American - Craft - 2013 12 2014 01.bak

americancragmag.
org
december / january 2014
Nathalie
Miebach
translates
weather
data into
wondrous
sculptures
Guide to
Portlands
Makers
Super
Realistic
Cheeto
Mosaic
New
Orleans
Co-op
Gallery

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08
From the Editor
Why we need craft now.
010
Letters
Readers chime in.
016
Zoom
John Souters seductive ceramics
and glass artist Amber Marshalls
savvy evolution. Plus: New
Orleans RHINO Gallery co-op,
three new books on artistic lives,
advice for young artists from
Robert Lee Morris, and readers
describe their most memorable
educational experiences. And
never fear: Weve got you cov-
ered with spectacular goods and
shows to see this holiday season.
036
Collective Unconscious
Books are powerful symbols
of language and learning
and lusciously tactile objects
in their own right. Julie
K. Hanus spots a group
of artists who dont judge
anything by its cover.
038
Personal Paths
Ronan Peterson grew up in
the North Carolina mountains,
immersed in the rhythms and
abundant beauty of the seasons.
Today, Peterson translates
growth and decay in his sur -
faces with a working
style that remains
decidedly down
to earth. Diane
Daniel pays
him a visit.
040
Material Matters
Would you like some Twinkies
with that? Mosaic artist Jim
Bachor is your man, mixing all
manner of unusual materials
and wry messages into his work.
Joyce Lovelace reports.
084
Wide World of Craft
Portland, Oregons collabora-
tive culture makes it an excep-
tional incubator for creative
and crafty enterprises. Carolyn
Hazel Drake takes us on a tour
of the town.
092
Ideas
Should craft education abandon
its focus on materials in favor
of an emphasis on design?
American Craft Council direc-
tor of education Perry A. Price
ponders the question.
096
One Piece
Taking her cues from the intui-
tive drawing her children used
to do, Anna Torma remakes an
embroidered wall piece that
was lost 20 years ago.
On the cover:
Nathalie Miebachs
Andrea Gail (2011),
a sculpture made
of reed, wood, and
weather data.
Photo: Nathalie Miebach
page 072
Departments
Amber Marshall
Dappled vases, 2012,
acid-etched glass,
left: 20 x 11 x 6 in.
right: 7.5 x 5 x 3.5 in.
page 018

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Vol. 73, No. 6
December/January 2014
Published by the
American Craft Council
www.craftcouncil.org

044 / crafted lives
Please Touch the Art
At Catalina Diez and Juan Carlos
Ortizs home, midcentury mod-
ern furniture cozies up to folk art
and pieces by emerging artists
all of it touched, used, lived with,
and loved. Joann Plockov talks
to the Miami couple.
050
The Alchemist
Last summer, Agelio Batle,
known for his unusual mastery
of graphite, turned to another
unlikely material, taking up
with opaque plastic milk con-
tainers during his tenure with
his family at the Workshop
Residence in San Francisco.
Deborah Bishop has the story.
058
It All Adds Up
Hilary Pfeifers mixed-media
works are cheeky, cheerful
menageries, incorporating mul-
tiple elements as well as sly
and serious themes. Elizabeth
Rusch talks to the Portland,
Oregon-based artist about life
as a craft-inuenced sculptor.
064
Industrial Strength
As a craftsman and an artist,
Stephen Yusko excels in the
realm of details, from the metic-
ulous handwork evident in his
metal creations to the analytical
athleticism of his design process.
Joyce Lovelace reports.
072
Composing Chaos
With skills honed studying bas-
ketry, Boston-based Nathalie
Miebach takes scientic data
and explodes it into three dimen-
sions. Joyce Lovelace catches
up with the artist, whose work
tests the boundaries between
scientic research and aesthetic
expression.
Im trying
to invest found
material with
a craftsmans
aesthetic.
stephen yusko,
metal artist
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Stephen Yusko
Blue Box: Beacon, 2011,
forged and fabricated
steel, 7.5 x 3.75 x 3 in.
page 064
Features

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heres one of those ques-
tions I get from casual readers
of this magazine: Whats the
difference between art and craft?
How do I answer? Well,
I say, the lines are blurry, but
craft has a legacy of functional-
ity. And mastery of material
tends to be more central to craft
than it is to art. Finally, I offer,
most craft is in three dimensions,
while art is often in two.
That last quality, in particu-
lar, sets apart the work in this
magazine. We dont cover paint-
ings and photography, generally
speaking. Almost none of the
work in these pages hangs at on
the wall. The work we show is
dimensional. It wants to be seen,
yes, but it begs to be touched.
It calls out to the hand.
And thats true for both view-
er and maker. Take the ceramic
work of emerging artist John
Souter, for example (page 16).
Part of its appeal is its visual
form and use of color, sure.
But to appreciate it is to want
to run your hands over the
matte surfaces made nubby by
multiple rings, and the con-
trasting sleek, shiny spans.
And how does Souter work?
By pulling this color out and
making it a tangible thing, shap-
ing it and forming it, he says.
You can imagine his dexterous
hands at work touching,
manipulating, handling.
The same is true of cover
artist Nathalie Miebach (page
72). What Miebach does in all
her work, writes contributing
editor Joyce Lovelace, is take
scientic data and render it in
tactile, three-dimensional form.
Part of what makes Miebachs
work so interesting is the riot
of different textures unleashed
by her materials: reeds, wood,
bamboo, plastic, paper.
Yet what fascinates me is that
not everyone nds such tactility
appealing. In fact, throughout
history, art works distinguished
by their physicality have often
been less valued.
Why? In part, we can thank
(or blame) Aristotle, who viewed
sight as the noblest sense
followed by hearing, smell, and
taste, with humble touch at the
bottom. His thinking permeates
the cultural ideals of Western
civilization and our inherited
ideas about art and craft.
David Howes, an anthro-
pologist at Concordia Univer-
sity in Montreal, argues that the
long-held primacy of sight over
the other senses has made art
more prestigious than craft.
The privileging of vision in
turn informs the ranking of
painting given its association
with the eye as the nest of
the arts, he says, and basketry
along with all the other so-called
handicrafts, as belonging to the
opposite, manual (read: crude)
end of the value spectrum.
No wonder theres an aura
around conceptual art; it sounds
so brainy, so untainted by the
body and our animal heritage.
No wonder theres a stigma
attached to manual labor.
Yet the question of whats
for the eye and whats for the
The Perennial Question
Monica Moses
Editor in Chief
hand what is art and what
is craft seems less relevant
today. And maybe touch mat-
ters more than ever. Maybe our
hands yearn for the textures of
Souter and the wild dimension-
ality of Miebach because today
they so often go unfullled.
Consider how much time most
of us spend with handheld elec-
tronic devices, with their slick,
smooth, unreal surfaces. They
may have touch screens, but
they are without texture.
We need what weve tradi-
tionally called art. But we also
need craft, with its multi-sensory
aesthetic. We need to feel.
So, with apologies to Aristo-
tle, far from seeing craft as less
than art, I see it as more. Some-
thing to look at, yes but so
much more.
Nathalie Miebachs
Antarctic Explorer
Darkness to Lightness
(2007). Each weave
in this data-driven
work represents one
hour in Antarc ticas
transition from
complete darkness
in midsummer to 24
hours of daylight
in midwinter.
John Souters The
Tunnel (2013), with
detail. The artist repeat-
edly res his work to
create distinctive tex-
tured surfaces.
from the editor
08 american craft dec/jan 14

editorial
Monica Moses
Editor in Chief
mmoses@craftcouncil.org
Julie K. Hanus
Senior Editor
jhanus@craftcouncil.org
Mary K. Baumann
Will Hopkins
Creative Directors
Andrew Zoellner
Assistant Editor
azoellner@craftcouncil.org
Judy Arginteanu
Copy Editor
Joyce Lovelace
Contributing Editor
Carlo Apostoli
Designer
Barbara Haugen
Shows Editor
Elizabeth Ryan
Interactive Editor
eryan@craftcouncil.org
John Bell
Calendar Editor
calendar@craftcouncil.org
Quad/Graphics
Printer
www.qg.com
Digilink
Pre-Press
www.digilink-inc.com
publishing
Joanne Smith
Advertising Sales Manager
jsmith@craftcouncil.org
Kathy Pierce
Advertising Coordinator
kpierce@craftcouncil.org
Jim Motrinec
Circulation Director
jim.motrinec@procirc.com
legal
American Craft
(ISSN-0194-8008)
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To
The
Editor
Rural Artisans Get
Short Shrift
I was delighted to see Andrew
Zoellner cover Arkansas for the
October/November edition of
Wide World of Craft. Expecta-
tion was particularly high after
reading the introductory para-
graph, which references the role
of the back-to-the-land move-
ment and craft, a topic on which
I have just received research
funding from the Center for
Craft, Creativity & Design for
my masters thesis. However, I
was quite dismayed at the mostly
urban craft Zoellner chose to
represent the state.
Most glaringly left out was
the town of Mountain View,
which was a vital part of the
back-to-the-land movement;
the birthplace and continued
home of the Arkansas Craft
Guild, founded in 1963 (then
known as the Ozark Foothills
Handicraft Guild, modeled
after the Southern Highland
Craft Guild); and also home
to the Arkansas Craft School,
which offers weekend and
weeklong workshops with
regional and nationally known
craft artisans (arkansascraft
school.org). Many of the resi-
dent craft artisans in Mountain
View continue to practice the
back-to-the-land lifestyle pro-
moted in the opening paragraph
of the article. To leave this
important center for craft history
and continued practice out of
the picture was a huge oversight.
~Terri Van Orman
Executive director,
Arkansas Craft School
Mountain View, AR
A Woman After My Own Heart
This is the rst time Ive read
your magazine and I was imme-
diately hooked by the letter
from the editor [Value Propo-
sition, Oct./Nov.]. I too have
a tiny diamond ring, which I
discovered my husband was
still paying for six months after
we got married. (Mistakenly
found the jewelry store bill and
had to ask!) He did buy me a
bigger diamond for a birthday
one year, but it has never been
on my left hand. The little dia-
mond reminds us where we
started and how far weve come
in the 32 years weve been mar-
ried. And its been one hell of
a journey!
~Chris Austin
Louisville, KY
For the People,
But Not for Everyone?
Rochesters Memorial Art Gal-
lery deserves recognition as it
prepares its Centennial Sculp-
ture Park [Inside Out, Aug./
Sep.]. However, I am among
countless Rochesterians who
nd MAGs selection and dis-
tinct placement of Tom Otter-
ness statues to be indefensible.
My rst glimpse reminded me
of seeing nouveau architecture
in Bratislava, Slovakia, dimin-
ished by the thick gray paint of
Communist domination. Otter-
ness pieces seem similarly
primitive and tasteless, taking
the place of what could have
been inviting and complex.
In Creation Myth, Otterness
seeks to reect the Pygmalion
story, with genders switched.
Now the female is in charge as
she creates the male, an alleged
form of feminism. However, in
the myth, a female is carved to
be exquisitely beautiful. This
supercial creation of a mate,
based solely on appearance, has
no grounding in feminism. It is
a chauvinistic misstep by either
sex. To make matters worse,
the female creator is unskilled:
Otterness says each statue she
creates has got a problem.
And the chisel she holds behind
her back seems a weapon with-
held from his sight. He will con-
form to her will, a violence held
in the balance.
The girth and placement of
these 12- to 13-foot statues makes
them hard to ignore. They can-
not easily be walked away from
and dismissed as a viewer might
leave one exhibition area for
another. Author Sebby Wilson
Jacobson notes they are given
a prime site at the parks busy
corner; even passersby cannot
be spared these obstacles.
Knowing they will remain,
I have tried to believe they are
a stretch of some kind of artistic
deconstructionism that escapes
me. But I can only conclude that
these statues are simplistic, glar-
ing, and chauvinistic. Not only
do they underestimate the intel-
ligence of our community, but
they also eclipse the acquisition
and public placement of edgy,
aesthetically challenging art.
~Valerie McPherson
Rochester, NY
How It Comes Together
The article about Michael
Bauermeister [Of the Land,
Apr./May] was most interest-
ing, but it was difcult to envi-
sion all of his work. Pictures of
his latest line of work at differ-
ent stages of its development
would have enhanced the article.
A video of his work in progress
would have been even more
fascinating. Thoughts from
another woodworker.
~Carol McElvaine via the website
Even More Destinations
Love the list [Craft Road
Trips, Jun./Jul.]. Here are two
more additions in Wisconsin:
the Concrete Park in Phillips
and Sievers School of Fiber
letters

Arts on Washington Island,
which not only is a school but
also a store lled with textiles
and textile-related equipment
and supplies.
~Susan Smith Leschke via
I want to recommend the
Museum of American Glass
in West Virginia. More than
15,000 items of American-made
glass are on display. The museum
publishes a quarterly magazine,
All About Glass, and includes a
library, archives, and a gift shop.
~Kristen Gribble
Baltimore, MD
In the Midwest? Check out
Iowa City, UNESCOs only
City of Literature in the United
States, and home to some stellar
American craft venues (Iowa
Artisans Gallery and AKAR, as
well as Chait Galleries) and the
University of Iowa, which is
famous for its printmaking pro-
grams and ceramics woodring.
Its a concentrated arts scene
where the arts are integral to
the downtown.
~Iowa Artisans Gallery via
Colonial Williamsburg is a
major omission on an otherwise
excellent list.
~Bill Pavlak via
Guys, Youve Got Fans
Good for Geoffrey Keating!
Loved West by Midwest
[Aug./Sep.]. My hubby and I
talk about moving to Colorado
Springs all the time.
~Audra Estes Lay via
We love seeing @American-
Craft focus on Ken and Julie
Girardini [Among Friends,
Aug./Sep.]. Weve been huge
fans for years.
~Artful Home via
Resonating with Readers
So true: Inspiration often
comes from surprising places.
Beautiful saddle leather and
steel furniture [High-Plains
Classic, Aug./Sep.].
~Carolina Designer Craftsmen
Guild via
Recommended Reading
Just spotted this nice writeup
on my book, The Invention
of Craft, Think, Make, Look
[Aug./Sep.], that says it all.
~Glenn Adamson via
How About More Work
in Leather?
I would love to see the work
of some of this countrys most
talented leather crafters and
artists such as Howard Knight,
Al Gould, Bob Klenda, Jesse
Smith, Bob Park, and Don But-
ler. Is this an art form that has
been overlooked by your maga-
zine, or did I miss something?
~Ralph Harmon
Sebastopol, CA
@americancraft
@craftcouncil
facebook.com/americancraftmag
facebook.com/craftcouncil
youtube.com/american craft council
Keep in Touch
Well publish a cross section of your
notes as space permits; they may be edited
for length and clarity.
letters@craftcouncil.org
letters

craftcouncil.org/extras.
the library staff at the
American Craft Council has
been hard at work rounding up
resources for craft enthusiasts.
Want to know which schools
have craft workshops and
courses? What about a direc-
tory of museums that collect
and exhibit contemporary
craft? Thats just a smidgen of
whats available. Plus, check
out a list of top 10 craft resourc-
es beyond the ACC Library.
Now
Online
If the magazine
cant contain your
craving for craft,
head online for
extended stories,
video interviews,
show highlights,
and more at
American Craft
is published by the
nonprot American
Craft Council, which
also presents craft
shows in four cities
each year, offers edu-
cational programming,
and recognizes out-
standing work in the
craft eld through its
awards programs.
for this education-themed
issue, we sought top-notch advice
for creative students about to
embark on their careers and
we found it. Head online to
read jewelry artist Keith Lewis
interview with Apple cofound-
er Steve Wozniak for his take
on grades, true success, and
how to solve the creativity/
career dilemma. Meanwhile,
ip to page 23 for Lewis con-
versation with jeweler Robert
Lee Morris.
in early october, brook-
lyns UrbanGlass opened the
doors at its newly expanded
home in the former Strand
Theatre after undergoing a two-
year, $35 million renovation.
American Crafts editor in chief
Monica Moses checked in with
the organizations new execu-
tive director, Cybele Maylone,
to learn more about the renova-
tion, what people can expect
from the new space, and how
Maylone became interested
in the glass world.
earlier this year, the
Center for Furniture Crafts-
manship in Rockport, Maine,
marked 20 years as a worldwide
destination for woodworkers,
from beginners to veterans.
American Craft assistant editor
Andrew Zoellner caught up with
founder and executive director
Peter Korn (above right) for a
Q&A on the center. Turn to
page 22 for a review of Korns
new book Why We Make Things
and Why It Matters.
ber/mixed-media artist
and ACC Fellow Warren
Seelig was on hand for Some-
thing Old, Something New,
the Cheongju International
Craft Biennale in South Korea
in September and October.
Read his special dispatch from
the event and learn more about
the award winners, including
Heechan Kim and Jiyoung
Chung, who were recently pro-
led in American Craft. The
eighth annual craft competition
had nearly 1,200 participants
from 55 countries.
The New
UrbanGlass
Words
from Woz
Ramping Up
Resources
Warren Seelig:
Reporting from South Korea
Celebration Time
Heechan
Kims
#9 (2012)
Jiyoung Chungs
Whisper-Romance:
The Life (2009)
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web extras

PROMOTION

A timely survey of shows, views, people, and work
On Our Radar
Fired Up
john souters ceramics can, at rst
glance, look like elaborate confections.
Rendered in vivid colors and unexpected
forms, his sculptural porcelain works com-
mand attention and enchanted curiosity, like
rows of sweet treats in a bakery window.
His hallmark technique of multiple r-
ings sometimes up to 20 times is the
icing on the cake. It results in a reticulated
glaze, lending a unique textural element
that begs for a closer look. Some might see
beads of dew, or sweat; others will think of
sponges or nonpareils, even a patch of snow
thats been doused in freezing rain.
For Souter, 24, leaving each piece open
for interpretation is the whole point.
I want them to be ambiguous, he says,
because anything ambiguous is going to
invoke contemplation; its going to remind us
of things. The titles of his works (Cadillac,
for example, or The Yin) hint at his thought
process, but ultimately, its up to each per-
son to decide what the work means: I want
the viewer to see what they want to see.
Souter didnt set out to be an artist,
but his brief foray into the corporate world
he worked part-time at a Philadelphia life
insurance company for a year in college
left him uninspired. He recalled that he
had enjoyed throwing on the wheel during
a brief pottery unit in high school art class,
and got a job at a ceramic supply company,
where he also rented a small studio space.
One thing led to another, he says, and he
wound up transferring to the University
of the Arts.
Chris, 2013,
porcelain, glaze,
6 x 5 x 4 in.
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From One Home
to the Next, 2013,
porcelain, glaze,
4.5 x 5.25 x 3.75 in.

In art school, Souter was intrigued by
color theory and architecture Johannes
Ittens The Art of Color and Chartres Cathe-
dral were among his many inuences and
the ways color and form interact. I became
interested in these color relationships, and
seeing those colors as an object pulling
this color out and making it a tangible thing,
shaping it and forming it.
As he built a foundation in ceramics,
throwing pots and mastering the basics,
he learned about the concept of multiple
rings and became intrigued by its possibili-
ties. I was just tired of looking at brown
pots, brown everything, he says.
As he began experimenting with hand-
building, I was making a lot of mistakes.
Most people, they get upset and they throw
their work away. But thats the most excit-
ing part to me. Its not ruined; its a step in
the process, its unexpected.
To this day, Souter doesnt have a pre-
dictable process. Nor does he have an idea
of what, exactly, he wants each piece to look
like when he starts out, he says. Sometimes
he sketches, sometimes he doesnt. Some-
times he has colors in mind, other times not.
The journey itself is important leaving
room for unexpected twists and turns.
Since graduating from the University of
the Arts in 2012, Souter has been busy: the
work exchange program at Philadelphias
Clay Studio, residencies at the Guldager-
gaard International Ceramic Research Cen-
ter in Denmark and at Anderson Ranch Arts
Center in Colorado, and a solo show his
rst at Snyderman-Works, which repre-
sents him. John was an instant aha!
moment that Ruth and I both had when we
rst saw his work, says Rick Snyderman.
(Ruth Snyderman, his wife, is co-owner,
and founded Works Gallery in 1965.) None
of his pieces have a certain look, but what
they do have is a signature, which is differ-
ent. That distinctiveness is very important,
because its what distinguishes a competent
artist from a potentially great artist.
Hes the best unknown artist youve never
heard of, Snyderman says. But that wont be
for very long. ~danielle maestretti
john-souter.net
Danielle Maestretti is a frequent contributor
to American Craft.
Cadillac, 2013,
porcelain, glaze, poplar,
8 x 11.25 x 7.5 in.
Smitten, 2013,
porcelain, glaze,
6.5 x 4.5 x 4.2 in.
Dream-Spun, 2013,
porcelain, glaze,
6.75 x 5 x 5.5 in.
Jackson, 2013,
porcelain, glaze, enamel, poplar,
5 x 7 x 4.5 in.
The Tower Began to Lean,
2013, porcelain, glaze,
6.5 x 7.25 x 6.5 in.
To My Yang, 2013,
porcelain, glaze, poplar,
9 x 10 x 9 in.
dec/jan 14 american craft 017

sometimes success breeds
its own challenges. By the time
glassblower Amber Marshall
turned 35 last year, she realized
she had hit a crossroads. I felt
like I was sitting in the turn lane,
says the artist, based in Spruce
Pine, North Carolina. I had to
go full time or move on.
Two years before that junc-
ture, she had decided to begin
marketing her work in earnest.
I realized I needed to get seri-
ous about selling my work. For
me, that meant the traditional
craft-show circuit. Marshall
had graduated with a degree
in glass sculpture from Illinois
State University in 2001, moved
back to her hometown of St.
Louis, where she worked as
an assistant to two glass artists,
then became a teacher at Third
Degree Glass Factory. There
she began to develop her line
of vessels and other functional
pieces. Having found her style
and created an inventory, she
tried the shows.
While not always easy
at an early show, she brought
home an award but didnt sell
a single item the shows have
taught her a lot. They are her
marketing lab as well as an
important source of income
and exposure to a larger public.
What are some of the lessons
shes learned?
Color is key, she says. I
used to make my pieces in clear,
white, some celadon. Very
clean, all texture and line. But
people dont see that at a show.
Product Placement
Show Business
Theyre drawn to color. The
distinctively simple color rang-
es she developed in response
have become a signature. For
Marshall, less is still more.
Resisting the temptation to
overload a form with color,
she infuses each shape with
palettes she has developed for
glass. Rather than muddying
one another when light travels
through the work, the colors
retain harmony when illumi-
nated. Form and texture take
center stage.
People also respond to a
visually coherent body of work,
she says. To look at a display
and be able to see a common
thread through it is really
important.
Images an artist uses for
the jurying process will usually
be used for that shows promo-
tional material, she notes, which
can play a key role in attracting
people to the work.
Since 2010, Marshalls work
has been favorably received at a
number of craft shows, includ-
ing the Cherry Creek Arts Fes-
tival (Denver), the Smithsonian
Craft Show (Washington, DC),
and the Philadelphia Museum
of Art Contemporary Craft
Show. Following the Smithson-
ian Craft Show in 2011, her work
was proled on the inuential
design site Handful of Salt.
As her show schedule lled
during the last couple of years,
Marshall was nding herself
stretched thin. Between teach-
ing, assisting other blowers,
working a part-time day job,
and producing her own work,
she was in danger of burning out.
After about eight years at Third
Degree, she was ready for a new
challenge. I had tried the shows,
and I was willing to commit to
that as my sole income.
In 2012, as key to that com-
mitment, she won a three-year
residency at the EnergyXchange
in Burnsville, North Carolina,
an hour from Asheville. The
innovative green program [see
Fueled Up, Apr./May 2012] is
a craft business incubator, pro-
viding affordable studio rental
and free use of glass furnaces
and kilns powered by methane
gas from the former landll on
which the complex is built.
Dappled vases, 2013,
blown and acid-etched
glass, 7 to 17 in. high
zoom

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The EnergyXchange allows
me to have the freedom to fail,
she says. (Her experiments
would otherwise be extremely
expensive.)
Whats next for Marshall?
Im addicted to the acid-etched
surface, she muses, making it
soft and sexy. We can look
forward to seeing those sensual
surfaces and whatever else she
comes up with in her latest
creations at the shows.
~rachel schalet crabb
ambermarshallglass.com
Rachel Schalet Crabb is a ber
artist and writer in Minneapolis.
Bubble bowls, 2012,
acid-etched glass,
7 x 11 in. dia. each
Topo vases, 2013,
blown glass
Topo vase, 2011,
blown glass,
9.5 x 9.5 in. dia.
Bowls, 2013,
blown glass,
9 x 11 in. dia. each
Marble Tufted jars,
2012, blown and
acid-etched glass,
14 in. high (tallest)

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on a sticky summer eve-
ning in 1991, a group of New
Orleans artists gathered
and took a leap of faith. They
would take over operations of
RHINO Contemporary Crafts
Co., a 4-year-old gallery on
Canal Street. Our goal, at that
point, was simply to keep the
gallery going, recalls Vitrice
McMurry, a jewelry artist in
that founding group.
Over the years, RHINOs
membership has swelled and
contracted, and programming
has evolved, as have artists
expectations. The constant is
the nonprots impact on artists
lives and advocacy for craft
as its name proudly proclaims
Right Here In New Orleans.
American Craft spoke with
McMurry about RHINOs
unusual model.
Perched on the second story
of the Shops at Canal Street,
a fancy mall, RHINO passes
Shop Talk
Pride of Place
for any other gallery. But its a
cooperative, run by the artists
who exhibit there. How does
that work?
The nuts and bolts of our coop-
erative model have changed over
the years. From the beginning,
weve had a board of directors
composed of elected ofcers and
advisors from the community.
But when we started, we also
had paid managers overseeing
day-to-day operations; members
served on various committees
to establish policies and keep
things going.
In this format, we grew to a
membership of around 80. Half
of those artists were making
65 to 75 percent on their sales
depending on how many hours
they were working and the
other half, who were exhibiting
but not working in the gallery,
the standard 50 percent.
Then Hurricane Katrina
came to RHINO: Our building
was ooded, burned, and looted
luckily just on the rst oor.
The second oor was untouched,
but our gallery space was locked
up and inaccessible for weeks.
Four months later, we re-opened
for the holiday season, with
only 12 members, unable to
pay a single employee. At that
difcult juncture, we decided
we needed to be a true coopera-
tive with members doing
everything, from cleaning to
accounting. Membership now
stands at 22.

So if I were an artist and a
new RHINO member
New artists are juried in. After
submitting an application, they
make a short presentation at
RHINOs monthly meeting.
Members vote, and if the artist
is accepted, they work three
training days in the gallery and
meet with the visual committee
about displaying their work.
Each member works three
full days in the gallery every
month, plus serves on at least
two committees. Members are
also required to do at least 10
hours of outreach each year.
What kind of outreach does
RHINO do?
There are monthly childrens art
workshops at the gallery, which
are free. RHINO also provides
and staffs art stations for chil-
dren at local festivals. For adults,
we have workshops with nomi-
nal fees, taught in a variety of
mediums by members at the
gallery or at their studios. Those
are relatively new but theyve
been a great success. We hope
to keep expanding that program-
ming. RHINO also presents an
annual fall-themed invitational
show, with work by members
and invited artists.
Whats the craft scene like in
New Orleans?
The craft scene in New Orleans
along with the art scene is
really booming. Visitors from
all around the world come to
the city for its unique culture
music, food, art. And when
they visit our gallery at the edge
of the French Quarter, theyre
thrilled to nd local ne crafts,
as opposed to junky imported
souvenirs. We also have a devot-
ed local following of people who
attend our openings and sup-
port us enthusiastically, espe-
cially during the holiday season.
What has RHINO membership
meant to you?
As a self-employed craftsperson,
you can spend a lot of time alone.
With RHINO, Im part of a
vital community. There is a lot
of respect and love among our
members and fun; we have
great openings and parties!
~julie k. hanus
Julie K. Hanus is senior editor
of American Craft.
RHINO
Contemporary Crafts Co.
333 Canal St.
New Orleans, LA 70130
504-523-7945
rhinocrafts.com
From left, RHINO members Kathleen
Grumich, Cathy Cooper-Stratton,
Chris Menconi, and Vitrice McMurry.
A glass workshop at the studio of
member Andrew Jackson Pollack.
The gallerys
acronym stands
for right here in
New Orleans.
zoom

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Goods
Charm
&
Soul
Optimo Hats
This Chicago hattery,
founded by Graham
Thompson, makes all
the popular styles of
mens hats from yester-
year, in luxurious mate-
rials with modern
nishes and appoint-
ments. Thompson
learned his trade from
longtime Windy City
hatter Johnny Tyus,
whose retirement in
the late 1990s inspired
Thompson to continue
Tyus legacy.
optimohats.com
Fox & Brie
Haberdashery
Looking for an antidote
to staring at a computer
screen all day, Jess Decelle
found sewing to be the
perfect medicine. Now
the Austin, Texas-based
maker is at it full time,
scouring attics and estate
sales for vintage fabrics
to turn into delightful
bow ties, neckties, and
pocket squares.
foxandbrie.com
Fort Standard
Turned white oak tops
make the perfect lids for
glass cylinders storing
dry goods within easy
reach. Available sepa-
rately or as a three-piece
set, theyre made by the
Brooklyn-based design
and production studio
Fort Standard, led by
Gregory Buntain and
Ian Collings.
fortstandard.com
Julia Paul Pottery
Paul lives and works
in rural Virginia and
strives to make contem-
porary work with a hint
of natural inspiration.
One example: these
tumblers, whose fade
from brown stoneware
to matte turquoise glaze
conjures images of an
ocean shoreline.
juliapaulpottery.com
Monroe Workshop
The Haverhill rocker,
made of American wal-
nut and upholstered in
mango-colored wool,
epitomizes ne crafts-
manship. Its by Matt
Monroe, who earned
his MFA in sculpture
at Cranbrook and makes
contemporary furniture
with a classic vibe at his
Los Angeles workshop.
monroeworkshop.com
Ted Abramczyk
Woven fabric covers
a satin aluminum frame
in this dreamy light x-
ture, named 27 Cumulus.
Abramczyk studied
architecture and sculp-
ture before opening his
Brooklyn-based design
studio in 1996.
abramczykstudio.com

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The Short List
A Lifetime
Of Making
the life and work of
William Daley, ceramic sculp-
tor, are presented from many
angles in this absorbing volume.
Thats appropriate, given the
large-scale, geometric vessels
with interiors as striking as
their exteriors that are Dal-
eys signature.
In addition to curator Ruth
Fines biographical essay, ve
notable contributors offer per-
spectives on Daley as artist,
family man, and professor at
Philadelphias University of the
Arts. A photographic portfolio
in this memoir, peter korns
rst non-instructional book,
the author chronicles his life
as a woodworker, from his
beginnings as a carpenter on
Nantucket. Throughout the
narrative, Korn interweaves
musings on craft from his col-
lege days to the 20th anniver-
sary of the acclaimed Center
for Furniture Craftsmanship
in Rockport, Maine, which he
founded and where he continues
to serve as executive director.
Like many baby boomer-era
craftspeople, Korn didnt
set out to be a maker; he just
identied with ideas about liv-
ing thoughtfully and with pur-
pose. Only decades later he
found he was part of a greater
craft movement. His personal
story holds your interest, and
his thoughts on craft as a voca-
tion are deftly presented in an
accessible, honest fashion, much
like the furniture he makes today.
~andrew zoellner
ve years ago, tadd myers
went on assignment, photo-
graphing craftsmen who were
creating moldings for a historic
building. Their skill inspired
the commercial photographer,
who was left wondering: In a
seemingly automated and out-
sourced economy how many
other Americans were still
working with their hands?
Portraits of the American
Craftsman is an exquisite
catalogue of the years that
followed, in which Myers
crisscrossed the country,
photographing people who
handcraft banjos and pipes,
surfboards and saddles, cut-
lery and carousels, and more.
Money is but one sliver of
what motivates these crafts-
men, Myers writes. They
have also realized that if they
put a piece of themselves into
what they create, part of it
stays in the work and yet another
very important part continues
to live inside themselves. With
essays by Eric Celeste offering
insight into makers motiva-
tions, materials, and processes,
the book builds on the project
website (americancraftsman
project.com), where Myers
continues the photographic
journey he considers the most
meaningful of his career.
~julie k. hanus
Portraits of the
American Craftsman
By Tadd Myers
Text by Eric Celeste
Lyons Press, $30
Why We Make Things
and Why It Matters:
The Education of a Craftsman
By Peter Korn
David R. Godine, $25
William Daley:
Ceramic Artist
By Ruth Fine
Schiffer Publishing, $75
of his 60-plus years of work lls
the bulk of the book; the ACC
Gold Medalists belief that
structure is its own decoration
is much in evidence. Sections
on commissions, Daleys
thoughts on teaching, exhibi-
tion notes, and a chronology
round out the rich content.
~monica moses
zoom

Inside Track
Climbing over
Barricades
What did you learn in
art school?
My luck was that my mentor
at Beloit College in Wisconsin
taught creativity more than
he taught technique. He was a
sculptor from Georgia named
George Garner. When a parade
was in town, hed have us bring
our sketchbooks, but nothing to
draw with other than whatever
we could nd there. Wed draw
majorettes using just twigs, then
use washes of color back at the
studio to bring them to life.
I learned that you are
responsible for your actions,
id always sort of hated
jewelry when I was a kid, says
Robert Lee Morris, now one
of the most inuential jewelry
designers in the world. I saw
it as my grandmothers ugly
baroque jewelry, drenched
in old perfume.
But in the years after art
school in the late 1960s, his
view changed. Living in a com-
mune in Wisconsin, Morris
forged brass necklaces, listened
to Led Zeppelin, and imagined
his designs on the cover of
Vogue. It was when he tried a
craft fair in New England that
he was discovered by gallery
owner Joan Sonnabend. Soon
his jewelry was displayed
alongside that of Picasso and
Louise Nevelson, and coveted by
afuent collectors. He became
a xture on the New York art
scene. In 1976, his vision was
complete: His jewelry graced
the cover of Vogue.
But his early good fortune
ran out. In 1977, Sonnabends
gallery closed suddenly, and
he couldnt nd another venue;
Morris was shattered. Ultimately
he fell back on his own resources,
calling on the adaptability he
learned growing up in a military
family that had moved 23 times
by the time he was 18. Within
months, he opened Artwear, a
jewelry gallery, and began to col-
laborate with some of fashions
foremost designers. Over the
next few years, Morris won the
Coty award for his collection for
Calvin Klein, appeared in every
issue of Vogue for seven con-
secutive years, and was recog-
nized several times by the
Council of Fashion Designers
of America, including a lifetime
achievement award. Artwear
closed in 1995; later that year,
Morris agship store opened in
lower Manhanttan as an exclu-
sive showcase for his work.
Today he designs the RLM
Studio line for QVC and the
Soho line for department stores.
In 2012 he launched the high-
end Collection line at retailers
nationwide.
American Craft sat down
with him at his studios on Fifth
Avenue and asked him about
his four-decade career and
his advice for artists just start-
ing out.
and you have to make a decision
as to why youre here.
What advice would you give
to someone just starting out?
You have to make a living doing
what you love. If you play it safe
in your career but it doesnt res-
onate with you, youre not there
yet. Its time to reinvent that, at
any cost. You dont want to live
in a state of anything less than
just total bliss.
How did this happen for you?
After college I got this really
bad itch to start a commune.
I asked my friends at Beloit if
they were interested, and they
all were. It was the moment for
hippies and crafts. We each
taught ourselves our own craft.
I was discovered in 1971 at a
craft fair in Putney, Vermont.
A manager at a gallery in Boston
Plaid bangles in
silver, available
in wide, medium,
and narrow sizes.
Hematite Needle
drop earrings,
inspired by the eye
of a sewing needle.
An Iconic block
bracelet, made
of gold-plated
brass block.
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bought a tribal-like brass neck-
lace for $75 and wore it to work
the next day. The owners were
about to open the gallery Sculp-
ture to Wear at the Plaza Hotel
[in New York], and they want-
ed to see more. They said, We
love what youre doing, and we
want to represent you exclu-
sively. We think you are going
to be very, very famous. Soon,
I was meeting all these artists
like Roy Lichtenstein, John
Chamberlain, and Jasper Johns.
I was making jewelry in that
environment, and in the gallery
it was jewelry by Picasso, Calder,
Man Ray, Mir, Arp, Louise
Nevelson, and on and on. When
they sold the hotel and closed
the gallery, I thought I would
have no trouble nding a place
of equal prestige to show my
work. But I couldnt.
What happened next?
I had a complete meltdown and
realized I had to do it myself.
And when I opened Artwear
just months later, it was like it
was destined to be. I had just
enough money and borrowed
$10,000 from a college chum,
and I put it together right off
Madison on 74th Street. I took
a chance that it would be a good
location because Andy Warhol
was supposed to open the Andy-
Mat restaurant across the street.
Once I signed my lease, though,
he got out of his. But my place
attracted the attention of the
super-rich. They would buy
my masks and crazy pieces,
take them to Studio 54 and play
with Andy and Elsa Peretti and
Halston and all these people, and
then they all started coming in.
I became that guy who did
Calvin Kleins jewelry and Don-
na Karans jewelry, who could
collaborate without ego with a
fashion designer who wanted
something particularly original,
that had to look like me, but also
new and right for the show. And
then, I became me!
You have steadily envisioned
your success. How do you deal
with obstacles or insecurities?
If I ever came across a barricade,
I would overcome it with entre-
preneurialism. I would just crawl
over it; I wouldnt let it stop me.
I dont look left or right at what
other people are doing, so I dont
see it as a race. I see it as a com-
munity, because I love all the
people in this eld. I never
thought, OK, I have so much
to compete with, I thought,
Hold on, theyve never seen
anything like this, because Im
going to do a collection of
armor and pieces that are so
savage and so futuristic, and
then I did them. And when I did
them, the editors and galleries
went berserk.
Are you a craftsperson or
an artist?
At Sculpture to Wear, I real-
ized that art jewelry is on the
same level as any other ne art
thats in a museum. Long ago,
I decided: Just smash it, make it
a stupid question; its no longer
relevant. Craft? Fashion? Art?
Who cares? What matters is
what you do and how you
change the world and what you
leave behind and how much
your pieces go for on eBay!
~keith lewis
robertleemorris.com
Keith Lewis is a jewelry artist
in New York state.
Morris
Egg dangle
earrings have
a verdigris
patina.
I dont look left or
right at what other
people are doing.
zoom

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View the complete shows and events
calendar at craftcouncil.org/event-calendar.
Shows to See
CA / Sacramento
Crocker Art Museum
The Shape of Things:
Warren MacKenzie Ceramics
to Feb. 23
crockerartmuseum.org
American studio pottery has
been enriched by ACC Gold
Medalist Warren MacKenzies
inuence for more than half a
century. Susanna and George
Grossmans recent gift to the
Crocker of their collection of
his work is the basis of this
exhibition.
CA / Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Museum
of Art & History
at the McPherson Center
Mind, Heart, and Hand: The
Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild
Dec. 7 Feb. 2
santacruzmah.org
Along the California coast
between Monterey and Santa
Cruz, metal artists banded
together 15 years ago to cel-
ebrate the ancient and noble
pursuit of ne metalworking.
New work by guild members
in this juried show ranges from
small jewelry to large construc-
tions, in a compendium of metal
techniques.
FL / Miami
Museum of Contemporary
Art, North Miami
Tracey Emin: Angel without You
Dec. 4 March 9
mocanomi.org
Follow the glow to the rst
American museum show of
Emins work, which highlights
the much-discussed British
artists use of neon: 60 works
from the past 20 years.
IL / Chicago
Spertus Institute for Jewish
Learning and Leadership
Woof and Drash:
Weaving the Jewish Experience
to Feb. 23
spertus.edu
The diversity of Jewish life
inspires Illinois weaver Berit
Engen, who learned her craft in
Norway as a child. Here, 85 of
her miniature tapestries explore
subjects from prophets to holi-
days, from Yiddish curses to
ancient prayers.
NC / Asheville
Asheville Art Museum
Lasting Gifts
to Jan. 19
ashevilleart.org
Black Mountain College
Museum + Arts Center
Shaping Craft + Design
at Black Mountain College
to Jan. 4
blackmountaincollege.org
Two independently organized
exhibitions celebrate Black
Mountain College, the short-
lived (1933 1957) but inuen-
tial little powerhouse near
Asheville where a stellar roster
of artists honed their crafts and
went on to become leaders in
their elds. Lasting Gifts
displays work from the AAMs
ever-growing Black Mountain
College Collection, with pieces
by luminaries such as Ruth
Asawa and Karen Karnes.
Shaping Craft + Design focus-
es on the colleges role in the
growth of craft and design
movements through works by
artists who studied or taught
there, including Shoji Hamada
and Peter Voulkos.
NY / Buffalo
Burcheld Penney Art
Center at SUNY Buffalo State
Art in Craft Media 2013
to Jan. 19
burcheldpenney.org
Fifty-ve artists who live,
or used to live, in western
New York present work in
wood, clay, ber, glass, and
metal in this juried show
proving that geographic limits
are not artistic ones.
Lawrence Kocher
at Black Mountain
College Museum +
Arts Center
Berit Engen
at the Spertus
Institute for
Jewish Learning
and Leadership
Tracey Emin at the
Art, North Miami
Warren
MacKenzie
at the Crocker
Art Museum
Ruth Asawa
at Asheville
Art Museum
Shoji Hamada
at Black Mountain
College Museum +
Arts Center
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NY / New York
The Art Quilt Gallery
Ccile Trentini:
Daily Inspiration
to Dec. 28
artquiltgallerynyc.com
Once a painter and sculptor,
Swiss artist Ccile Trentini
now glories in the structural
and sculptural properties
of fabric. Under her needle,
geometric forms become both
lighthearted and surrealistic.
NY / New York
Grand Central Terminal
Holiday Fair
to Dec. 24
grandcentralterminal.com
Its like Grand Central in here
describes busy places every-
where. But the actual terminal,
a century-old beaux arts beauty,
is really, really busy: At holiday
time, a million people a day pass
through it, and some will shop
at this juried market with 75
artists and vendors.
TN / Memphis
Metal Museum
Ha! Metalsmiths at Play
Dec. 7 Mar. 9
metalmuseum.org
Those wacky folks with their
blowtorches and anvils! This
show highlights playful contem-
porary works alongside whimsi-
cal objects from the museums
collection. In these artists hands,
a seemingly rigid material has
folks bent over laughing.
WA / Bellevue
Bellevue Arts Museum
Rick Araluce: The Minutes,
the Hours, the Days
to Feb. 2
bellevuearts.org
Araluce, the lead scenic artist
for the Seattle Opera, goes
anti-grand here, creating elabo-
rate miniature environments
in which perspective and scale
are unsettlingly off-kilter, and
every little door opens into a
world of emotion and mystery.
WA / Tacoma
Museum of Glass
An Experiment in Design
Production: The Enduring
Birds of Iittala
to Jan. 12
museumofglass.org
For 10 years, Finnish artist
Oiva Toikka and the Iittala
company have hatched a spe-
cially designed glass bird for
the museum. Each new one
joins the hundreds of other
birds Toikka has created for
the design and home accesso-
ries company over the past ve
decades. The factory in Nuuta-
jrvi, Finland, where most of the
birds have been made, is set to
close in 2014, prompting this
look back at the entire ock.
Ccile Trentini
at the Art
Quilt Gallery
Rick Araluce
at Bellevue
Arts Museum
The Grand
Central Terminal
Holiday Fair
Ira Sherman at the
Metal Museum
Nathan Dube at
the Metal Museum
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Voices
Whats the best educational experience youve had?
one of my memo-
rable educational
experiences was
turning 21 at Pen-
land School of
Crafts. Beyond the
obvious reasons
why this was a blast,
it was the rst time
I connected to a
craft community
that was bigger than
school, or the really
talented people in
my BFA classes.
When I teach work-
shops, I try to make
the experience
informative, fun,
and something that
is like coming of age
at Penland.
~cory daniel
robinson, chair
of the ne arts depart-
ment, Herron School
of Art & Design,
Indiana University,
Indianapolis
the best educa-
tional experience
Ive had has been . . .
experience. The
rst conference I
managed for a ber
organization many
years ago was on-
the-job training and
a crash course in the
business of art. The
many-faceted expe-
riences since then
have added up to
a rich and diverse
education. My for-
mal education laid
strong foundations,
but experiential
education taught
me how to keep all
the balls in the air.
~dot moye, art
consultant and inde-
pendent curator,
Decatur, GA
leading a design-
build team in the
2005 Solar Decath-
lon completely
changed my outlook
on design and prac-
tice. The scale of
the project made
collaboration an
absolute necessity
and instilled in me
the realization that
architecture is
always a group proj-
ect. I highly recom-
mend aggressively
seeking ambitious
projects that are
way beyond your
own abilities. Find
talented partners
with complemen-
tary skill sets and
lead with a sense
of creative generos-
ity and humility
when you are all
out of brilliance.
~ben uyeda,
designer, Boston
at ohio state
University earning
my MFA, I worked
with Richard
Harned, Ann Ham-
ilton, and Michael
Mercil. Through
the visiting artists
program and shar-
ing their own artis-
tic practices, they
emphasized that, as
artists, it is critical
that we give our-
selves permission to
make the work that
needs to be made.
The work should
be tied to the con-
cept rather than the
material and should
be honored in terms
of time and other
restraints that may
arise in the process
of making.
~aimee sones,
artist, Los Angeles
surprisingly,
I think it was play-
ing in a rock band
in my early 20s.
Everything I need-
ed to know about
the messy details
of making art
collaborating, del-
egating responsibil-
ity, knowing when
to stick up for an
idea and when to let
it go, making sched-
ules and sticking to
them, dreaming up
ways to get paid
I learned by being in
a band. I dont make
music anymore, but
those lessons stick
with me to this day.
~andy sturdevant,
artist and writer,
Minneapolis
Aimee Sones
Double Ohio
Power Plant
Substation, 2013,
monoprint made
from an etched
glass plate,
11.25 x 15 in.
Cory Daniel
Robinson
New Antique
Vol. 2, 2011,
reclaimed
wood, acrylic,
1.4 x 4 x 1.2 ft.
zoom

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410 North Toole Avenue, #120,
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THE GRAND HAND
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Under Covers
{
spotted by Julie K. Hanus
books are powerful symbols of language and
learning and lusciously tactile objects in their own right.
What better fodder for creativity?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Known for her sculp-
ture and installations
as well as artist books,
Harriet Barts body
of work is a wondrous
library of transformed
text. In Autobiography
(2011), 70 test tubes are
lled with transmuted
miscellany, an array of
materials reecting the
Minneapolis-based art-
ists interests in cultural
memory, history, sci-
ence, and alchemy.
harrietbart.com
As Peg & Awl,
Margaux and Walter
Kent craft all manner
of household goods,
from ofce accoutre-
ments to reclaimed-
cypress chicken coops.
But perhaps most
recognizable are the
Philadelphia-based cou-
ples whimsical minia-
ture journals, covered
in vintage leather and
perfect for wearing
your love of learning
front and center, as in
this 11-volume Autumnal
Library necklace.
pegandawlbuilt.com
collective unconscious

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An assistant professor of
psychology at Carleton
College in Northeld,
Minnesota, Julia Strand
carves cheap, outdated
volumes such as ency-
clopedias, eld guides,
or anatomy books into
shadowbox-like objects
of wonder, as in Birds
(2012). Covers become
frames, while words
and illustrations seren-
dipitously align.
hokeystokes.blog
spot.com
English paper artist
Phiona Richards uses
traditional needlework
techniques in her touch-
able, interactive book
sculptures and jewelry,
including this Rufe
Bead (2011). To the art-
ist, transforming books
nearing the end of their
literary lives is an exten-
sion of a make-do
and mend mentality.
Although they appear
to be fragile and delicate,
they are quite robust,
she writes, and interac-
tion becomes a thera-
peutic experience on
many levels.
rarenotions.co.uk
Daniel Lai is a man of
many talents. When the
Knoxville, Tennessee,
artist needs a break from
his doctoral studies in
criminology, he con-
structs reective, meta-
phorical sculptures, such
as Travelers Key (2012),
from discarded books,
clay, and other materials.
I often write my experi-
ences in a journal, Lai
says, but nd it inade-
quate to convey how
I truly feel.
daniellai.artspan.com
Caitlin Phillips
of Mount Rainier,
Maryland, gives old
tomes new lives as care-
fully crafted purses
(such as this Anne
of Green Gables bag)
and a new collection of
tablet covers for those
of us who can get behind
technologys forward
march but still crave the
timeless comfort of a
volume in our hands.
rebound-designs.com
If imaginations are
by denition limitless,
Brian Dettmers still
seems, perhaps, even
more so. The Atlanta-
based artist (and puta-
tive king of the altered
book) seals books, some-
times clamping them
into contorted, unex-
pected forms, then dis-
sects them. The resulting
sculptures, such as Prose
and Poetry of the World
(2011), seem to have
alighted from some alter-
nate plane of knowledge
and thought some-
where beyond the
edge of everyday
consciousness.
briandettmer.com
Mixed-media artist
Annie Duffy works in
cast paper, combining
it with other materials
such as wood, wax,
and cotton thread. For
July Evening, Fairbanks
(2013), the artist, who
teaches at the University
of Alaska Fairbanks,
created the dreamy sur-
face imagery in part
with ink coaxed from
discarded library cata-
logue cards.
annieduffy.com
Wedded to your books?
London-based maker
Jeremy May crafts his
literary jewels with a
special laminating pro-
cess, pressing together
hundreds of cut pages,
then carving the result-
ing block of material
into hip bracelets, neck-
laces, and rings, as in
Lonely Planet: Australia
(2013). The pieces can
then slip back inside
their original covers
for storage or display.
littley.co.uk
collective unconscious

stones. piles of leaves.
Fallen branches covered with
lichen. Those were Ronan
Petersons toys, plentiful in the
woods surrounding his familys
home high in the North Caro-
lina mountains.
I was outside all the time,
says Peterson, who still lives in
a wooded area, now in Chapel
Hill with his wife and two sons.
In the mountains in the summer,
everything is green and full and
uffy, but in the winter its
skeletal and unforgiving.
On the dense surface of his
intensively decorative pottery,
Peterson aims to embrace growth
and decay through layering pat-
terns, colors, and textures on
red earthenware clay. An exu-
berant burst of green might be
offset by a swath of dark circles;
a sea of dancing dots is partly
obscured by a patch of crawling
glaze, its crackles resembling
the lichen of his youth.
Peterson, whose name is
pronounced RON-an, learned
about his states pottery tradi-
tions as an anthropology and
folklore student at the Univer-
sity of North Carolina. (He was
the rst in his family to attend
college.) His interest in moun-
tain lore took him to the John
C. Campbell Folk School,
Down to Earth story by Diane Daniel
where he took his rst clay class
in 1997. He rounded out his train-
ing in the two-year Core Fellow-
ship Program at Penland School
of Crafts, where he also met his
wife, artist Kara Ikenberry.
From the beginning, I
immediately was drawn to col-
ors and building up layers, says
Peterson. He credits his attrac-
tion to bright hues and fat edges
to his fathers vast comics col-
lection. Comic books are satu-
rated with color and thick lines,
like drawing with Sharpies.
Since moving to Chapel
Hill in 2003, Peterson, 39, has
worked out of a small studio
originally built for his mother-
in-law, professional potter Car-
olyn Ikenberry, who is now
retired. Her husband made
this wheel in 1971 as a wedding
gift, he says, demonstrating
the simple setup. The same
cotton string still engages the
motor, which is from a washing
machine. I still have this mental-
ity from my dad and my grand-
parents about using things until
theyre done. It ts into the only
business plan Ive had: Keep
overhead as low as possible.
Peterson named his studio
Nine Toes Pottery, a reminder
of the lawn mower accident he
had at age 18 that sheared off
the top half of his right middle
toe. (Although you wouldnt
gure it out on your own, the
stamp Peterson uses to mark
his work is a little homage to
the missing digit.)
He throws most of his work,
and sometimes handbuilds
in the nal stages. Most of his
pieces are on the small side
mugs, vases, and bowls along
with a line of larger platters that
stretch the limits of his tight
space. He holds occasional stu-
dio sales and is invited to a host
of gallery shows throughout the
year, some accompanied by
teaching workshops. Regard-
less of the venue, he stays busy
keeping up inventory, which
sells fast.
While some artists edge
toward larger, sculptural work,
Petersons goal is deeper colors.
A few years ago he added a blue
to his mostly green and red pal-
ette. Blue is the pottery snobs
bane because its so common
and easy to sell, but my blue
isnt a comfortable blue. Its got
a little brightness. Plus its kind
of fun to go against the main-
stream, he says slyly. Now I
have this orange Im interested
in, and a purple and blue glaze
that Im trying to get right.
Lately, Peterson has been
taking cues from painters, espe-
cially on his platters, where
theres more space to play.
Ive been looking at Klee and
Mir and others, and nd myself
inspired by the compositions.
In my more shape-oriented
pieces, like mugs, the form
motivates the decoration. But
with the platters, its more my
imagination. Im telling it what
to do. So Im really interested
in seeing where that goes.
ninetoespottery.blogspot.com
Diane Daniel is a writer in
Durham, North Carolina.
right:
Hornets pitcher,
2011, earthenware,
11 x 8 x 5 in.
below:
Hornets cut bowl,
2011, earthenware,
6 x 9 x 3 in.
right:
Dotty stein,
2011, earthenware,
8 x 5 x 4 in.
below:
Dotty green plate,
2011, earthenware,
10 in. dia. x 2 in.
Bud vase, 2012,
earthenware,
4 x 3 in. dia.
P
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personal paths

below right:
Wavy Line mug,
2013, earthenware,
5 x 5 x 4 in.
below:
Hornets tribowl,
2011, earthenware,
4 x 5 in. dia.
above:
Red Shroom teapot,
2011, earthenware,
modem wire,
10 x 10 x 6 in.
below:
Stump server,
2012, earthenware,
4 x 10 in. dia.

earlier this year, amid
the hysteria over the demise of
Hostess Twinkies (a temporary
lapse, it turned out), Jim Bachor
bid online and scored a box of
the discontinued treats for $12.99.
Not to eat, though; rather, so
that he could carbonize the cake
on his outdoor grill and mix the
powder into the mortar of one
of his mosaics.
Perpetual Twinkies (2013),
as he ended up calling that piece,
shows a pair of the cakes nestled
on a plate in a sort of beatic state,
crowned with a halo a modern
take on the religious imagery
seen in ancient mosaics, and a
wry statement on the things we
worship in the 21st century.
Bachor has immortalized a
number of iconic snacks in this
way, lovingly rendering Ho Hos,
McDonalds fries, Starbucks
coffee, Doritos, and Cheetos
in mosaics he meticulously com-
poses out of tiny bits of glass and
marble, with traces of the actual
subject matter in the mortar. He
has done the same thing in other,
non-food-related pieces, such
as the bling-y Under State (2012),
which perversely spells out that
term in glass bits infused with
real gold.
A former adman, Bachor, 49,
knows the power of medium,
message, and a good gimmick.
Yet theres a deeper concept at
the heart of his art. It has to do
with permanence, and the time-
less follies and foibles of human
existence.
I just love the idea of captur-
ing some possibly ridiculous
thought I might have. Its mine,
set in mortar, not going any-
where. Its kind of my letter
to the future, he says. Maybe
story by Joyce Lovelace
Lawing
Impressions
a hundred years from now
theyll be like, What was up
with this guy?
Bachors creative base is
his studio in the century-old
American foursquare-style
house in Chicago that he shares
with his wife and 7-year-old
twin boys. In conversation, hes
a lot like his work: funny, irrev-
erent, engaging, sharp. There
are very few things I take seri-
ously, he says, but one of them
is that his mosaics be seriously
anchored in authenticity.
His materials are the age-old
ones of mosaic art: marble, glass,
and mortar (which may or may
not include those extra ingredi-
ents). His method is a modied
version of the traditional Raven-
na or double-reverse technique,
which he learned by taking a
course in the Italian city.
Often hell meld contempo-
rary imagery with ancient
design motifs and themes. His
Greco-Roman forebears inset
a portrait of a Medusa into a
geometric pattern; Bachor does
the same with Lindsay Lohan.
In place of deities, hell portray
the patron saints of Chicago
politicians (or maybe sinners,
depending on your view),
Richard M. Daley and Rod
Blagojevich. Most every piece
has a slightly absurd sensibility.
Bachor calls it an elbow to the
ribs, while Nancy Mills Pipgras,
editor of the website Mosaic
Art Now, has dubbed it (to his
delight) a Bachorian twist.
Trained in graphic design
at Detroits Center for Creative
Studies, Bachor had a 22-year
career as a creative director
in advertising, marketing, and
branding, for clients such as
above: Make
Your Mark (2010)
is a physical rep-
resentation of
Bachors life phi-
losophy: It means
do a good job in
whatever you pur-
sue, but dont be
boastful about it.
right: Perpetual
Twinkies (2013)
is made of smalti,
marble, and gold,
with one Twinkie
mixed into the
mortar.
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material matters

John Deere and Dow Chemical.
In the late 1990s, he took a sab-
batical and traveled around
Europe. He found himself cap-
tivated by ancient ruins so
much so that he volunteered
for a six-week archeological dig
in Pompeii. In a place where
you trip over things that are
2,000 years old, he found a
new calling.
The still-vivid mosaics made
the biggest impression. Glass
doesnt fade, marble doesnt
fade, and mortar is pretty
serious stuff to keep it togeth-
er, he says. Just that staying
power is amazing. You go to
these ancient sites and you see
a mosaic that looks exactly the
way it was intended to when
it was initially installed. That
blew me away.
Now hes focused on push-
ing the medium further. Among
his more challenging projects is
BC in 3-D (2004), which depicts
Julius Caesar as a stylized, old-
school 3D image; he wants
to make another in that vein,
one that would work awlessly
viewed through 3D glasses. Hes
also interested in public art, and
recently landed a commission
from the Chicago Transit
Authority to do a permanent
installation in an L station.
Mosaics may have been the
original pixelated images, but in
todays digital, ephemeral world,
theres something special about
Bachors labor-intensive, rock-
solid, lasting expressions. One
of his favorites is a composition
in muted tones of off-white
and gray.
Inspired by his parents, who
taught him the virtue of doing
your own thing quietly with
integrity, it proclaims his motto
in visually subtle yet emphatic
terms: Make your mark.
bachor.com
Joyce Lovelace is American
Crafts contributing editor.
above: BC in 3-D, 2004,
smalti, 17 x 14 x 1 in.
left: Super Realistic
Cheeto, 2012, smalti,
11 x 14 x 1 in.
above: A detail of
Ancient Gorgonian
Lindsay? (2013).
top: Chuck Pot Roast,
2012, smalti, 11 x 14 x 1 in.
material matters

Crafted Lives
1
The home of this
inventive crew
is not a hands-off
museum; instead,
interesting objects
from around the
world are meant
to be used.
interview by
Joann Plockov
photography by
Claudia Uribe
PLEASE
TOUCH
ART
the

when the door opens to
the Miami home of Catalina
Diez, a graphic designer and
app developer, and Juan Carlos
Ortiz, an advertising executive,
a story unfolds.
Art by emerging artists from
Colombia tells of the couples
native country. Midcentury
modern furniture recalls forag-
ing trips to Chicago, where the
couple lived for a year. And folk
art objects speak of family time
spent in Africa. Reecting
their extensive travels, their
passion for collecting, and their
creative temperaments, their
nature-enveloped home, which
they share with their two chil-
dren and a dog, has a story
around every corner.
Tell us about the background
of your home.
Catalina Diez: We bought
this home in 2006 from the
original owner, a Cuban
artist. He added the Florida
room [a sunroom], the master
bedroom, and a larger outside
entrance. Originally it was a
very small, typical house from
the 1950s; he wanted to make
it much grander. But his taste
was very different from ours
there were columns and arches
everywhere, lots of marble,
gold, and statues so we did
a lot of remodeling. We got rid
of all the statues, except the one
you can see through the master
bath window. We thought it
was kind of funky and fun to
leave it there.
How would you describe the
Coconut Grove neighborhood
where you live?
Juan Carlos Ortiz: I think
the best word to describe this
neighborhood is tranquil
tranquil and green.
Diez: Yes, the lush vegeta-
tion the trees, the owers,
the native plants are part of
the house. I think thats the
most valuable part of Coconut
left: A dress made
of ChocoBreak candy
wrappers, by Colombian
artist Carolina Rodrguez.
middle: A Fobot
(found object robot) by
North Carolina artist
Amy Flynn.
right: A sculpture
installed outdoors by the
previous owner, who
admired Greco-Roman-
inspired dcor.

Grove the big trees and the
peacocks walking around.
[Escaped pets are thought to be
the source of the exotic birds.]
We have all types of birds,
cats, raccoons, everything;
its like a mini wildlife sanctu-
ary in this area.
How did you start collecting?
Diez: I think we started doing
it and we didnt know we were
doing it. [When we were still
living in Colombia] we loved
to go all over Argentina and
Colombia and do road trips, for
example, and we didnt know
we were collecting along
the way.
We both come from creative
backgrounds. Hes a copywriter;
Im a graphic designer. So its
something that is in us. We
share that passion for collect-
ing and the love of art, travel,
and creativity in general.
The diversity of your collec-
tion is remarkable. You have
this colorful crochet chair from
New York-based Polish artist
Olek, a hand-carved stool from
the Amazon, and midcentury
furnishings, including Eames
chairs and this classic mush-
room-shaped Nesso lamp from
design house Artemide, to
name just a few items.
Diez: We have things from all
over. We like to travel a lot; we
try to bring a little piece back
from every trip for example,
this lamp made from coconut,
nutshells, and banana bers
came from an arts and crafts
fair in Colombia.
left: A rocking
chair by Polish-born
artist Olek, bought
at Art Basel Miami.
middle: The couple
bought this homemade
sign from a man
they saw walking
in Miami Beach.
right: The Tree
of Knowledge by
Federico Uribe,
a Colombian artist
living in Miami.
right: Juan Carlos
Ortizs eye for emerging
artists fuels much of the
familys collection.

We dont like the house
to be absolutely modern. The
house has an older feel, so we
have to maintain that. If not,
we will feel like we are living
in a showroom. The house
wasnt done by a designer. All
of the objects have been given,
bought, found, or inherited
they have a story. And theyre
100 percent chosen by us.
We want the house to feel
like a home. And to be lled
with the different objects that
we have brought from differ-
ent places for example, this
wood table with marble inlays
that we bought at a midcentury
thrift store in Chicago.
Where have you traveled?
Diez: Weve been to Africa
three times to Kenya,
Botswana, and South Africa
and we always want to go
back. We went there for our
honeymoon, then we returned,
and then we took the children.
We want to show them places
weve been places we want
them to experience. As a
couple, weve been to London,
Paris, and all over Europe
many times, and now we are
taking the children. Weve
been to China with our son,
and we go to New York often.
We have a place there, because
Carlos has to go there for work
every week.
What sort of artists do you
gravitate to?
Ortiz: We dont have famous
artists here. We love to collect
work from young, up-and-
A drawing by Mexican
artist Hugo Lugo, from
Art Basel Miami.
A covered terrace con-
nects the family with the
lush garden surrounding
their house.
coming artists. For example, we
have pieces by Colombian artists
Miler Lagos, Federico Uribe, and
Icaro Zorbar. And we love to
meet the artists. We love to go to
their studios and befriend them.
You mentioned some of your
pieces were found objects for
example, the sign in the kitchen.
Diez: Yes, this is an authentic
road sign from Colombia. It
translates to corn for 2,500
pesos. A guy was selling corn
on the road, and we just said,
Hey, we like your sign, and
he opened his eyes [in disbelief]
like, What? You want my sign?
And we were, like, Yes!
For him it was just an old
distressed sign, but we see art
there. The typography is beau-
tiful. Its a similar story with

the sign hanging in the Florida
room. We got it from this hip-
pie in Miami Beach. He was
just walking with his sign
[which offers his services as a
spiritual healer] and we said,
Stop! Again, we appreciate
the lettering. Graphic design
as in the case of this table where
the artist used these graphics cut
from a Design Within Reach
catalogue on the top is always
a part of our house.
What do you enjoy more:
collecting or making what you
collect part of your home?
Diez: I think thats the whole
point of the collection: to use it.
I think there is no point if you
cannot use what you collect.
Everything here could [simply]
be a work of art, something
very special. But its in our
home, so its a very special
chair by Marcel Wanders, but
you can still sit in it. You can
ip the tree trunk made from
paper [by Miler Lagos]; you
can touch it. Its not like a
dont-touch museum we have
here; we have a dog hes
chewing on the rug and all the
cushions. Thats part of life
this is a home.
How do you decide what goes
where in your house?
Ortiz: Sometimes we start
putting something in one place,
and then we move it somewhere
else and then again. Its a work
in progress.
Diez: Yes, we never stop.
Were always changing. Were
always moving stuff around.
Our home is always evolving.
Do you decide together what to
bring into your home, or do you
allow each other the freedom
to choose?
Ortiz: Freedom, but Catalina
is the boss.
Diez: Fortunately, we never
argue. He never has a problem
with the things I choose on my
An orange Artemide
Nesso table lamp by
designer Giancarlo
Mattioli.
A lamp made of a coconut
and nutshells, bought at a
Bogot crafts fair.
below: Diez and Ortiz
like an eclectic mix of mid-
century furnishings with
art from their travels.
own because we share the
same taste.
Has your style changed?
Diez: Believe it or not, earlier,
we were into minimalism
like, 15 years ago. We look
back and say, What were we
thinking? The taste evolves.
And how do you describe your
home today?
Diez: It has character. It reects
our personality.
Ortiz: We love stories. So
every piece has a story. Thats
why we like to collect stories.
Thats why our home reects
who we are.
Joann Plockov is a freelance
journalist covering design, art,
craft, and travel.

With his
latest project,
Agelio Batle proves
that almost
everything can be
transformed.
story by
Deborah Bishop
photography by
Mark Tuschman

long before agelio batle
perfected the art of turning
plastic milk jugs into glowing
pendant lamps, he had a pen-
chant for unloved materials.
Perched in his studio in the
Potrero Hill district of San Fran-
cisco are abstract steel heads,
like something out of Beowulf
or Game of Thrones, wrought
from discarded fencing and
steel rod he found in the Philip-
pines while visiting his parents.
I can never sit still I have to be
doing something, explains the
artist, who chopped and welded
the metal forms. Another proj-
ect that resulted from that trip
trompe loeil soda cans carved
from marble quarried on Rom-
blon Island and bound by a plas-
tic six-pack yoke prompts
reection on the nature of per-
manence, disposability, and the
trash that haunts us forever.
Even the trees across the street
have been repurposed: Batle
gathers the trimmings, soaks,
bends, and binds them with
leather to create jewelry.
Entering his studio, which
includes a showroom, ofce,
and workshop with the family
domicile upstairs, is like walk-
ing into a cabinet of curiosities:
Surfaces are covered with
sculptures, ceramics, projects,
and paintings. Arrayed on a
table are the die-pressed graph-
ite objects shells, animals,
leaves, and other shapes
that kick-started Batles career
a few years after he earned his
MFA in sculpture, with honors,
from California College of Arts
and Crafts (now CCA) in 1993.
The rst piece was a right
hand, because I was obsessed
with the miracle of drawing and
the relationship between hand
and pencil. It took hundreds
of attempts to nd the right
combination of materials and
technique so it would draw
on paper without smudging
the skin.
Today Batle ships graphite
objects to nearly a thousand
stores, from the shop at a cutting-
edge arts center in Moscow to
the Noguchi Museum gift shop,
and takes custom commissions
from people such as fashion
designer Marc Jacobs (who,
quaintly, specied an extended
middle nger). Such is his inti-
mate relationship with the
material that he even perfected
a graphite-based paint to apply
to the wooden panels he uses
as painting canvases.
But when Batle was
approached by the nearby
Workshop Residence program,
which invites designers, artists,
and craftspeople to develop
artful and useful items, there
was just one stipulation. Age-
lio could pick any material and
make any object as long as it
wasnt graphite! recalls Ann
Hatch, a longtime supporter
of the arts who conceived of
the Workshop Residence a few
years ago. The program sup-
ports residents with an apart-
ment, a work space, an ongoing
show displaying products as
theyre made, a stipend, and
a sales outlet.
above: Quill (2005),
Feet (2006), Cicada
(2012), and Sparrow
(2011), made of die-
pressed graphite.
right: Agelio Batle
with an array of graph-
ite objects in his studio.
below: Drawing Hand
No. 2 is a cast of Batles
sons hand, taken when
he was about 6 years old.
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Batle had
to observe one
rule for his
residency:
No graphite.
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With his family,
Batle turned
the Workshop
apartment into
a think tank,
laboratory, and
milk-container
repository.
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Batle had already done some
experimenting with the opaque
plastic milk containers and was
curious to take it further. So this
past June, joined by wife and
business partner Delia, sons
Noa, 17, and Nilo, 15, and a few
of their classmates in the inter-
disciplinary arts program at the
Ruth Asawa School of the Arts
(for which Batle has helped
devise and teach curriculum),
he turned the Workshop apart-
ment into a think tank, laboratory,
and milk container repository.
In the exploratory phase,
Batle and crew dissected jugs in
order to identify and extract the
most decorative and functional
components. Take the handle,
for example. Cut a certain way,
it can resemble a calla lily, a
trumpet ower, or a phalaenop-
sis orchid. Another part looks
like a shbone and creates this
really elegant repeating pat-
tern. Leaves and owers for
the trailing tendrils were cut
from the attest part, what
Batle dubbed the let. And
reducing the bottoms to their
component triangles, which
create jewel-like facets when
welded back together, sparked
a bonus geometry lesson that
touched on the nature of pla-
tonic solids. After lling boxes
with components, the group
started piecing them together
and exploring how the
disparate shapes interacted;
some were attached with a hot-
air de-soldering gun, others
using cold connections. By the
end of the residency, they had
created some 26 lamps in six
different styles.
The showroom was dark-
ened when the lamps were hung
for the midsummer opening.
You could hear the kids collec-
tive gasp as they all lit up at
once. It was pretty special,
recalls Batle. An LED strip
within the circle of the Fish-
bone lamp causes it to shine
from within, while the Spout
Cloud, fashioned from the
jug tops, appears to undulate,
glowing in space like something
out of Jules Verne. Because
of the nature of the program,
where exhibits overlap and
products continue to be sold,
the lights illuminate past and
subsequent projects, every-
thing from teacups by Belgian
fashion designer Dirk Van
Saene to a sea-worthy sailboat
built by Aaron Turner, an archi-
tecture and urban design profes-
sor, and chairs made from
mushrooms by Philip Ross.
While the impetus of many
Workshop projects may be
conceptual, there are concrete
goals. We are sustainable and
local, but not nonprot, says
Hatch. Selling the fruits of the
labor is an essential component.
opposite: Batle with
his wife, Delia, and
sons Noa (left) and Nilo.
Making was a family
affair at the Workshop
Residence program.
During the residency,
Batle, with the help of
his family and students
from the Ruth Asawa
School of the Arts,
made lights out of dis-
carded milk containers.
The resulting milk con-
tainer lamp kit (right)
is now sold through the
Workshop Residence
program.

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In addition to the lamps, Batles
residency resulted in a DIY kit
that includes a light xture, sup-
port ring, uorescent bulb,
hanging hardware, and instruc-
tions, all contained within a
starter milk jug embellished
with one pre-cut leaf. And the
San Francisco Exploratorium
has acquired several lamps for
its permanent collection.
After the residency, Batle
refocused on his painting; he is
part of a show in December and
January at the Jack Fischer Gal-
lery in San Francisco. But he
has not lost his fascination with
material transformations; Batle
is also crafting wallets out of
Douglas r salvaged from old
local buildings. And he has a
pending grant application in
collaboration with SFArtsEd,
an organization that supports
art-starved public schools.
The idea is for kids to turn in
their toy guns, which we will
crush, chip, melt down, and
extrude into molds to make
eggs that will be decorated and
embellished with text, such as
Once upon a time, this egg was
a toy gun. Its like a rebirth,
a second chance. As with the
milk jugs, the process is as impor-
tant as the nal product.
Creating the lamps was a
perfect way for the students to
see that you can take one of the
ugliest things on Earth an old
milk jug and with some care,
transform it into something
beautiful. Which is, I think,
a very cool life lesson.
asbworkshop.com
theworkshopresidence.com
Deborah Bishop is a writer
and editor in San Francisco,
and a frequent contributor to
American Craft.
The Batle family thrives
on repurposing objects.
Delia Batle stands by
the pantry in their home,
made from recycled cab-
inets and drawers.
below: Marble Soda
Cans, one of a limited-
edition series made by
Batle as a way of poking
fun at the pomp of for-
mal sculpture.
left: A twig head
made by Nilo at age 9
and a wood veneer
lamp prototype grace
the Batles living room.
opposite: Graphite-
and-paint works, each
9.5 inches square.
opposite: An orange
wire sculpture by Batle
welcomes visitors to
the familys home.
The AlcheMisT
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A vine puzzle painting
by Batle in more than
20 separate frames.
The pieces are made to
be easily rearranged for
new congurations.
below: Noa working
on a welded plastic toy
soldier sculpture.
below, from left:
Lasso Ball, Lasso Cross,
Spool, and Lasso, made
in 2011. Batle used
branches from the
trees across the street
from his studio, along
with industrial epoxy
and cord, to make these
playful jewelry pieces.

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P
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story by Elizabeth Rusch
portrait by Robbie McClaran
Hilary Pfeifer and
her trusty canine
companion, Weegee,
in their Portland,
Oregon, home.
opposite: Elephant
gures Pfeifer made
for her childrens
book, Elephabet.

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A
s a child on
Christmas morn-
ing, Hilary Pfeif-
er made a beeline
for one present
under the tree: a dollhouse,
handmade by her architectural
engineer dad and hand-painted
by her artist mom. One year it
was a Swiss chalet with mini
cedar shakes; another, a tree-
house lled with Stieff plush
animals. Her favorite: a haunt-
ed house with trap doors, secret
passageways, and ghostly win-
dows made from glass photo
negatives. The dollhouse was
the one toy we played with all
year, she says. Eventually,
she and her brother assembled
a whole town, complete with
record store, pet store, and
hospital. It was, perhaps, my
earliest lesson in the relation-
ship between individual pieces
and groupings in sculpture,
Pfeifer says.
Delighted by the dollhouses
and further inspired by hanging
out in her fathers woodshop
and with artists involved in her
mothers gallery in Eugene,
Oregon, Pfeifer began creating
little terrariums and shoebox
houses with paper furniture.
Making things just became a
way of life, she says. All
around me were people who
made a living playing with ideas
and materials.
While taking ceramics class-
es at the University of Oregon
in 1988, Pfeifer fell in love with
clay and started a porcelain
bead business in 1989, which
she ran for 10 years. In 1995,
feeling ready to integrate ideas
into craft, she enrolled in Ore-
gon College of Art and Craft to
study wood, later switching to
metal for the variety of skills
shed learn and the chance to
mix mediums. I really feel that
my experience in many crafts
helped me build both my skills
and my aesthetic. Thats why
I call myself a craft-inuenced
sculptor, she says.
For her thesis, Pfeifer
planned to sculpt parts of your
personality that are normally
invisible, that live within you.
She knew she wanted individual
pieces to make up a whole, but
she wasnt sure how to create
the pieces. I kept having this
feeling that I wanted to take a
piece of wood and sand it on a
sander, just holding it and shap-
ing it, she says. When she fol-
lowed her hunch, the material
seemed transformed. Though
it was wood, when I pulled back,
it really looked like clay. Using
metalsmithing techniques, I
could add anything I wanted
nail heads, parts of spoons, pen-
cil erasers, wolves teeth. It felt
Details of
sWarm (2006).
Pfeifer made 1,500
one-of-a-kind
pieces for the
installation, which
debuted at the
Fuller Craft
Museum in
Brockton,
Massachusetts.

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r
i
s
s
e
Kharshouf, 1999,
wood, mixed media,
8 x 8 x 8 ft.
The installation
of more than 500
pieces is Pfeifers
self-portrait what
I think I would look
like if I were seen as
the hundreds of indi-
vidual experiences I
have had that played
a signicant role in
the formation of
my personality.
I like to work
as fast as I can,
taking an idea
and shaping it
quickly. Thats
how I can really
surprise myself.
so right. It felt like Id found
a voice that was truly mine.
For Kharshouf (1999), her
thesis installation, Pfeifer craft-
ed more than 500 pieces, each
representing an aspect of her
personality. I played and played
and played, says Pfeifer, 46.
I like to work as fast as I can,
taking an idea and shaping it
quickly. Thats how I can really
surprise myself.
At rst glance, Pfeifers fan-
ciful forms have a light, childlike
quality. But her sculptures also
play with sophisticated, pro-
vocative ideas. In 2003, she
made her rst of two charming
yet moody installations called
Cumulate. Floating high on the
wall, clusters of little biomor-
phic forms make up more than a
dozen clouds. On a simple level,
they conjure the childhood game
of cloud-watching. I liked the
idea that people might see very
different things in a sculpture,
just as they might in a cloud,
she says. But to Pfeifer, ever-
changing clouds are also an apt
metaphor for shifting, sometimes
difcult, emotions. My work
might seem cute, but it can also
have an edge, she says.
Often that edge has an
environmental component.
Growing up in the Northwest,
watching the environment
being destroyed by logging,
my work often explores nature,
Pfeifers Elephabet book.
It presents 26 elephant
sculptures representing
each letter of the alphabet.
She made a companion
book, Arfabet, that
includes 26 dog breeds
and the foods they love
to eat.
Abaxialis Odiglio
(2008) was one of about
75 pieces created for
the Natural Selection
exhibition.

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plants, and the organic, Pfeif-
er says. But there tends to be
a surreal quality to it. In her
2006 work sWarm, love, pollu-
tion, and death are all rolled
into a quirky installation of
hundreds of black and red bug
sculptures swooping and loop-
ing like a mini roller coaster.
The sculpture captures how
people searching for mates
swarm in bars, gyms, and malls.
But it also tells a darker envi-
ronmental story, about
lovebugs mistakenly
following pheromone-
like smells into dead-
ly fogs of vehicle
fumes.
In 2008, Pfeif-
er continued to
explore ideas of
sex and environ-
mental destruc-
tion in her show
Natural Selec-
tion, which
opened at Ogle
Gallery in Port-
land. The exhi-
bition featured
a greenhouse
with fantastical
writhing, mat-
ing plants on
each shelf, but
some plants also
took root outside the
display, sprouting from
random spots in the
room. Our relationship
with nature is a comedy
of errors, Pfeifer says.
We think we can control
it, which is both horrifying
and ridiculous. We can man-
gle things, but nature always
nds a way back.
Lately, Pfeifer has been
playing with her food artisti-
cally (her Umami sculptures
resemble whimsical wooden
sushi) and in her personal life
(shes part of a dinner club
where everyone brings a dish
Our relationship
with nature is
a comedy of errors.
We think we can
control it, which
is both horrifying
and ridiculous.
inspired by an artist). And shes
been playing with how her sculp-
tures are displayed and sold. In
addition to showing at Velvet da
Vinci in San Francisco and other
galleries, Pfeifer runs a business
called Bunny with a Toolbelt,
making wooden creatures that
festoon wedding cakes and
appeared in her two childrens
books (Elephabet and Arfabet)
and on a deck of playing cards.
She even dreams of opening a
storefront. Can you imagine the
fun I could have with a rotating
window display? she says.
What creative playdates
does Pfeifer have lined up? In
2011, she fashioned a wearable
plant sculpture (Epiphyte) for
a dance performance and would
love to riff more on the symbi-
otic relationship between
humans and nature. Shes also
noodling around with the idea
of plants inspired by Edward
Lears Nonsense Botanies
(think Stunnia Dinnerbellia,
Washtubbia Circularis, and Shoe-
bootia Utilis). In the meantime,
she has a huge log in her back-
yard ready to be carved into a
7-foot totem pole featuring ani-
mals and tools from Oregons
history, which will grace an
extension of the Portland light
rail system. My work is usually
additive, so it will be a fun chal-
lenge to try something so reduc-
tive, she says.
When Im done with that,
Ill start playing around with
the other ideas I have.
hilarypfeifer.com
bunnywithatoolbelt.com
Elizabeth Rusch is a magazine
writer and childrens book author
in Portland, Oregon.
The artist with
a walking stick,
made for an
upcoming
show at the
Center for Art
in Wood in
Philadelphia.

left: Weegee,
the artists
canine pal,
makes an
appearance in
Arfabet (2012).

Umami, 2013,
wood, mixed
media, 3 ft. high
Pfeifer created
this installation
for the Craft in
America Study
Centers 2012
exhibition Good
Enough to Eat:
the Fusion of
Food and Craft
in Los Angeles.

Stephen Yutos
work rests
on xe bedrod
of xoughtful design
and exaeing
cragsmansip.
story by Joyce L
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or the past two
years, Stephen Yusko has been
avidly watching construction of
the new Innerbelt Bridge across
the Cuyahoga River in down-
town Cleveland, not far from
his metalworking studio.
Theres been a lot of stuff
happening, cranes all over the
sky, Yusko says, an excited-
kid note in his voice. Im look-
ing at these amazing structures,
seeing how its all coming
together the structure pre-
concrete, these rebar curves
coming out, and then it all gets
covered with concrete. From
an artistic and aesthetic stand-
point, I just nd it so fascinating
and beautiful.
Industrial landscapes have
inspired the 48-year-old artist
all his working life. Hes inter-
ested in built things, their mate-
rials and underlying bones, all
their individual parts and how
those t and function together.
He brings this comprehensive
vision to his own work, primar-
ily elegant metal vessels and fur-
niture that is meant, he says, to
embody clean lines and purpose.
At a glance, a Yusko piece
is strikingly simple and rened;
look closer, and theres a lot
going on, depths of thoughtful
design and exacting craftsman-
ship. Much of his work is about
architecture. Cuyahoga Series
Table: Bridge (2012) pays hom-
age to the structure of its
namesake, with graceful
tapered steel legs that rise up
on one end to form an arch and
towers. Federal Box (2013) is
loosely based on a skyscraper
on the Cleveland skyline. Other
vessels suggest the tiled roofs
and upturned eaves of tradi-
tional Japanese houses.
Within each piece is some
surprising, artful use of an
industrial material Yusko has
scrounged from a scrapyard,
ea market, or farm sale, then
reworked and combined with
his own original forged ele-
ments. A forklift part becomes
a sophisticated tabletop; a hunk
of square steel tubing is trans-
formed into a sculptural con-
tainer. What interests him is
not using a found object for its
own sake, as a novelty. Rather,
its seeing beauty in a found
object and bringing that out in
a fresh, imaginative way.
Im trying to invest found
material with a craftsmans
A detail of Cuyahoga
Series Table: Canal
(2012), made of forged
and fabricated steel.
The Cuyahoga series is
inspired by the manmade
structures along the river
of the same name.
Yellow Box Series, 2011,
steel, 4.25 x 3 x 3 in. each

aesthetic, he says. I love the
idea of taking things apart and
putting them back together in a
different context. Like cutting
a piece of threaded pipe, open-
ing it up, and then forming it in
the other direction, so that the
horizontal threads wrap around
vertically. Or taking a cool tting
and reforging it into something
else. Or reforging a perforated
steel plate into another shape,
so that its pattern changes.
He uses a broad range of
hot and cold metalworking
techniques to build his pieces,
from blacksmithing to machin-
ing to fabricating. To color and
texture his surfaces, hell paint,
pound, puncture, or wire-brush
the metal, even drag it across
gravel or pavement, depending
on the effect he wants. In every
aspect, he strives for a jewelry-
like attention to detail, wheth-
er its a table or the wedding
rings I built for myself and
my wife.
So precisely put together
are his constructions that a pro-
fessor once dubbed their integ-
rity the Yusko t. For Yusko,
it comes down to a way of look-
ing at the world. Always curi-
ous, he takes photographs of
interesting details and composi-
tions he sees in the world around
him, collecting images in a
sketchbook of forms, shapes, and
ideas. He composes his shots
with great care, thinking about
the whole frame, whats on the
outside edge of that photograph.
Its like thinking about a work
in its entirety, considering all
the angles and views: How does
it look from behind and under-
neath and on the sides?
He credits his ability to see
things in both an analytical and
a poetic light to his parents,
hardworking Ohioans who,
throughout his childhood,
always had houses that they
were tearing apart and xing
up, he recalls. My dad is very
mechanical, can build and x
anything. My mom never had
any training in art, but she
appreciates everything. Shell
be like, Hey, look at that beau-
tiful sky. Hell be the one say-
ing, Thats beautiful now
lets get going. I really got the
best of both worlds.
In terms of formal training,
Yusko had what he now consid-
ers something of a dream metal-
smithing education. He entered
the University of Akron as an
engineering major, realized
I love the idea
of taking things
apart and
putting them
back together
in a different
context.
A pair of Federal Boxes
(2013), made of forged,
machined, and fabricated
steel, each 7.5 inches high.

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midway that his grasp of phys-
ics was intuitive and hands-on
(I always liked the systems
of things, not so much guring
out the math), and switched to
sculpture, with a minor in metal-
smithing (and art history). As
a young teaching assistant at
Penland School of Crafts, he
worked with some of the coun-
trys nest jewelers and metal
artists, and fell in love with
blacksmithing. That led him to
the Metal Museum in Memphis,
where he spent several years as
artist-in-residence at its smithy
before leaving to earn his MFA
in metalsmithing at Southern
Illinois University Carbondale.
By 1999 he was living in St. Lou-
is and starting to hit his stride as
an artist, while holding down a
day job making mounts for shows
at the Saint Louis Art Museum.
He left SLAM in 2006 and spent
a year working full time in his
St. Louis studio.
In 2007, he came back
to Ohio to become art-
ist-in-residence at the
historic Rose Iron
Works, where he
designs and builds limited-
edition tables, candleholders,
and other products, in addition
to maintaining his own studio.
The years since have been busy
and fruitful, personally and pro-
fessionally. He met Ruthie Cof-
fey, a former ballet dancer
originally from Ireland, and
married her in 2011 in Deer Isle,
Maine (my favorite place to
be), in a ceremony performed
by Stuart Kestenbaum, director
of Haystack Mountain School
of Crafts. That same year,
Clevelands Community Part-
nership for Art and Culture
awarded him a $20,000 Cre-
ative Workforce Fellowship,
which he used to fully equip his
shop. When hes not making art
or renovating the beautiful
little Victorian house he and
Ruthie recently bought, he
serves on Haystacks board,
does conference programming
for the Society of North Ameri-
can Goldsmiths, and is a frequent
guest teacher at Penland and
other schools. (Its important
Squashed Teapot, 2010,
steel, 4.5 x 5 x 2.75 in.
Threaded Oil Can,
2001, forged and
fabricated steel,
5 x 5.5 x 2.25 in.

Iron: 2010
Oil Can, 2010,
forged and
fabricated steel,
11 x 5.5 x 2.25 in.
Manipulating
metal is an
athletic event for
the brain as well
as the body.
Tiered Coffee Table,
2006, forged and fabri-
cated steel, wire glass,
1.5 x 3.7 x 1.8 ft.
Perforated Coffee
Table, 2006, forged and
fabricated steel, wire
glass, 1.5 x 3.8 x 1.8 ft.

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Intersection Table,
2013, forged, machined,
and fabricated steel,
1.8 x 2.6 x .9 ft.
When all of its
clicking, theres nothing
more magical than
making something really
cool in your studio.
Go Box (2013) in its
disassembled state. It
stands 6.5 inches high
when put together.
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with the material, but then
how you work within yourself
as well. Baseball, especially,
illustrates for him the mind-body
connection so essential to hit-
ting that creative sweet spot.
I use baseball in a lot of
my analogies for life, he says.
When all of its clicking, theres
nothing more magical than mak-
ing something really cool in your
studio. Just like Im sure theres
nothing cooler than being up
to bat you know, ninth inning,
one guy on, youre down by a
for me to give back, he says, not-
ing that while youre giving
back, youre recharging.)
Hes excited about the latest
direction in his work, incorpo-
rating vessels into the furniture
as drawers or other compo-
nents. Manipulating metal is
an athletic event for your brain
as well, Yusko reects. You
really have to think about it. Its
not just pulling out a piece of iron
and beating on it. Its about ath-
leticism and balance and control
how you need to move and work
run, and you crank this walk-
off home run. What a buzz
thats got to be! You can get
that buzz in the studio, when
you get in that zone. In that
moment, theres no ending.
Youre just there, and its over
when its over.
stephenyusko.com
Stephen Yusko will have a solo
show at the William Busta Gallery
in Cleveland June 6 July 26.
Joyce Lovelace is American
Crafts contributing editor.
above:
Faceted Oil Can,
2009, forged and
fabricated steel,
10 x 4.5 x 2.75 in.
left:
Cleveland Desk,
2009, forged and
fabricated steel,
Richlite, pattern-
welded steel, ebon-
ized cherry wood,
ber washers,
2.5 x 5 x 2.5 ft.

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In her latest
work, Nathalie
Miebach has
added another
dimension sound.
The point, really,
is to hear the
information,
she says.

into w
ondrous sculptures and scores.
C
h
a
o
s
Nathalie Miebach transforms scientic data
story by
Joyce Lovelace
portraits by
Cary Wolinsky
Violist
Dimitri Murrath
plays a score
generated from
weather
data.

of all the images of the
devastation wrought by Hur-
ricane Sandy in 2012, perhaps
the most haunting were the
wrecked seaside amusement
parks: the roller coaster half-
submerged in the ocean off the
New Jersey shore, the still-
standing Ferris wheel overlook-
ing Coney Island in ruins. For
Nathalie Miebach, these eerie,
elegiac sights captured a conun-
drum: What compels us to keep
building, and rebuilding, on sites
that are vulnerable to increas-
ingly extreme weather?
Here was a story, a human
conict, that I found very inter-
esting. To me, it was a meta-
phor for the human inability,
almost, to accept that our cli-
mate really is changing, says
the Boston-based artist, 41,
whose fascination with weather
how it interacts with environ-
ments and affects people has
informed her work for almost
a decade. She made a series of
Sandy-inspired sculptures, elab-
orate basket structures she wove
by hand in a colorful riot of
reeds, wood, bamboo, and oth-
er materials. Their wildly intri-
cate shapes suggest carnival
rides, full of twists, turns, and
whirls, with all the chaos and
cacophony of, well, a storm.
Though they exhibit a kind of
gorgeous madness, there is
method to it.
What Miebach does in all
her work which ranges from
sculpture to wall pieces to large
installations is take scientic
data and render it in tactile, three-
dimensional form. In her Sandy
series, the ups and downs of a
roller coaster correspond direct-
ly to wind speeds recorded on
the night the hurricane made
landfall. Temperature, humid-
ity, tidal patterns, the migratory
habits of krill you name it,
Miebach has woven it.
I stay true to the numbers,
in the sense that you can read
the weather off these pieces,
she says. There is a numerical
logic, a way of translation, at
the root of it all.
The musical score
(below) follows the
sinking of the vessel in
three acts and is made
up entirely of weather
data. It ends as the ship,
two days overdue, is
reported missing, and
reality sets in.
In October 1991, the
Perfect Storm entered
the Gulf of Maine, an
extreme meteorological
event that sank the
Andrea Gail. Miebach
rendered data from the
storm in a reed and wood
sculpture (above).
mapping meteorological extremes The Ghostly Crew
of the Andrea Gail,
2011, reed, wood,
data, 6 x 3 x 5 ft.
The Ghostly Crew of the Andrea Gail, 2011, score

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Research is a big part of
Miebachs craft, especially if
her subject is a particular envi-
ronment, be it stormy Atlantic
waters or Midwestern city
streets. In order to truly
understand weather, you have
to understand the environment
as well. And an environment
is not an app; it will not reveal
itself to you quickly, she says.
Working for months if
necessary, shell gather data
from weather stations and the
internet but also go out in the
eld, using simple measuring
tools and her own senses to take
it all in: rainfall, plant and ani-
mal activity, cloud patterns,
the color of water, how sound
travels differently on a humid
day. Later shell plot her struc-
tures in detailed drawings, then
do the slow, meticulous hand-
work that brings them to life.
The results are objects of
extraordinary playfulness and
wonder. Are they art, or sci-
ence, or both or something
else entirely? Its the kind of
question people interested in
innovation like to contemplate
these days. No surprise, then,
that Miebachs work has been
attracting attention across disci-
plines. She won a coveted spot
as a Fellow and speaker at the
2011 TED (Technology, Enter-
tainment and Design) global
bringing shape to things unseen And the Winds Kept
Roaring Through
the Night, 2011,
reed, wood, data,
24 x 18 x 20 in.
It began its nal voyage
in Gloucester, Massachu-
setts, en route to St.
Johns, Newfoundland.
This sculpture (above)
translates wind data
collected on the night
of the storm from those
three locations.
The Andrea Gail was
never found, but the
shing vessel is believed
to have gone missing
near Sable Island off the
coast of Nova Scotia,
in treacherous waters
known as the grave-
yard of the Atlantic.

What I hear
over and over
again is this
real need to
make things
tactile.

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sea changes
Changing Waters uses
data from buoys in
the Gulf of Maine and
coastal weather stations
to explore the seasonal
variations of marine life.
The piece was part of
an installation commis-
sioned by Fuller Craft
Museum in 2011; it has
traveled nationwide.
hurricane sandy
For Miebach, some of
the most enduring sights
in the aftermath of
Hurricane Sandy were
damaged rides at Coney
Island and the unmoored
Star Jet roller coaster in
Seaside Heights, New
Jersey. The wrecks
became an ominous and
emblematic image of
changing weather and
ocean conditions.
Miebachs work is both
didactic and fanciful.
Straddling that line,
it demands reection:
Why do we associate
some visual languages
with scientic fact
and others with
aesthetic expression?
Changing Waters
(detail), 2011, reed,
wood, rope, paper,
data, 30 x 20 x 1 ft.
O Fortuna,
Sandy Spins,
2013, reed,
wood, rope,
bamboo, data,
25 x 14 x 14 in.

conference in Edinburgh,
Scotland. In 2013 she took
part in Synergy, a project of
MIT and the Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution
that catalyzes partnerships
between artists and research
scientists; out of that came
To Hear an Ocean in a Whisper,
a large, ambitious piece she
made in collaboration with
oceanographer Jonathan
Fincke, about the marine eco-
system of Georges Bank in the
Gulf of Maine.
Kids love Miebachs work,
which is why science teachers
were among the rst to embrace
it, she says, even before the art
world. On one side, my work
is very didactic, almost like a
graph that tells exactly the rela-
tionship between variables,
a very scientic representation.
On the other, its a fanciful,
magical, crazy expression of
weather that still uses data as
a source of material, but has
crossed a boundary. It chal-
lenges us to think about how
we visualize information:
Is data just as valid in a sculp-
ture as in a graph? Have we
been conditioned to associate
some visual languages with
scientic fact and others with
aesthetic expression? If the
latter is true, then she wants
her work to be right at the
cusp of that tension.
preserving a
moment in time
This sculpture is a three-
dimensional representa-
tion of a musical score
a visual, tactile expres-
sion of Navigating Into a
New Night (opposite),
which Miebach created
with weather data col-
lected in Boston in fall
2008, when her father-
in-law died.
what data
cant show
opposite: Emotions
affect how we experi-
ence and remember
weather. In the score
dealing with the loss
of her father-in-law,
Miebach uses black ver-
tical lines to represent
tempo and what time
felt like during that
emotional period.
Musical Buoy in
Search Towards a
New Shore, 2009,
reed, wood, data,
2.7 x 2.7 ft. dia.

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Navigating Into a New Night (excerpt), 2009, score

A blend of science and art
seems to be part of Miebachs
DNA. She grew up in Germany,
her fathers native country,
until the age of 12, when his job
as an engineer on the Hubble
Space Telescope brought their
family to the United States.
He would come home with pic-
tures that the Hubble took, and
he would talk about these galax-
ies, millions of light years
away, she remembers. Her
French-born mother was cre-
ative, and enjoyed weaving bas-
kets, crafting stained glass, and
painting. Miebach was involved
in theater as a teen, earned a BA
in political science and East Asian
studies at Oberlin College, then
spent two years teaching Eng-
lish in Indonesia. There, she
discovered that if you wanted
to understand what was going
on politically, you hung out with
artists. That revelation sparked
her interest in visual art, not
just as a language, but as a vehi-
cle of thought.
Back in the United States,
she enrolled at the Massachu-
setts College of Art, where she
got an art education degree and
later an MFA in sculpture. In
between, she studied basketry
with Lois Russell, today presi-
dent of the National Basketry
Organization, who encouraged
her to think outside the vessel.
She made work about astrono-
my for a while, then came
down to Earth. All along, she
has reveled in the endless struc-
tural possibilities of the basket
form, which she regards as an
ideal modern tool for data visu-
alization. Take any brainstorm
map, matrix, or web, she points
out, put it in 3D, and voil!
You have a basket.
Miebachs latest work
involves yet another dimension
sound. Looking to bring more
nuance to her pieces, she
thought about how a composer
writes down a basic melody,
then achieves an emotional
quality by adding notations,
or directions to the player,
around it. So now shes
translating data into scores that
she can use to build a sculpture,
and that also can be read and
played by a musician.
The melody is xed data,
such as wind levels, tempera-
ture, and barometric pressure.
Less quantiable elements, such
as cloud cover, are given a more
free-form visual and musical
treatment, leaving room for a
player to interpret and impro-
vise. (Visit her website to hear
samples.) The sinking of the
Andrea Gail in the Perfect
Storm of 1991 was her inspira-
tion for a series of these 3D
musical scores, including a boat
form on wheels representing tidal
calendars, and maplike wall piec-
es that track the dance of two
storm systems as they combine
into one massive Noreaster.
The point is not to make a
purely expressive piece, though
some musicians have done that,
she says. The point, really, is to
hear the information. What kind
of dissonance comes out of it,
what kind of harmony? Is there
harmony?
For herself, Miebach has
found harmony in diverse worlds,
different resonance in different
communities. She relates deep-
ly to craftspeople, but also seeks
out the company of data visual-
izers, a tech-oriented group that
has coalesced in the last few years
and encompasses designers,
coders, sculptors, lmmakers,
people who are really inter-
ested in numbers and data, what
data can be. She thinks its no
coincidence that the DIY maker
movement rose in tandem with
a tidal wave of technology over-
whelming our lives. Even at the
tech conferences she attends,
she says, what I hear over and
over again is this real need for
making things tactile.
nathaliemiebach.com
Nathalie Miebachs solo show,
Changing Waters, a look at the
meteorological and oceanic interac-
tions in the Gulf of Maine, is at the
Craft and Folk Art Museum in
Los Angeles through January 5.
Some components of
To Hear an Ocean in
a Whisper (2013), an
installation the size of
a small garden shed.
Swing ride: tidal
patterns,
whale sightings
Miebachs
imaginative
work asks us
to rethink how
we think of
and look at
data.

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the carnival
under the sea
To Hear an Ocean in a
Whisper is a collaboration
with Jonathan Fincke,
an acoustic engineer and
oceanographer who uses
sound to study biological
processes in the Georges
Bank, an elevated swath
of sea oor that separates
the Gulf of Maine from
the Atlantic Ocean.
Miebach used his acous-
tic data to illustrate the
presence of krill. Each
amusement park ride
interprets biological,
seasonal, or geophysical
cycles and patterns asso-
ciated with the tiny
crustaceans, while all
of the rides together
comprise a map of the
area and nearby coastal
features.
Ferris wheel:
krills
daily cycle
Spider ride:
seasonal changes,
ocean buoy data
Merry-go-round:
krill in context
of seasonal data

Art Cloth Studios
Learn. Make. Love.
Study with Jane Dunnewold and other select
instructors in beautiful San Antonio, Texas.
Calendar posted at
artclothstudios.com - click on Workshops
Art in the Park
On June 7-8, 2014 Columbia, MO. Fine arts
& crafts festival in its 56th year featuring 110
artists at a lakeside setting.
Application deadline: February 7, 2014

www.ArtInTheParkColumbia.org
Sue Mersman 2013 Award Winner
Celebrating 25 years
of Seashells of Blown
and Hot sculpted glass
by Charles E. Friedman
Seattle WA.
206-781-0608
www.FriedmanGlassworks.com
Image: 3 shells on the beach,
10L x 8D
Shilshole
Seashells
from the
Salish Sea
The 2013 Craft Hilton Head
nationally juried exhibition, IMAGINE,
will feature 2D and 3D ne art
crafts that encompass exemplary
creativity, experimentation and
imagination, showcasing what can be
accomplished with few restrictions.
This exhibition will be open to the public
from December 5, 2013, through
January 6, 2014 at Art League of
Hilton Head, 14 Shelter Cove Lane,
Hilton Head Island, SC. The opening
reception is free and open to the public
from 5-7pm December 5th. Cash prizes
will be awarded by judge and artist
Susie Chisholm of Savannah, GA.
For more information,
visit www.artleaguehhi.org
or call 843-681-2399.
Traybien
Handcrafted hardwood serving trays
Crafted from exotic & domestic hardwoods.
Each tray is a unique & original design creating
an individual functional art piece.
Portfolio at: www.traybien.biz
Learn the time-honored skill and
values of ne craftsmanship
through hands-on training in full-
time programs and continuing-
education workshops in
bookbinding, carpentry, cabinet
and furniture making, jewelry
making, locksmithing and security
technology, piano technology,
preservation carpentry and violin
making.
The master faculty and inspiring
community encourage individual
growth and technical mastery.
Located in a new, state-of-the-art
facility in Bostons historic North
End.
AMERICAN CRAFT MARKETPLACE
The American Craft Marketplace showcases artwork, galleries, events, products and services.

BUFFET DETAIL: Sappele, Maple Burl, Paint
Morven Museum & Garden in Princeton, NJ
seeks exhibitors for its third annual ne craft
show and sale, May 2 - 4, 2014.
Jurors: James Steward, Director, Princeton
University Art Museum; David Rago, Founding
Partner, Rago Arts; and Veronica Roberts,
Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art,
Blanton Museum of Art (U. of Texas, Austin).
Late Deadline: Dec. 10, 2013.
Application and show prospectus: Juried Art
Services.
www.morven.org/events/event/morven-
in-may
Photo credit: Erin Wilson Quilts
46
th
Annual Sun Valley Center
Arts and Crafts Festival
2014 Call for Artists
August 8-10, 2014. Located in Ketchum, Idaho.
130 exhibitors. Application available December
15, 2013. $30/$35 jury fee (after February 1).
Application Deadline: February 28, 2014.
Visit www.sunvalleycenter.org to apply.
Third Street Studios
FINE FUN FURNITURE
651-917-9296
www.thirdstreetstudios.com

J Schatz
Wonder-Certied.
Handmade in New York.
Shop our collection of stoneware
Nut Bird Houses, Egg Bird Feeders, Mobile
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Give J Schatz Wonder and fall in love.
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AMERICAN CRAFT MARKETPLACE
Lou McMurray Sculpture
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One-of-a-kind wood sculptures.
Commissions + Special Requests Available

Visit my NEW website:
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To place a Marketplace ad, please contact Joanne Smith | 612-206-3122 | jsmith@craftcouncil.org
coming next issue
Our rst-ever
tabletop issue!

A glimpse inside acclaimed chef (and
ceramics lover) Chris Hastings world

A survey of artists who make
work for the table

What craft can learn from the
farm-to-table movement

PLUS The craft scene in
Baltimore and much more!

wide world of craft

story by
Carolyn Hazel Drake
Portlandia jokes
aside, in xis almow
ridiculouuy crapy city,
artiws and designers
work together
to succeed.
C
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wide world of craft

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North Portland
Beam & Anchor captures the
Portland aesthetic at its best:
vintage Eames rockers exqui-
sitely reupholstered in pat-
terned Pendleton wool, supple
leather goods, understated por-
celain tableware, scarves and
linens stitched from repurposed
Japanese kimonos, fragrant oils
scented with pine and moss
all displayed in a raw, industrial
environment. The best part?
Upstairs is the shared work-
space where most of the items
are produced.
On Interstate Avenue, one
of the neighborhoods main
thoroughfares, the shop serves
as headquarters for Maak Soap
Lab, Wood & Faulk, Phloem
Studio, Revive Upholstery &
P
ortland, oregon, has such a wealth of creative
talent and energy that the benchmark for art, craft, and
design is a high one indeed. With an established and
connected craft community, the city is full of exciting,
inventive work. Boutiques and galleries are often run
by artists and designers, each with a distinct critical eye,
and this diversity of aesthetic vision is cultivated by the uniquely
collaborative ethos of the city.
Portland has an inherent collaborative spirit, says Jocelyn
Rahm, co-owner of retail/workspace Beam & Anchor. There
seem to be fewer egos and a greater inclination to leverage the col-
lective energy. The city just seems to draw folks who are curious,
industrious, and excited to work together. Five distinct regions
make up the creative landscape of the city.
Design, and Earthbound
Industries. Rahm points out
the value of this proximity:
We love that our customers
can spend time with our hand-
crafted goods and then go
upstairs to see where many of
the products are actually made.
It re inforces the signicance
of what it takes to create well-
made goods.
Close quarters have also
led to frequent collaboration
among the designers, which
could account for why the wares
at Beam & Anchor work so well
together.
Further north, see up-and-
coming independent artists
at Land Gallery, and avant-
garde visual and performance
art at Disjecta.
Land Gallery
houses an exhibition
space and shop in its
small two-story build-
ing, showcasing work
from many local artists.
Founded by the owners
of Buy Olympia, the
company moved from
Washington state to
Portland in 2009.
wide world of craft

L
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1. Collage
1639 NE Alberta St.
collagepdx.blogspot.com
2. Bolt Fabric Boutique
2136 NE Alberta St.
boltfabricboutique.com
3. Close Knit
2140 NE Alberta St.
closeknitportland.com
4. Ampersand
2916 NE Alberta St.
ampersandgallerypdx.com
5. Guardino Gallery
2939 NE Alberta St.
guardinogallery.com
6. Disjecta
8371 N. Interstate Ave.
disjecta.org
7. Land Gallery
3925 N. Mississippi Ave.
landpdx.com
8. Beam & Anchor
2710 N. Interstate Ave.
beamandanchor.com
9. Eutectic Gallery
1930 NE Oregon St.
eutecticgallery.com
10. 23 Sandy Gallery
623 NE 23rd Ave.
23sandy.com
11. ADX
417 SE 11th Ave.
adxportland.com
12. Noun: a persons
place for things
3300 SE Belmont St.
shopnoun.com
13. Tilde
7919 SE 13th Ave.
tildeshop.com
14. Saturday Market
2 SW Naito Pkwy.
portlandsaturday
market.com
15. Hand-Eye Supply
23 NW 4th Ave.
handeyesupply.com
16. Museum of
Contemporary Craft
724 NW Davis St.
museumofcontemporary
craft.org
17. Augen Gallery
716 NW Davis St.
augengallery.com
18. Froelick Gallery
714 NW Davis St.
froelickgallery.com
19.Elizabeth Leach Gallery
417 NW 9th Ave.
elizabethleach.com
20.WaterstoneGallery
424 NW 12th Ave.
waterstonegallery.com
21. Bullseye Gallery
300 NW 13th Ave.
bullseyegallery.com
22. Woonwinkel
935 SW Washington St.
woonwinkelhome.com
23. Crafty Wonderland
808 SW 10th Ave.
craftywonderland.com
24. Portland Art Museum
1219 SW Park Ave.
portlandartmuseum.org
Laura desks by
Phloem Studio
in walnut and white
oak. Phloem shares
workspace with
Beam & Anchor
(opposite), which
sells the furniture
alongside other
home goods made
on-site.
D
o
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n
to
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Portland
Mini
Tour

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Northeast Portland
Eutectic Gallery opened in
February 2013 as a space dedi-
cated to contemporary ceramics.
Its located in a 17,000-square-
foot building alongside two
local ceramic wholesalers,
Mudshark Studios and Portland
Growler Company. Shows thus
far have included the work
of Kelly Garrett Rathbone,
Brad Mildrexler, and Baba
Wagu Diakit. The gallery
also includes a shop featuring
an eclectic mix of ceramics
from local artists.
techniques happen here all
the time.
While on Alberta Street,
be sure to stop by Ampersand
for exhibits pairing contempo-
rary artists with vintage found
photography and found print
goods. Collect ephemera such
as Monopoly money, plastic
buttons, and Scrabble tiles, paper,
and art supplies at Collage (which
also offers classes in various
mediums and techniques), and
then head to Bolt Fabric Bou-
tique and Close Knit for textiles
and yarn, respectively.
Nearby, 23 Sandy focuses on
contemporary book and paper
arts. Owner Laura Russell has a
passion for the medium that is
present in her own artwork and
in the thoughtful exhibitions she
arranges, such as Eco Editions,
a juried show of artist books
inspired by environmental sus-
tainability (through December
28), and last years Innite Pos-
sibilities, a show highlighting
the connections between art,
math, and science.
Guardino Gallery shows
some of the best Northwest
artists working in encaustic,
collage, clay, metal, or, in the
case of sculptor Christopher
Wagner, driftwood and some-
times stretched pig intestine.
Openings take place on Last
Thursday, a monthly art walk
on bustling Alberta Street, and
are often packed.
Creating art is a solo act, but
a person can only take so much
rain, and then an overwhelming
need to make contact with their
fellow artists takes over, says
co-owner Donna Guardino.
Ideas and the exchange of
Baba Wagu
Diakits painted
ceramics from
a recent show at
Eutectic Gallery.
Christopher
Wagners One Day
(2011), made of wood,
milk paint, and
encaustic. Guardino
Gallery shows
his work.
wide world of craft

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The book section of
Hand-Eye Supply,
a store dedicated
to tools, materials,
and inspiration
for makers.
Northwest Portland
Hand-Eye Supply is a standout
among several shops in the
Portland area that cater to the
needs of makers. At the self-
titled workstyle store, you
can nd drawing materials and
studio tools, safety goggles and
hand-forged hatchets from
Portlands Bridgetown Forge,
aprons and coveralls, and
handcrafted tool bags. Twice a
month, the Curiosity Club gath-
ers to hear speakers on topics
ranging from hand-forging and
kinetic sculpture to making
your own Eames chair to bee-
keeping and whole-hog butchery.
Northwest Portlands Pearl
District is host to First Thurs day,
the longest-running art walk
in the city. Galleries abound,
and Froelick, Elizabeth Leach,
Waterstone, Bullseye, and
Augen are must-sees for excep-
tional high-end craft. The
Craft is a cornerstone of the
craft scene in Portland. Founded
as the Oregon Ceramic Studio in
1937, today it shows pieces
from its extensive permanent
collection, which is particularly
rich in midcentury ceramics,
and mounts thought-provoking
exhibitions under the leadership
of executive director and chief
curator Namita Gupta Wiggers,
who also serves on the board of
the American Craft Council.
The Museum of
Contemporary Craft
features local and
national makers. The
current exhibition,
Quality is Contagious,
showcases heirloom-
quality hand tools by
John Economaki.
An artist book by Diane Jacobs from Feast,
a national juried exhibition at 23 Sandy Gallery.
wide world of craft

left: Portland Art
Museums Object
Stories installation
invites the public
to share objects
that matter to them.
right: Tilde sells
midcentury-inspired
art and design.
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Southwest Portland
In recent years, the Portland
Art Museum has made it a prior-
ity to connect with a more
diverse audience. In the instal-
lation Object Stories, visitors can
lm a personal narrative about
an object or artwork of indi-
vidual signicance. The col-
lected segments can be viewed
through a grid of touchscreens;
they provide a fascinating, funny,
and often touching glimpse of
how individuals nd meaning
in physical objects, whether
rareed or mundane.
At Woonwinkel, Erica
Essink and Kristin Van Buskirk
blend modern European design
with work by local and regional
designer-makers, such as table-
ware by Pigeon Toe Ceramics
and jewelry by Takara. This
is a town that appreciates well-
crafted anything: bikes, dough-
nuts, and luckily for us, home
dcor, says Essink. So we
knew Portlanders were ready
for a shop like Woonwinkel.
Southwest Portland also
is home to two craft markets.
The Portland Saturday Market,
straddling the border between
northwest and southwest,
is entering its fourth decade.
It runs from March through
December, and features hun-
dreds of artisans in all kinds
of mediums selling their wares;
food vendors, live music, and
other entertainment add to the
festive ambiance. Upstart
market Crafty Wonderland
began in 2006 as a monthly
show at a local indie music ven-
ue, but by 2009 had transitioned
to two large shows each year,
including a holiday sale, to
accommodate the 200-some
artisans. The retail shop had
a similarly humble beginning
as a pop-up shop, but customer
response has led to a more per-
manent location near the Central
Library, with about 90 artists
and artisans on view.
Woonwinkel owners
Erica Essink (left)
and Kristin Van
Buskirk. Their shop
sells handcrafted
home goods and
furnishings.
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Southeast Portland
Stephanie Sheldons shop
bears the cleverly nerdy title
of Noun: a persons place for
things. Jewelry by Tiro Tiro
(formerly Stone + Honey) and
Demimonde is displayed along-
side a thoughtful selection of
locally made ceramics, print arts,
and vintage furniture. Sheldon
explains, Portlanders are so
creative and crafty that I real-
ized right away that no matter
how inexpensive an item is,
if a customer thinks they can
replicate it at home, they will
pass it up. We stock work from
artists who use difcult-to-source
materials and who create pieces
that require special skill.
Elsewhere in Southeast
Portland, Tilde offers colorful,
midcentury-inspired art and
design, including art prints
by Shira Sela and Lisa Kaser,
ceramic vessels from Vitried-
studio, and fashion-forward
garments from the Pendleton
Portland Collection by Port-
land designers John Blasioli,
Nathaniel Crissman, and
Rachel Turk.
Portlands enthusiasm for
craft has not always translated
into a lucrative or stable eco-
nomic environment for makers.
Efforts to change this might
have arisen from need, but
they have led in part to the cul-
ture of cross-pollination and
innovation that keeps Portland,
well, weird.
Take ADX, a 10,000-square-
foot membership-based work-
space near the heart of the city,
with full wood and metal shops,
as well as a laser-cutting studio,
CNC router, and 3D printer.
ADX has classes, events, and
in-house fabricators who tackle
collaborative projects such as
building a 10-foot wooden globe
for the World Domination
Summit (a creative startup con-
ference) and laser-engraved
cofns for Wieden + Kennedys
marketing campaign for the
animated lm Paranorman.
Larger institutions also
forge important connections,
such as Oregon College of
Art and Craft, and Pacic
Northwest College of Art,
which recently launched a joint
MFA program in applied craft
and design.
By sharing ideas, expertise,
and labor, individuals and orga-
nizations foster an environment
that lures some of the best and
brightest to Portland, and, ideally,
will sustain and invigorate the
existing community of makers.
Carolyn Hazel Drake is a ceramic
sculptor and art teacher in Portland.
Noun carries artists
who create pieces that
require special skill.
If a customer thinks
they can replicate it
at home, they will pass
it up, says owner
Stephanie Sheldon.
ADX
(above, top, and left),
a membership-based
workspace, offers
studio space, classes,
and events to foster
Portlands creative
community.
wide world of craft

a 3d printer in everyones
home is just around the corner.
Craft departments in universi-
ties are shrinking or closing.
Design is on the rise, some say,
while popular interest in DIY
and small-batch manufacturing
seems to have passed studio
craft by. Against this shifting
landscape, the question arises:
Should craft education adjust its
focus, away from materials and
toward design? Would that help
the next generation of makers?
Contemporary craft educa-
tion already includes a design
component, of course. The Bau-
haus was a major inuence on
craft instruction in the 20th
century, emphasizing both
form and material, ideas and
implementation. Bauhaus pro-
fessors assigned exercises in
abstract composition alongside
material experimentation, and
both a master of form and a
master of craft guided students
through technical challenges.
When the Bauhaus closed in
1933, many of its charismatic
teachers and alumni immigrated
to the United States at the very
moment when craft education
programs were forming here.
Material-focused instruction
ourished in schools founded in
the era, such as Penland School
of Handicrafts, Cranbrook
Academy of Art, and Black
Mountain College. Those
schools emphasized design
competency, which translated
to a more sensitive treatment
of form, whatever the medium
or technique.
Should craft education lean toward design?
A Material Question
essay by
Perry A. Price
So the need for an emphasis
on design for craft artists is not
a new concern. In fact, nearly 50
years ago, Hedy Backlin argued
in this magazine that makers
had ignored the opportunity to
design for industry as an alterna-
tive potentially both scally
and artistically enriching to
the limitations of working in the
studio or as a professor. Backlin
saw craftspeople as the antidote
to poor industrial design; she
viewed the maker as alert and
responsive to [a materials]
inherent aesthetic and technical
possibilities. The problem, she
argued, was craft artists limited
understanding of the processes
of industrial fabrication. Few
could translate effectively their
handmade work into specs for
the production line, a result of
academic craft education that
turned what had been a trade
into an intellectual preoccupa-
tion that consciously set itself in
opposition to the needs of indus-
trial production.
Backlins lament brings us
forward to 2010, when ceramist
Molly Hatch was asked to
design tableware for the nation-
al retailer Anthropologie. Based
on what she assumed were the
limitations of industrial produc-
tion, Hatch originally designed
her production line using decals.
Instead, the commercially manu-
factured pieces feature the same
inlaid slip and hand-painting as
her prototype. Despite her u-
ency with clay, Hatch has said,
she was unfamiliar with the pos-
sibilities of industrial production.
Would training in design have
better prepared her?
And what might that design
training look like? Seth Nagelberg,
assistant professor of product
design at Parsons the New School
for Design, frames the contrast
between craft and design
education as one of problem-
solving: Designers are trained
to ask questions, frame prob-
lems, and propose solutions.
This may mean working with
experts, manufacturers, and
clients. Designers may not have
a specialty like a potter, weaver,
or a furniture maker. ...They
rely on manufacturers and
craftsmen to realize their ideas.
The questions craft artists ask,
on the other hand, are of their
own devising, driven by their
individual aesthetic and use of
material and technique.
Conditions today might seem
ideal for a craft education that
borrows heavily from design
education. Increasingly, stu-
dents are working in an interdis-
ciplinary fashion, drawing on
techniques and mediums across
various departments, working
with glass one day, say, and
wood the next. New materials,
tools, and ways to make things
are coming onto the market
(and into the studio), such as
3D printers that can fabricate
objects with materials beyond
the more common thermo-
plastics. The opportunities for
what to make and how to make
it have never been greater, even
as the barrier of technique or
skill has seemingly declined.
But lets remember that
Anthropologie didnt choose
Molly Hatch for her design
skills; she was selected for her
vision as a craft artist. Even
as materials and techniques
change, only craft can synthe-
size expression and skill. To
emphasize an industrial design
process is to reinforce the prob-
lematic relationship between
designer and technician a ten-
sion that might overlook the
potential of a medium or pro-
cess. Besides, craft does not
reside in the accepted working
properties of a given material or
technique. The craftsmanship
we celebrate is the kind that may
challenge, investigate, or rede-
ne materials and technique.
To lose material-centered edu-
cation would be to lose the
thinking that pushes the bound-
aries of what a process or medi-
um can do, in favor of what it
already does.
Whatever the future relation-
ship of craft and design, what-
ever the new developments in
tools or materials, and whatever
the changes in or additions to
craft training, continued explo-
ration of material and processes,
in service to individual vision,
must remain the core of craft
education. Losing that core
would be to sacrice what is
most distinctive and maybe
what is most signicant about
contemporary craft.
Perry A. Price is the director
of education for the American
Craft Council.
ideas

CRAFT DESIGN
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DESIGN
CRAFT

Classied advertising is $3.95 per word, minimum 20 words. Name and address
count as words. Example: A.B. Smith is three words. Full payment must accom-
pany order, mailed to American Craft, 1224 Marshall Street NE, Suite 200, Minne-
apolis, MN 55413. Or contact Joanne Smith at jsmith@craftcouncil.org when plac-
ing classied ads using credit card payment. Deadlines: December 6 for February/
March 2014; January 31, 2014 for April/May 2014.
call for entries
TOP JEWELS 2014 NATIONAL JEWELRY DESIGN EXHIBITION.
May 16 to June 28, 2014 - DURANGO, CO. CALL FOR ENTRIES at CaF:
www.callforentry.org.
Deadline: April 11, 2014. Awards: $5000 Master Workshops with Tim Mc-
Creight, Valerie Hector, Deb Karash and Lisa & Scott Cylinder. More info at:
www.durangoarts.org/events
92nd Street Y ................................... 4
American Craft Council ... 2, 14, 42, 43
Anderson Ranch ............................ 24
Arrowmont School
of Arts and Crafts ............................11
Artrider Productions ..................... 95
Bellevue Arts Museum .................. 94
Corning Museum of Glass ............... 11
Craft Alliance .................................. 4
Craft Council of Newfoundland
and Labrador .................................. 13
David Patchen ................................. 1
Elaine Erickson Gallery ................. 35
Garry Knox Bennett Furniture ..... 25
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts 24
Holiday Gift Guide ................. 29 34
Houston Center for Contemporary
Craft ............................... Cover 2, 25
James Renwick Alliance ................. 9
Jewelers Resource Bureau ............. 15
Kentucky Arts Council ................... 4
LAttitude Gallery .......................... 35
Marketplace ............................ 82 83
Maxs ............................................... 7
Museum of Arts and Design ............ 9
Myra Burg........................................ 7
Obsidian Gallery .............................35
Penland Gallery ............................... 7
Penland School of Crafts ................ 94
Pinnacle Gallery.................... Cover 4
Pittsburgh Glass Center .................. 13
Pocosin Arts Folk School ................25
San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts ... 95
Snow Farm..................................... 25
The Grand Hand Gallery.................35
Virginia Commonwealth
University ....................................... 13
Watchcraft....................................... 3
Weyrich Gallery/The Rare
Vision Art Galerie ..........................35
White Bird Gallery .........................35
Wholesalecrafts.com ............. Cover 3
Ad Index
Classied

statement of ownership, management and circulation
1. Publication Title: American Craft 2. Publication No. 0801-0200 3. Filing date October 1, 2013
4. Issue Frequency: Bi-Monthly 5. No. of issues published annually: (six) 6 6. Annual subscription price:
$40.00 7. Complete mailing address of known office of publication: American Craft, 1224 Marshall Street
NE, Suite 200, Minneapolis, MN 55413-1089 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General
Business Offices of Publisher: American Craft Council, 1224 Marshall Street NE, Suite 200, Minneapolis,
MN 55413-1089 9. Executive Director: Chris Amundsen, 1224 Marshall Street NE, Suite 200,
Minneapolis, MN 55413-1089 Editor-in-Chief: Monica Moses, 1224 Marshall Street NE, Suite 200,
Minneapolis, MN 55413-1089 10. Owner: American Craft Council, 1224 Marshall Street NE, Suite 200,
Minneapolis, MN 55413-1089 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning
or Holding 1 percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None 12. Tax
Status: The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal
income tax purposes Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months. 13. Publication Title: American
Craft 14. Issue date for circulation data: August/September 2013
17. Publicationof Statement of OwnershipWill Be Printedinthe Dec./Jan. 2014issue of this publication.
18. Jim Motrinec, Business Manager 9/30/13
I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone
who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material information
requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions and/or civil sanctions.
15. Extent and nature of circulation:
16. Total circulation including electronic copies (PS Form 3526-X):
Average No. Copies
Each Issue During
Preceding 12 Months
No. Copies of Single
Issue Published
Nearest to Filing Date
36,914
26,012
0
3, 417
29,429
1,120
0
0
2,748
3,868
33,297
3,617
36,914
88.4%
1,574
31,003
34,871
88.9
38,460
25,537
0
3,512
29,049
1,107
0
0
4,650
5,757
34,805
3,654
38,460
83.5%
1,392
30, 440
36,197
84.1
A. Total Number of Copies (Net press run)
B. Paid Circulation (By Mail and Outside the Mail)
1. Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions
2. Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions
3. Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including
Sales through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors,
Counter Sales and Other Non-USPS paid distribution
4. Other Classed Mailed Through USPS
C. Total Paid Distribution
D. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution
(by Mail and Outside Mail)
1. Free or Nominal Rate Outside County Copies
2. Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies
3. Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed Other Classes
4. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail
E. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution
(sum of 15d 1, 2,3, 4)
F. Total Distribution
G. Copies not Distributed
H. Total
I. Percent Paid
A. Paid Electronic Copies
B. Total Paid Print Copies
(Line 15C) + Paid Electronic Copies
C. Total Print Distribution
(Line 15C) + Paid Electronic Copies
D. Percent Paid (Both Print & Electronic Copies)

The American Craft Council is a national, nonprofit public educational
organization that traces its inception to 1941. Founded by Aileen Osborn Webb,
the mission of the Council is to champion and promote the understanding and
appreciation of contemporary American craft. Programs include the bimonthly
magazine American Craft, annual juried shows presenting artists and their work,
the American Craft Council Awards honoring excellence, a specialized library,
conferences, workshops, and seminars.
1224 Marshall St. NE, Suite 200, Minneapolis, MN 55413
Phone (612) 206-3100; (800) 836-3470 Fax (612) 355-2330
council@craftcouncil.org www.craftcouncil.org
Membership Services: (888) 313-5527
Magazine: letters@craftcouncil.org, www.americancraftmag.org
Library: library@craftcouncil.org 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday
Shows: shows@craftcouncil.org (800) 836-3470
A Funding Source
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota
State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation
from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Gregory E. Allen
Director of Finance
and Administration
gallen@craftcouncil.org

Elissa Chaffee
Director of
Development
echaffee@craftcouncil.org
Pamela Diamond
Director of Marketing
and Communications
pdiamond@craftcouncil.org
Melanie Little
Director of
Shows
mlittle@craftcouncil.org
Monica Moses
Editor in Chief,
American Craft
mmoses@craftcouncil.org
Perry A. Price
Director of
Education
pprice@craftcouncil.org
American Craft Council Staff Leadership Team
Barbara Berlin
Potomac, MD
Kevin Buchi
Malvern, PA
Sonya Clark
Richmond, VA
Chuck Duddingston
Minneapolis, MN
Leilani Lattin Duke
Pacific Palisades, CA
Robert Duncan
Lincoln, NE
Libba Evans
Winston-Salem, NC
James Hackney Jr.
Atlanta, GA
Charlotte Herrera
Webster, NY
Ayumi Horie
Auburn, ME
Stuart Kestenbaum
Deer Isle, ME
Michael Lamar
Providence, RI
Stoney Lamar
Saluda, NC
Lorne Lassiter
Charlotte, NC
Wendy Maruyama
San Diego, CA
Marlin Miller
Reading, PA
Michael W. Monroe
Bellevue, WA
Alexandra Moses
Wellesley, MA
Gabriel Ofiesh
Charlottesville, VA
Bruce Pepich
Racine, WI
Sylvia Peters
Knoxville, TN
Judy Pote
Philadelphia, PA
Josh Simpson
Shelburne Falls, MA
Cindi Strauss
Houston, TX
Jamienne Studley
San Francisco, CA
Thomas Turner
Kalamazoo, MI
Damian Velasquez
Albuquerque, NM
Namita Gupta Wiggers
Portland, OR
Patricia A. Young
Silver Spring, MD
Board of Trustees
american craft council
Christopher H. Amundsen
Executive Director
camundsen@craftcouncil.org
Barbara Waldman, Chair
San Francisco, CA

in my family, drawing was
always present, says Anna
Torma. I observed how my
children used their drawing
skills to communicate from
an early age. I found it quite
poetic, how they used a mix
of dragons and imaginary crea-
tures, texts and schoolwork,
to work through their negative
emotions and make sense of the
world. Her childrens drawings
became the inspiration for Every-
day Poems, an embroidered wall
piece Torma made in 1992 for
an exhibition in her native Hun-
gary. But after touring Europe
with the show, the piece got lost,
and never made it back to Cana-
da, her adopted home.
In 2013, Torma decided she
was ready to remake the piece,
with 20 more years of experi-
ence. She used the same basic
composition and hand-embroi-
dery technique as in the original.
This time, however, she chose
a cold, metallic fabric surface
and ended up with very differ-
ent results darker colors and
forms that allude to recent
events such as the Boston Mara-
thon bombing.
The work is now on view
through January 19 in Telling
Tales, a show about narrative
at Bellevue Arts Museum in
Washington state, also featuring
collages by Nate Steigenga and
glass by Cappy Thompson.
Drawn from Life
Anna Torma
Everyday Poems, 2013,
hand-embroidered
metallic fabric, silk
thread, 4.7 x 4 ft.
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one piece

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