: www.gabrielfreybaskets.com , and on Instagram @gabrielfreybasketmaker . Visit him at the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance , Santa Fe Indian Market , and buy his book, “The First Blade of Sweetgrass,” at your local bookstore, bookshop.org , or the online corporation which shall not be named but rhymes with shamazon. Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Episode Recorded February 1, 2022. Sreeraghavi Mani is a textile origamist working out of New Jersey who has a background in design and textiles. She talks about how she has shifted her perspective from an industrial model to a personal relationship with craft. During the lockdowns, she recognized the meditative process of handcraft flowing through her and focused it on folding textiles. While she was in the process she felt calm and it helped her respond to the trauma. The result has been an amazing manifestation of her spiritual philosophy through handcraft itself, as she folded a garment for Three Asfour for their 2021 collection, Kundalini, for the New York Fashion Week! Rāghavi’s Mentors: Debojyoti Ganguly, her professors at Parsons: Gabriel Asfour and Preeti Gopinath. To find more of Rāghavi’s work visit her website: Pensive Penning and her Instagram accounts pensive_penning and mo.ksha_06 . Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Episode Recorded November 22, 2021. Reid Schwartz is a knife maker from rural New Hampshire and throughout his career as a hand-tool maker, he has settled into a solid understanding of why he is making tools and the feedback loops he is involved in as a ‘one-person’ scaled business. He’s become more and more involved in sourcing local materials for his work and is integrating rural living, interactions with community and the land into his life as a maker. He’s also become involved in understanding more about the human element in land conservation and is inspired by first nations community members and makers worldwide. Join us for this thoughtful conversation with Reid! To find more of Reid’s work visit his website: https://www.reidschwartz.net/ or his Instagram feed @reidschwartz . Reid’s Mentor: Jean-José Tritz Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Episode Recorded November 20, 2021. Shoemaking chose Amara and not the other way around. Following an accident while working on her MFA thesis, Amara recalibrated her body and mind with a shoemaking class. After winnowing her courses down to that class, she subsequently built her thesis around shoes “that forced the body of the wearer into positions that she was dealing with." Although this is an important part of her story, Amara is more interested in her work speaking for itself than anything else. Do the shoes fit and stay comfortable? Are they functioning as designed? Answering those important questions to the best of her ability is her goal. To find more of Amara’s work visit her website: https://www.harkweberstudio.com/ and on Instagram @harkweberstudio . Or in St. Paul, Minnesota! Amara’s Mentors: D.W. Frommer , Janne Melkersson , Marcell Mrsan Help keep the podcast alive! Visit our Patreon , pick up some Merch , or make a one time donation ! Listeners make it all possible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Support the show

Episode Recorded October 18, 2021. Kiko Denzer deftly mixes clay, food, and carving together with a dash of philosophy to bake in the fires of this next conversation. It’s a departure from our typical format, but Kiko has a welcomed perspective of craft and lifeways that doesn’t often show up in the craft world. He has spent most of his life teaching others how to build earth ovens, creating sustainable buildings and publishing books. Throughout the show we visit the role of craft in everyday life, the value of investing in one's local community, and most importantly, how we’re all just walking bellies. To find more of Kiko’s work visit his website: https://www.handprintpress.com/ and on Instagram @kikodenzer and @earth.oven Cræftspeople Kiko admires: Martin Prechtel ( floweringmountain.com , many titles, first one is Secrets of the Talking Jaguar -- all his stories bridge the many gaps between indigenous origins and modern dilemmas. A good starting place is this interview: Saving The Indigenous Soul ) Betty Seaman ( unintentional community, gardens, natural building, wonderful craft & art work of many kinds, including martial arts (she built a dojo for her spouse @muhudojo ) Nate Johnson (crafts) Robin Wood , Wood Tools (craft business/community in Sheffield, UK, ala Bernard Leach) Russell Sparks and Redbird (skills, hunting, community, events -- co-coordinators of The Buckeye Gathering ) Tamara Wilder (paleotechnics) Stephen Edholm (skill cult) Tending the Wild by Kat Anderson Deanne Bednar (natural building) Emily Reynolds (studying/practicing plastering in Japan) Kyle Holzhueter (plasters/permaculture) Angela Francis (natural building) Esther Gokhale , posture and craft, "primitive posture," addressing physical demands of craft Ananda Coomaraswamy , esp. Christian and Oriental Philosophy of Art The Hand-Sculpted House , by Ianto Evans, Michael Smith, and Linda Smiley Morihei Ueshiba , founder of Aikido Support the show