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  • 25 Artists

    MAke Authenticity Work

    thecrAftof design

    2013bonusissue

  • Tom

    Van E

    ynde

    Jamie Y

    oung

    Rau + B

    arber

    Denyse Schm

    idt

    Features

    046 Shift 061 Reveal

    047Golden Age

    People today care more than ever about how things are made and who made them. The upshot? More opportunities than ever for makers to put on anoth-er hat as designers, collaborating with manufacturers and retailers. Joyce Lovelace reports on the trend and tells the stories of six designer-craftspeople whove made the leap.

    062Populist Modern

    Architects monopolized Scott McGlasson for the first decade of the woodworkers career. Then the economy tanked, and he reinvented his business plan. Today, the craftsman brings his design-minded approach to everything from custom furni-ture to turned plates, hawked in person at farmers markets and craft fairs. Christy DeSmith tells his story.

    070Fear and Fascination

    Gaze upon glass artist Shayna Leibs Wind and Water series, constructed from hundreds of pieces of hand-pulled cane, and one might assume two things: Shes an artist of preternatural patience, and shes had a long relationship with the sea. The first is categorically true, the second, more complicated. Judy Arginteanu meets up with Leib to talk about overcoming fear.

    078Piecework

    Where can inspiration take us? Jim Rose knows; from the begin-ning of his career, the artist has remained open to it. The result is striking steel furniture, inter-pretations of Shaker forms and traditional quilts, all meticulously crafted from reclaimed metal. Julie K. Hanus reports.

    Published by the American Craft Councilwww.craftcouncil.org

    Design 2013

  • Shaw

    n Lovell M

    etalworks

    Joel Baldw

    in

    Ryan K

    elley

    104Back to Basics

    Two decades after first learning woodturning, Joshua Vogel, co-founder of furniture company BDDW, has made it his full-time venture, producing goods as Blackcreek Mercantile & Trad-ing Co. Caroline Hannah pays a visit to the consummate crafts-man and his partner, Kelly Zan-eto, at their home and workshop in the Hudson Valley.

    084Drawn to Fire

    Shawn Lovells technique at the forge is as lyrical as the nature-inspired bed frames, arbors, doors, chandeliers, and other home goods the black-smith creates. Deborah Bishop visits Lovell at her Alameda, California, studio.

    090Crafted Systems

    Portland, Oregon-based designer Aurelie Tu hires women from a local YWCA shelter to help assemble her stylish felt lamp-shades, rugs, and vessels, imparting new skills and the therapeutic effects of making. Elizabeth Lopeman reports on an empowering business model.

    096Curves Ahead

    In Vivian Beers hands, rigid metal becomes impossibly sen-suous furniture. Julie K. Hanus talks to the New Hampshire-based designer/maker about her latest bodies of adventurous work, her residency at SUNY-Purchase, and taking advantage of the many opportunities the past few years have presented.

    Lincoln Barbour

  • Departments

    010 Vitreluxe glass studios creative approach to production

    012 Nicholas Stawinskis city-scaped furniture

    014 How Andrew Gilliatt puts the fun in functional

    016 Wendy Stevens sheet metal handbags

    018 Heather Knights chic ceramic tiles

    020 Mandi Kings road to glass

    022 Paul Loebachs furniture with a twist

    024 Jennifer Merchants mega-fun acrylic jewelry

    026 Furniture maker Doug Meyer reclaims Ohios rustbelt

    028 Jewelry artist Tia Kramers kinetic creations

    030 Marc Maioranas hand-forged housewares

    032 Lara Knutsons reflective glass fabrications

    Handmade designs you can own, curated by the editors of American Craft.

    114Shop Till We DropWhats the real price of a bar-gain buy? And should we expect people to pay more for handmade goods? Ellen Ruppel Shell, author of Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture, talks with Shannon Sharpe.

    116Open BookWhen Natalie Chanin decided to publish how-to books, including patterns for her most popular pieces, some thought the cloth-ing designer had made a mistake. Instead, her brand has bloomed. Julie K. Hanus asks Chanin to tell us how.

    118The Future Is NowHeres a question sure to stir up discussion: Does the future of craft lie in design? Monica Moses interviews Garth Clark, ceramics dealer, craft historian, and consummate flamethrower.

    120Road Map to CreativityNow in his 80th decade, the inimitable Wendell Castle designer, craftsman, and father of the art furniture movement shares his newest guide to living a creative life.

    09 Start 035 Goods

    What does craft have to do with design?

    06 From the Editor

    113 Ideas

    Vitreluxe glasspage 10

    Wendy Stevenshandbagspage 16

    Nicholas Stawinski furniturepage 12

    Stool photo: N

    icholas Staw

    inski / Glass photo: P

    aul Foster / Bag photo: K

    ate Lacey

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  • Portrait: Douglas Kirkland

    when a magazine called American Craft talks about design, what does it mean? Design can mean many

    things, of course. Design is a discipline, a problem-solving process that often yields inno-vation. Design is also a business strategy, allowing artists to part-ner with industry as designers to produce more work and make more sales. Design, more sub-jectively, is also an aesthetic a purposeful, visually logical approach that feels fresh and appealing to consumers.

    For this magazine, in this first-ever bonus digital edition dedicated to design, the term means all three things.

    Since 1941, American Craft has championed the work of individual craftspeople, many of whom are experts in specific materials for example, clay, wood, glass, fiber, metal more

    than designers per se. Celebrat-ing original, masterful fine craft is still our mission. But the lines between craft and design are blurring more every day.

    So this issue recognizes the rise of the modern-day designer-craftsperson the material- savvy artist who also excels in design. Thats design as a pro-cess, design as a business strat-egy, and design as an aesthetic.

    Consider lighting and furni-ture designer Alison Berger, for example (page 50). Take one glimpse inside her studio and you see a careful, highly techni-cal process. That skillful design process has led to partnerships with Holly Hunt and Herms.

    Then there is Kathy Erteman, a critically acclaimed ceramist who, by the way, also makes sophisticated dinnerware for Crate & Barrel (page 54). Her sculptural work graces

    museums and galleries, but shes got an astute business side, too.

    And for design aesthetic, look no further than Vivian Beer, whose sleek steel and concrete furniture has made her the darling of design aficionados across the country (page 96). Heres this young, great designer whos got so much potential and is so committed to her craft creating these incredibly well-designed, well-crafted pieces, says Lewis Wexler, co-owner of Wexler Gallery in Philadel-phia. Thats a powerful combination.

    Design has taken center stage in our culture. We expect everything from our boots to our tech gadgets to be flawlessly designed. For some artists, such as the two dozen were featur-ing in this issue, the zeitgeist is perfect. You do have those rising to prominence who are

    The Three Faces of Design

    Monica MosesEditor in Chief

    able to merge what you might call those two sides of their brain, says Rose Apodaca, co-owner of A+R, a stylish home accesso-ries store with two locations in Los Angeles. Theyre using craft-y methods and applying those notions in ways where items can be produced on a larg-er scale maybe not a Walmart scale, but certainly one that means a good business and living for them.

    We think there is much to admire in the process, business, and aesthetic powers of the art-ists on the following pages. We hope you do too.

    Alison Bergers highly technical process is evident in her studio.

    from the editor

    06 american craft design 2013

  • editorial

    Monica MosesEditor in [email protected]

    Julie K. Hanus Senior [email protected]

    Mary K. BaumannWill HopkinsCreative Directors

    Elizabeth RyanInteractive [email protected]

    Andrew Zoellner Assistant [email protected]

    Judy Arginteanu Copy Editor

    Joyce LovelaceContributing Editor

    Carlo ApostoliDesigner

    subscriptions

    To subscribe to American Craft and join the nonprofit American Craft Council, call (888) 313-5527.

    publishing

    Joanne Smith Advertising Sales [email protected]

    Kathy Pierce Advertising Coordinator [email protected]

    Jim Motrinec Circulation [email protected]

    legal

    American Craft(issn-0194-8008) is published bimonthly by the American Craft Council1224 Marshall Street NE, Suite 200Minneapolis, MN 55413 www.craftcouncil.org

    Periodicals postage paid at Minneapolis, MN, and additional mailing offices. Copyright 2013 byAmerican Craft Council. All rightsreserved. Reproduction in wholeor in part without written consentis prohibited.

    Basic membership rate is $40 per year, including subscriptionto American Craft (formerly CraftHorizons). Add $15 for Canadian and foreign orders. Address allsubscription correspondence to:

    American Craft CouncilP.O. Box 3000 Denville, nJ 07834-3000 Phone (888) 313-5527

    For change of address, give oldand new address with zip code.Allow six weeks for change to takeeffect. The opinions expressedin American Craft are those of theauthors and not necessarily thoseof the American Craft Council.Address unsolicited material to:

    American Craft, Editor in Chief 1224 Marshall Street NE, Suite 200Minneapolis, MN 55413

    Material will be handled withcare, but the magazine assumesno responsibility for it. AmericanCraft is indexed in the Art Index,Design and Applied Arts Index,and Readers Guide to Periodical Literature. Book reviews are alsoindexed in Book Review Index.

    Newsstand distribution: COMAG Marketing Group155 Village Blvd.Princeton Junction, nJ 08540

    POSTMASTER:Address changes to:American Craft, P.O. Box 3000,Denville, nJ 07834-3000

    Printed in the U.S.A.

  • STARTcntemprarycraft

    ElainE Erickson GallEry207 E. Buffalo St. Suite 120Milwaukee, WI 53202(414) 221-0613www.eericksongallery.com

    laTTiTUDEGallEry 211 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (617) 927-4400www.lattitudegallery.com

    oBsiDianGallEry 410 North Toole Avenue, #120, Tucson, Arizona 85701 (520) 577-3598 www.obsidian-gallery.com

    ThE GranD hanD GallEry1136 Main St., Napa, CA619 Grand Ave, St. Paul, MN(855) 312-1122www.thegrandhand.com

    WEyrich GallEryThE rarE Vision arT GalEriE2935-D Louisiana N.E., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110 (505) 883-7410 www.weyrichgallery.com

    WhiTE BirDGallEry 251 N. Hemlock Street, Cannon Beach, Oregon 97110 (503) 436-2681www.whitebirdgallery.com

    Honey Jar by Peter Muller and Joe Peters at LAttitude Gallery. 22h x 9 x 9.

    Through the Fire by Lynn Cornelius at Obsidian Gallery. Fiber & Steel. 2012 28 x 14 x 7

    Higher Learning by Karen Halt at Elaine Erickson Gallery. Linen, beeswax and paint. 28 x 16 without stand.

  • STARTA do

    zen cra

    ftspeople who put great design f rst

  • Tube Tops XL, 2008, glass,12-20 in. tall

    Ellipse, 2008, glass, 18 x 7 in. dia. (tallest)

    The Perks of Prep Work

    Clouds and Ellipse ph

    otos (2): Lyn

    n Everett Read

    catalyst to creativity

  • for glass artist lynn Everett Read, embarking on production work was a prag-matic decision. He built his own glass studio, Vitreluxe, in the early 2000s, so he had access to all the space and equipment he might need. And by making more objects, and crossing the line between pure craft and design, he bet the studio would come to

    support him, rather than vice versa. He was right. What he didnt expect was that the pro-duction process would be such a catalyst to creativity.

    Vitreluxe is located in the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Running along a curve of the Willa-mette River, its a dense, dynamic area known for antique shops, restaurants, and cafs. The buzz of activity within Reads hot shop belies its unassuming exterior something that could be said of Read himself, who, with a quiet, steady demeanor, has produced a remarkable range of glass work. (The studio also includes a cold shop.)

    Read combines complex techniques with familiar forms to create a look that is refined but fresh. The Ellipse Incalmo series employs the incalmo method, aptly enough, which requires each color to be blown separately before being fused together. In order to fit prop-erly, the weight, size, and thickness of each segment must

    match no easy feat. As a small, nimble operation, the team at Vitreluxe can funnel their energies into limited but repeatable runs of such techni-cally difficult objects. The mix of methods and the

    skill set to make the designs are high enough in caliber that they are not going to be copied, Read says. I mean, they could be anything really could be but the amount of prep time is going to make that almost impos-sible. For us it makes sense.

    The design community has taken notice: Wallpaper* maga- zine named Vitreluxes Tube Tops series the Best Vases in its 2012 design awards. A perfect example of how the production process can promote rather than constrain innovation, the Tube Tops were originally designed with transparent tops and bottoms marked by a shift in the color of the neck.

    But after standardizing the scale of the pieces and fashion-ing multiples to refine the pal-ette, Read says, I found I could actually have more options, because Id prepared more col-ors. The final vessels mix opaque glass necks with trans-parent glass bodies, a tacit recognition of the separate ele-ments of the form and a com-

    bination that enhances the tones in each piece.

    Effective innovation re-quires a strong design sensibil-ity as a base, and thats equally evident in the series. Reads distinctive eye for color and composition comes out of his background as a painter and theater set designer. In a grouping of Tube Tops, the tonal variation from piece to piece creates subtle overlays tertiary colors visible as the vessels are seen from different angles, engaging the viewer and rewarding those who observe closely.

    Vitreluxes eponymous production line is available across the United States and abroad, from OK Store in Los Angeles to Vessel Gallery in London, as well as many muse-um gift stores and the gallery at Portlands Museum of Con-temporary Craft. I feel Im really fortunate

    because Ive never been lost, Read says. Ive never strug-gled with What should I do? Since high school Ive been motivated to just work. ~carolyn hazel drake

    vitreluxe.comCarolyn Hazel Drake is a ceramist and art teacher in Portland, Oregon.

    Duotone, 2008, glass,5 x 11 in. dia.,6 x 8.5 in. dia.,5.5 x 10 in. dia.

    Clouds Aurora, 2012, glass, 17.5 x 8.75 in. dia. (tallest)

    Tube Top

    s and Duotone photos (2): Paul F

    oster

    design 2013 american craft 011

  • Furniture photos (6): Nicholas Staw

    inski

    nicholas stawinski is a fourth-generation upholsterer with deep family roots in the Detroit area, and his art reflects his experience living among the hulking relics of the auto industry. Tables, ottomans, sofas, and sculpture take their geometry from old water tow-ers, derelict cooling plants, crumbling smokestacks, and aging incinerators.

    He makes some pieces with slats from shipping pallets; even the upholstery materials he uses are leftovers from the shuttered design center of a car manufacturer that relocated to Southern California. Stawinski

    Some 80 years ago, his great-grandfather started the business that his parents continue to this day. Ive been around the shop ever since I can remember, Sta-winski says. By the time he was in high school, he had worked his way up from taking out the trash to disassembling furniture for repair.

    At the same time, interior designers were calling on his father for custom-designed otto-mans. As demand grew, the younger Stawinski was enlisted to cut wood and assemble the pieces. Once familiar with most aspects of furniture making, he branched out into design.

    Ash chair, 2008,

    ash, walnut,3.9 x 1.4 x 1.8 ft.

    Industrial Strengthtransforms these vestiges of decline into furniture and sculpture with fresh, ener - getic appeal.

    Now pursuing an MFA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Stawinski, 25, credits his aesthetic to his hometown and the family business. Being around a post-industrial land-scape, you see a lot of broken-down, worn-out things. You see people trying to tie things together and make things work, he explains. This ties into our familys work as reup-holsterers. We make the old and unwanted into the new and desirable.

    Sectional, 2010,automotive upholstery, poplar, milk paint,2.6 x 6 x 3 ft.

    heritage as muse

    012 american craft design 2013

  • tile artist Warren Seelig at Colo-rado State University.

    A single experience with those artistic parents shapes his work even today. In 2004, when he was 16, his family took a trip to Chicago, where they stopped at the Museum of Con-temporary Art to see a retro-spective of the work of Lee Bontecou. The image of one piece he saw remains etched in his mind. It was a huge hole, he recalls. The untitled piece from 1959 is a welded steel framework using wire and can-vas to form a 3D web around a black fabric center. It was kind of reflective of yourself, what

    youre trying to say but not letting out, he says. In 2010, the idea of the hole reemerged in his Introspective series enigmatic geometric sculptures made of wood slats. Stawinski also cites Bernd and Hilla Bechers pioneering typologies photographic grids of industrial structures as an influence, particularly in his 2009 Cooling Tower table. In Stawinskis hands, a desolate vision becomes new and inviting. ~rachel schalet crabb

    nicholasstawinski.comRachel Schalet Crabb is a writer and fiber artist in Minneapolis.

    A high school art teacher guided him on his portfolio, which led to admission to the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, where he earned his BFA in 2010. He studied at Pen-land School of Crafts with furni-ture maker Daniel Michalik and won a scholarship to Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. A residency at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado followed.

    Both of Stawinskis parents also have formal art training. His father is a painter who has exhibited at the Detroit Gallery of Contemporary Crafts; his mother, a knitter, weaver, and dyer, studied under master tex-

    Combined ottoman, 2009, automotive upholstery, poplar, milk paint,1.4 x 2.2 x 1.5 ft.

    Chair, 2010,

    automotive upholstery,

    poplar, milk paint,

    3 x 2.7 x 2.2 ft.

    Bent Landscape, 2008,plywood, upholstery, cork veneer,1.4 x 2.3 x 1.4 ft.

    Cork Legs, 2008,upholstery, cork, nails,1.7 x 1.6 x 1.6 ft.

    design 2013 american craft 013

  • Photos (6): And

    rew Gilliatt

    Winter Birds plate set, 2013, 1 x 9 in. dia. each

    Mixed Tape lunch set, 2013, 6 in. tall (tumbler)

    Lost & Found mug set, 2012,4 x 5 x 4 in. each

    mass-market goods offer the illusion of endless choice, Gil-liatts wares are the real thing: an ever-variable body of work.

    Yet, surveyed broadly, the line is a cohesive whole, anchored by groovy, repeated forms. For each shape, Gilliatt designs and builds a prototype in wood. He might turn a rough bowl on a lathe and then shear off sections with a band saw, before sanding and sealing it. He then uses that wooden form to build a mold, in which he casts his ceramics in colored porcelain slip.

    impulse to personalize, which drives his delightfully varied slip-cast porcelain work. Do you take your coffee with Tyrannosaurus rexes or a 19th-century textile-inspired pattern? In each mug, bowl, tumbler, and dish, Gilliatt imagines someone finding his or her canny fit.

    While choosing glazes and imagery, I think a lot about people, Gilliatt says. What kind of cereal bowl would I make for my 2-year-old niece or nephew? What mug would I give to someone who just got fired from their job? While

    andrew gilliatt sees a creative streak in all of us. We might drive cars that are maybe black, gray, white, but well wear T-shirts that are bright blue, bright pink, have Hawaiian designs on them, he says. Whether you make objects or not, were all con-stantly expressing ourselves visually through the objects we own and choose to own.

    Gilliatt says he finds the practice fascinating, but its almost more than that. Soft spot might be more accurate a sensitivity to the human

    Infinite Variety

    014 american craft design 2013

    one for all

  • Sunflower jar, 2013, 7 x 10 in. dia.

    Summer Birds jar, 2013, 7 x 10 in. dia.

    Fishing tumbler, 2012, 6 x 3 in. dia.

    I had always had the under-standing, working with clay, that you start with clay and you finish with clay, he says. But wood or MDF (medium-density fiberboard) lends itself to the clean lines he favors and makes a more durable model. One shift in process begat oth-ers: using stickers and tape to make relief patterns in glaze, using a laser printer to make decals. A style was born.

    Thats a meaningful leap for a relatively young maker. The 33-year-olds ceramics career began at Virginia Tech, where

    he earned a BFA in graphic design in 2003. The degree required one clay class. I was young and nave; I thought this is great, Im never going to have to buy dishes again, Gilliatt says, laughing. And reality hits. It was really challenging, and I think thats kept me coming back to it. The schools graph-ic design and ceramics depart-ments are in the same building; though Gilliatt never changed majors, as time wore on, he spent more and more time with clay.

    After graduating, Gilliatt moved to Kansas City and dove

    in headfirst, becoming a resi-dent artist at Red Star Studios, where he stayed for three years. (KC as an arts town is amaz-ing, he says, a really vibrant arts community.) Next came graduate school at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where he began using the wood prototypes. In 2011, with a freshly inked MFA, he moved again, this time to Mon-tana. A summer stay at the Archie Bray Foundation in Hel-ena, then it was down the road, Montana-speaking, for a year at Red Lodge Clay Center. Last

    fall, he returned to the Bray as an artist in residence.

    Settling down a bit is an appealing prospect. For the first time, Ive made a body of work that I want to live in for a while, he says play around with color, add some new forms. Besides, between tinted slips and glazes, relief patterns and decals, there are still combina-tions I havent done yet. ~ julie k. hanus

    andrewgilliatt.comJulie K. Hanus is American Crafts senior editor.

    015design 2013 american craft

  • La Camisa, 2012,etched stainless steel in red finish, leather,8 x 14 x 1.25 in.

    Amsterdam (the English trans-lation is Museum of Bags and Purses) mounted a solo exhibi-tion of her full collection. She also sells through design shops and boutiques, since her work is sui generis. Theres no reference point

    for it, in a way, she says. Its design, fashion, craft. It crosses borders like I like to do.

    Shes also been able to turn adversity to her advantage. Stevens and her husband, a Pennsylvania native, moved to his home state in the 1990s, eventually settling about 45 miles from Philadelphia. She had been working out of a converted stone barn for sev-eral years when, in 2004, a fire swept through her studio.

    vendor day. She said, I want three of each; it took me all summer to make them. It was a great start, though she had many uphill years after that. She sold through small shops in the East Village; later, designer Lewis Dolin noticed her work and became a true believer and her sales rep. (He also introduced her to her husband, a furniture designer, who, she says, has been at my side the whole time.)

    She has since gone on to exhibit at craft shows, including American Craft Council, Phila-delphia Museum of Art, and Smithsonian events. Her work is in galleries and museum stores, including the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. In 2010 the Tassenmuseum in

    I sat down in my apartment and literally took a hammer and a nail and put a hole in a piece of copper, says the soft-spoken artist. I put a snap on it, and I wrapped it around a railing and I thought, wow, cool. I can make something like this.

    She describes her first pieces as crooked, awkward construc-tions. I started going to the hardware store and asking lots of questions. My landlord had a plumbing contracting service, so when I would run into the guys, sometimes I would ask, Hey, can you show me how to solder this?

    Her first big break came within a few years, when a buy-er at Henri Bendels saw her sheet metal purses at an open

    wendy stevens metal purses some whimsical, some dainty, some sleek and classic are all exquisitely designed and crafted. But her original spark wasnt Calder, Chanel, or some other fashion or art-world icon; it was the muscular, industrial world of manhole covers, construc-tion zones, and subway cars.

    Stevens grew up in Cleve-land, home of U.S. Steel, and then worked as a teacher on the West Coast. She moved to New York with friends in the 1980s, stepping into the wide-open East Village art scene. There she began noticing sheet metal all around her.

    In the spirit of the times, without a day of training, she started putting things together.

    In the Bag

    Le F

    an photo: C

    aren Dissinger / All other p

    hotos: Kate Lacey

    silver lining

    016 american craft design 2013

  • Pinwheel, 2012,etched stainless steel, leather,5.5 in. dia. x 1 in.

    It was a total loss equip-ment, years of work, everything. As Stevens began to rebuild, it proved to be a turning point. Starting from scratch gave her the chance to explore new methods, learning to etch the metal rather than sending it out for custom perforated patterns. That opened up more design possibilities, such as a wider range of shapes.If I hadnt lost my whole

    studio, I probably never would have had time to learn some-thing new, she says.

    She continues to cull inspira-tion from anywhere she finds it. Sometimes, she seeks to meet a need, as with her new Pocket piece that fits the iPhone. Other items find their genesis in more unexpected sources. The

    inspiration for her Fan bag, for example: Hot flashes, she says with a laugh.

    Shes also excited about her recent forays into color, both in the metal itself and the leath-er inserts, and is thrilled with recent media recognition; her pieces have been featured in Spanish Vogue and in W Magazine. It comes from being in the

    right place at the right time, she says modestly. Ive got some good things going. The best thing is a table full of orders to do. ~judy arginteanu

    wendystevens.comJudy Arginteanu is a freelance writer and American Crafts copy editor.

    Drop bag, 2011,perforated stainless steel in black finish, leather, 6 x 4.5 x 2 in.

    Shoulder bag, 2012,perforated stainless steel, leather,6.5 x 6 x 2 in.

    Le Fan, 2010,perforated stainless steel, leather, 3.75 x 7 x 1.5 in.

    design 2013 american craft 017

  • Portrait: M

    ichael Traister / Object p

    hotos (3): Heather Knight

    heather knights work-space is painted a calm, smoky blue and its very orderly. Im the kind of person who can-not begin to work on anything unless my space is clean and organized, the ceramist says. Her desk is in one corner, where she displays an inspiration board full of images: textiles, fruit, chandeliers, sculptures. There are bowls throughout, exhibit-ing natural objects she has col-lected: sea urchins, shells, twigs, seed pods, rocks. Clean, calm, and well-designed, Knights space reflects her work.

    Characterized by textures that sway, point, and undulate, and enhanced by primarily white surfaces, Knights porce-lain creations look like some-thing you might find rolling around in the depths of the ocean. Yet their crisp execution makes them just as likely to be discovered in the chic spaces of those with an eye for design.

    Knight discovered clay in high school, but her career path wasnt a straight shot. She spent two years studying art at South Carolinas College of Charles-ton, which didnt offer ceramics, before heading to Asheville, North Carolina, 13 years ago to pursue a cooking career. In 2002, following a nagging feel-ing to fully commit to art, she enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Once I stepped foot into the ceramics studio, I knew it was where I was supposed to be.

    She established Element, a studio in Ashevilles River Arts District in 2007, a year after earning her BFA. There, she used her Urchin bowls and tiles to explore texture. I want-ed to see how many different applied textures I could come up with, she says. Knight con-structs her work out of slabs, using templates and hump molds to create her forms. Each piece of texture is made individually. Her favorite tool? A chop-stick, she says.

    That same year, looking for extra income, Knight set up shop on Etsy at the urging of a friend. It turned out to be the catalyst for my career, she says. I was approached by galleries, retailers, designers, and consul-tants through the visibility that Etsy provided me.

    She still has that online shop, but these days also consigns to galleries, sells wholesale to

    retailers, works with consul-tants on commercial projects, and supplies interior designers.

    This year, Knight expanded Element to include a retail show-room. Its this diversity that allows me to work in my studio full time, she says. Each aspect of my business tends to ebb and flow at a rate that gives me some stability.

    She spends six to 10 hours per day in the studio (all after lunch; the morning is for admin-istrative tasks), so finding

    left: Knights process is labor-intensive, but the artist isnt interested in shortcuts. She appre-ciates the life visible in handmade objects.

    Clamshell bowl, 2011,hand-built porcelain,3 x 15 x 6.5 in.

    Nesting Scallop bowls in copper blue, 2011, hand-built porcelain, 3 x 8.5 in. dia. (largest),1.5 x 3 in. dia. (smallest)

    In Her Element

    balance is one of Knights great-est challenges. Last spring she hired a studio manager who helps with tasks such as ship-ping, maintaining the online sales listings, and working with galleries and shops. Her hus-band, who works in marketing and graphic design, lends a hand with marketing, branding, and development. She also appreci-ates the social aspect that comes with a space in the citys arts district. But back inside her stu-dio, bringing her pieces to life, shes on her own. Clay is just so immediate

    in some ways, but also calls for you to take your time, know when to stop and start, when to push and pull, Knight says. Its a dance. ~joann plockov

    heatherknightceramics.comJoann Plockov is a freelance journalist based in Prague.

    multiple channels

    018 american craft design 2013

  • Heather Knight describes her work as design- forward ceramics. Each porcelain piece in this Micro Tile installation is 5 inches square.

  • mandi king thrives on change. And in her 30 years, the glass artist has changed a lot.

    As she moved from ceramics to glass and from the United States to Adelaide, Australia, King knew the fears of any young artist. But I thrive on major paradigm shifts, she said recently, on one of her regular trips back home. I thrive on putting myself in new contexts.

    King grew up in Columbus, Ohio, with parents who nur-tured her creativity from a young age, taking her and her two younger siblings to craft fairs, museums, and gallery

    hops. I was one of those kids who did not fit in, she recalls. Ultimately, she found her fit through creative experimenta-tion: from dance to jewelry making, photography, and pot-tery in her teens. I made sculp-tures out of trash, painted on my clothes; I think I tried every-thing, she says.

    As she finished high school, King assumed shed be choosing between digital media design and ceramics for her lifes work. So she enrolled in the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, where she could pursue both.

    Then came the first big sur-prise of her career, on a wintry New York day, when she snuck into a noisy demonstration at the universitys hot shop,

    When she enrolled in Alfreds glass program her sophomore year, she loved how quickly her aesthetic sleek, high-contrast, informed by Saturday-morning cartoons and the 1988 movie Beetlejuice took shape in exu-berant glass pieces.I was hooked, she says.

    I was in such a trance, I forgot about the ceramics entirely.

    After she transitioned to a new medium and earned her BFA, she made another seismic shift, entering a two-year pro-fessional development program at JamFactory in Adelaide in 2006. There, artists learn to run a studio, design for commis-sions, and create production lines of decorative and func-tional wares, in addition to making their own work.

    Up for Anythinglooking for warmth. On stage were visiting glass artists Einar and Jamex de la Torre (whom, as serendipity would have it, she would assist at Pilchuck Glass School six years later). Watching them work awakened something deep inside of King. What I saw in the hot glass pro-cess blew my mind. Their [use of] the material was so interac-tive and intimate compared to anything else I had ever tried.

    In that first glimpse, she ad- mired the way the de la Torre brothers translated their sensi-bilities funny, loud, bold, and energetic into their work.

    Illumini decanter and Thumbla Tumblas, 2010, blown glass,11 x 5.1 in. dia.,4.3 x 2.4 in. dia. each

    Rainbow Rocket vases, 2009,blown glass, ground and polished,17.7 x 5.1 in. dia. each

    paradigm shifts

  • Working at JamFactory was intense, King says. Here she was, having never made anything functional in my life, and suddenly required to think about efficiency, consistency, and designing for the market-place. But the baptism by fire was worth it: She emerged with the skills I need to be self-suffi-cient and make a living off my own work, she says.

    Mustard, Vermilion and Rainbow Bubbleboxes, 2008, blown glass, ground and polished,1.2 x 2 x .8 in., 7.9 x 1.2 x 1.2 in., 3.9 x 2.4 x 2.4 in.

    In 2008, Kings playful Bubbleboxes earned unanimous recognition by jurors of the annual Corning Museum of Glass New Glass Review, cited for their subtle, rich hues and soft organic shapes. More recently, King teamed up with fellow JamFactory alum Karen Cunningham on an innovative decanter that oxygenates wine while it pours. In 2010 the Illumini decanter won the top prize in InDesign maga-zines Launch Pad competition.

    King continues to open her-self up to change. Between 2009 and 2011, she worked out of a 70-year-old former timber fac-tory housing an artist coopera-tive called Blue Pony Studio. Struck by how the elements battered what was once a

    perfect industrial rhombus, King began incorporating the buildings scruffy surreal beau-ty into her aesthetic. Her work, once sleek and graphical, be-came grittier and more opaque, like sugar-encrusted gumdrops.

    And her Illumini venture with Karen Cunningham has continued to grow, now incor-porating housewares in wood. Whats next? Who knows? But count on more change. ~monica moses

    mandikingglass.com.auMonica Moses is American Crafts editor in chief.

    Telescopium, 2011blown, ground glass,10.2 in. dia. x 3.9 in.

    Bubbleboxes and

    Vases photos: Tom

    Roschi / Telescopium

    photo: R

    odrick Bon

    d / Decanter p

    hoto: A

    shlee Page

  • i was searching for an in-dustrial wasteland, says furni-ture designer Paul Loebach on why he moved into a former knitting factory in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a gritty neighbor-hood in Brooklyn, New York. I loved this place. Its dark and empty. The areas a bit of a no-mans-land.

    Its from this apartment/studio where designs hang on the walls, books overflow off the bookshelves and his experi-ments with various materials cover the floor and any other available work space that Loebach designs pieces that many said would be impossible. People tell me I cant do some-thing and then I do it. Ill be like, I know what youre saying but Im going to ignore it, he ex-plains. You have to understand the basic principles of design and then mess with them.

    Loebachs exposure to de-sign came early in life. He is descended from a family of Ger-man woodworkers. My dad taught me woodworking that was our manly thing we did together, he says, laughing. I was seven years old and run-ning a joiner! Always suspect-ing hed be an artist, he solidi-fied his interest in art and design during an extended trip to France, where he lived with his parents friends. He went on to attend University of Cincinnati and discovered industrial de-sign. Even though my family were craftsmen and my dad was an engineer, I had no idea that design existed as a career, Loe-bach says. Nor did anyone else.

    But after a year at the university, Loebach left. The program was too regimented, and Im not a big compromiser. Industrial design, yes. I just needed to fig-ure out how to do it.

    Loebach went to Colorado and then a friend studying at Rhode Island School of Design called and said Im at RISD. Youd like it. He was right. RISDs combination of practi-cality and creativity was what Loebach wanted, a synthesis reflected in his recent designs. Referring to the process as aesthetic athleticism, Loebach gives traditional styles a new twist through such technology as rapid metal printing and com-puter-controlled machinery. Im exploring how to push the limits of new manufacturing processes, traditional materials and the interplay of form and space, he says.

    Pushing the limits has sparked Loebachs interest in what the future offers with technology and society, too. To do something new you of-ten need to use a new technol-ogy because everything else has been explored, he explains. Whats new in peoples lives and our culture makes that ex-ploration worthwhile. I try to have an awareness of whats going on now and translate that through my work. Im trying to make things that are relevant to our time. ~shannon sharpe paulloebach.comShannon Sharpe is the managing editor for Metropolis and former deputy editor for American Craft.

    Unyielding Design

    023design 2013 american craft

    no limits

  • acrylics and magazines, those are not the highest-end materials, says Jennifer Mer-chant, a jewelry designer based in the Twin Cities. Yet with her fashionable, even high-end line of candy-colored jewelry, she has managed to craft some-thing beautiful from these humble mediums.

    Merchants work demon-strates that acrylic, a hard plastic, is surprisingly malleable. You can carve with acrylic and work with acrylic just like you can with [metal] casting, says the 30-year-old, who graduated from Georgias Savannah Col-lege of Art and Design in 2005. This allows her to craft earrings, cuffs, and rings with architec-tural features like squared edges and dramatic, almost spire-like tapering. An exaggerated scale only enhances these bold quali-ties. I like big, she says with a devilish grin.

    below: Corian and sterling silver ring, layered acryl-ic bangle and ring, all with channel-set gems, 2012, acrylic, paper, Corian, sterling silver, synthetic alexandrite

    above: Layered acrylic chain-link necklace, 2012, acrylic, paper,30 in.

    right: Layered acrylic bangle with trillion-cut, channel-set gem, 2011,acrylic, paper, cubic zirconia

    Necklace ph

    oto: Cam

    eron

    Wittig, courtesy of W

    alker A

    rt Center / Rings and

    bangle ph

    oto: Ann

    a Rajdl

    The Next Big

    Thing

    024 american craft design 2013

    humble origins

  • Acrylic is problematic for some connoisseurs of fine craft, Merchant understands. (In fact, she stopped using the term plexiglass because of its downmarket connotations.) At first I didnt look closely enough because of the alterna-tive materials, confesses Ann Ruhr Pifer, owner of the Grand Hand Gallery, with locations in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Napa, California. Galleries like hers tend to prefer gold, silver, and precious stones.

    But Pifer was eventually seduced by the images Mer-chant carefully selects to incor-porate into every handmade piece. To create a pair of ear-rings, for example, Merchant sandwiches magazine-page imagery between two layers of acrylic. Most of my pieces I try to make double-sided so you can wear [them] with dif-ferent things on different

    occasions, the artist says. This has her scouring glossy publica-tions for cutouts with compel-ling imagery on both sides of the page. The best sources for pictures like that, she says, are high-end art and design maga-zines such as the British title Wig and New York-based Big.

    Merchants kaleidoscopic bangles and cocktail rings are the most complex and com-pelling examples of her work. Her enormous cuff bracelets incorporate up to 15 tiers of two-dimensional magazine cutouts, and are often studded with gargantuan lab-created gems (a 200-carat amethyst, for example). Merchants rings feature as many as seven tiers of images. Layered with car-toonish illustrations, ethereal watercolors, and graphic abstractions, the pieces look like a cross between pop art and a hologram.

    They are really interesting from multiple angles from the side, from the front, says Pifer, who now stocks Mer-chants jewelry in both gallery locations. And if you catch a little bit of both, theyre even more intriguing.

    Many of Merchants admir-ers detect a whiff of the 1980s in her work. Her bracelets and earrings are especially reminis-cent of the Reagan eras can-died charms and glossy jelly accessories, though Merchant insists shes more influenced by the geometric patterns of art deco. She mentions Patrick Nagel, the 80s-era, deco-influ-enced graphic artist, whose posters decorated her child-hood home, and specifically cites the enormous earrings favored by the fashionable women in those illustrations.

    Merchant also works in Corian, another inexpensive

    material primarily used in kitchen countertops. Thanks to its earthy, granite-like feel and look, the Corian collection pays more obvious homage to Merchants art deco allegiances. For example, an irresistible two-toned ring incorporates Corian in colors of toffee and deep amber, with a smoky quartz as the centerpiece, like the muted hues bathing vintage art deco posters and skyscrap-ers. Merchant has even created custom engagement rings with Corian bands.

    With this material, she aims for a high-end line, in the vein of finer jewelry. But the Corian line is still fun, still different, and still big, she says. Thats just me. ~christy desmith

    jennifermerchantdesign.comChristy DeSmith is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer. She covers arts, culture, and travel.

    Bangle, cuff, and rings from the Couture Layered Acrylic Collection, 2011, acrylic, paper, synthetic gems

    Bangle ph

    oto: Jacquelin

    e Sm

    ith, courtesy of Ken Friberg & Rat Race Studios / Couture photo: Jennifer M

    erchant

    design 2013 american craft 025

  • doug meyer nabbed atten-tion with wheelchair loveseats and shopping-cart chaise loung-es that dare the adventurous to go careening down the cereal aisle. But his work also includes a sleek, neo-deco Paperclip con-sole and an elegant, post-indus-trial Capsule coffee table.There are facets of my cre-

    ativity I always have to fulfill, says Meyer. Some of my work is damn serious, and some of its just straight-up goofy. Its all what you see in it.

    Others see plenty. His work has been picked up by Corey Daniels Gallery in Wells, Maine, and Liza Sherman Antiques in New York, by a high-end home furnishing store in Boston, and for merchandising displays for well-known retailers, such as Tommy Hilfiger and J. Crew.

    Not bad for a kid from Akron, Ohio, who learned his craft the old-fashioned way: on the job.

    The once-mighty capital of rubber had long been struggling by the time Meyer graduated from high school. In his art classes, he fell in love with sculpture, but he didnt have the money for college. So after working in a straw factory for $6.15 an hour, he and a few friends hit the road and headed for California.

    They made it to Salt Lake City before the cash ran out. Meyer stayed, found his way into the Job Corps, a trade-school program for low-income youth, and learned to weld. Armed with new skills, he head-ed back to Ohio and found indus-trial work. Off the job, he began scavenging abandoned bikes and

    Chrome frame tower, 2011, recycled sheet metal, found and recycled chrome tubing,6 x 2.7 x 1.3 ft.

    Shopping cart chaise lounge, 2011,found shopping cart, recycled chrome tubing, upholstery

    Pho

    tos (4): Doug Meyer

    Necessity,Mother of Cool Furniture

    026 american craft design 2013

    waste not

  • anything that was metal, mak-ing sculpture and furniture.

    He eventually landed a six-month gig working for an artist-craftsman friend, Mike Moritz, who needed an ace welder for his architectural fab-rication business in Cleveland. Given the variety of work and Moritzs meticulous methods, Meyer says he learned more about his craft in that short stretch than anywhere else.

    His next break came with furniture maker Jason Wein, another mentor, who let him contribute design ideas and taught him the all-important business side. Meyer worked for Wein for about four years before striking out on his own in 2010. (Wein sells Meyers work through his company, Cleveland Art, specializing in recycled industrial design.)

    As Rustbelt Rebirth, Meyer now works in a converted barn in northeast Ohio. (A huge mural of underwater life bears witness to the barns unlikely previous life as a scuba shop.) Though he has two employees, he remains deeply involved in fabrication. And he still uses all post-consumer materials, though hes moved from curb-side pick-up to buying materi-als wholesale.

    His recycling ethos extends to his segmenting technique, joining smaller pieces of, say, sheet metal to form a bigger piece rather than cutting a

    single sheet to fit and tossing the scrap. Meyer welcomes the serendipity: He doesnt do any custom paint work, for example; he just ensures he has enough colored sheet metal on hand. The materials decide the

    color Ive just given it a little guidance, he says. I have no sense of color; thank God the material does.

    He also welcomes the patina old metal has. Im working with material that might have been used for maybe 40, 50 years, and it bears the distress of what its gone through. Thats nothing you can make happen its something you have to let happen.

    Despite his early success, Meyer acknowledges that his unusual work will probably never sell big with, say, mid-range furniture retailers. Does

    Minimalists desk, 2010, recycled sheet metal, steel tubular frame,2.7 x 5.8 x 1.5 ft.

    Snail media center, 2010, recycled sheet metal, steel tubular frame,3.7 x 5 x 1.5 ft.

    he ever worry that it could be left behind in the next design vogue?From an artistic point of

    view, my work is constantly changing, Meyer says, and that questing spirit may just be his best insurance against the changing tides of fashion. Maybe what Im doing now

    chimes with whats selling now; maybe its just that its well made and creative. And that never goes out of style. ~judy arginteanu

    rustbeltrebirth.comJudy Arginteanu is a freelance writer and American Crafts copy editor.

    design 2013 american craft 027

  • Pho

    tos: Hank Drew

    i dont sit down and sketch something out and say, Im going to make this, says jew-eler Tia Kramer. I think very much through making.

    Her work bears beautiful witness to that approach. In Kramers hands, wire and hand-made paper come to life, as if the organic shapes and vibrant fiber webbing grew from seed. She patiently coaxes her cre-ations into being, stretching wet, delicate paper made from chemical-free fibers around recycled sterling wire forms. Once dried, the paper, now remarkably durable, is imbued with an intuition of its own; if stretched or dampened again, it remembers and assumes its original shape.

    Kramers path toward full-time jewelry making has been similarly instinctive. Though she loved art from a young age, it was never her only interest. As a student at Macalester Col-lege in St. Paul, Minnesota, she expected to major in anthropol-ogy or religious studies.

    An art class changed her mind. I realized, Oh, wait, this is actually a way that I pro-cess; this makes perfect sense, she recalls.

    The unexpected genesis of her jewelry came in 2003 during her senior year, when she was tapped to create two 20-foot hanging sculptures for the psychology department. Seeking materials that were light, durable, and colorful,

    Kramer chose wire and paper, a medium shed worked with in fiber arts classes and at a job at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts.I started making these little

    maquettes and would hang them to see how they inter-acted with light, Kramer says. When students or other profes-sors came in, their automatic reaction was I want those for my ears.

    Kramer casually began mak-ing earrings and other jewelry her rudimentary, self-taught forms, as she describes them, taking a back seat to sound, installation, and performance work during a post-baccalaure-ate year at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the

    mid-2000s. Then came another fork in the road. When the prospect of six-figure loans put her plans to attend graduate school on hold, Kramer instead decided to move to wait for it Antarctica.

    Several months later, she was driving a 33-ton vehicle known colloquially as Ivan the Terra Bus over frozen ocean, working for the United States Antarctic Program, which con-ducts scientific research. To feed her urge to make, Kramer revisited her jewelry materials, which were light and portable.

    The stark environment turned out to be the perfect place to refine her designs. The all-white landscape served as an ideal background to explore

    Taking Shape

    left and center:In Ascending series, colors like inkpot contrast with gentler tones of cherry blos-som and haze. The environmentally conscious maker uses primarily recycled ster-ling silver and biode-gradable, natural-pulp paper with a nontoxic waterproof coating.

    below: Fluttering series earrings, 2011, 3.25 x 2.25 x .75 in. each

    below: Swoon seriesbracelet, 2011,13 x 2.25 x 1.75 in.

    028 american craft design 2013

    in motion

  • color, and in the isolated com-munity she could see her work in action every day, on friends and colleagues.

    Normally, when you sell [jewelry], it goes into the world and you dont see it. But there I got to really see how things moved, she says. Movement is critical to Kramer, who sees her dynamic, kinetic jewelry as performative sculpture.

    In 2008, Kramer relocated to Seattle, and committed to her art full time. She has embraced the Pacific North-wests craft culture, and the craft community, near and far, has returned the gesture with gusto. In the past three years, about 20 galleries and museum shops have begun carrying

    her work, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art store, the J. Paul Getty Museum shop, and Velvet da Vinci gallery. She also earned one of 12 emerging artist slots at the 2012 Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.

    Where will her winding road lead next? To Kramer, the most interesting trajectory is the one shell never personally follow. I love that when you make a piece of jewelry and someone buys it, it becomes an extension of [that person], she says.Its not just about the artist any more. ~brittany kallman arneson

    tiakramerjewelry.comBrittany Kallman Arneson is a writer in St. Paul, Minnesota.

    above:A Palpitation series necklace looks expansive because it has a bracelet and brooch nestled in its prismatic tangle.

    center: Palpitation series brooch, 2011, 5.5 x 1.75 x 1.25 in.

    design 2013 american craft 029

  • School of Crafts. It was there that he first made what would become IDC objects clever candlesticks, minimalist bottle openers. He produced them in response to the foot traffic pass-ing through his studio, never dreaming hed continue after his stay was over.

    But even after relocating post-Penland to Cedar Bluff, where his girlfriend had a job opportunity, the requests kept coming in, he says. Did he still sell those bottle openers? Could he make another pair of those candlesticks? Maiorana offi-cially opened Iron Design Company in 2008.

    Its been a lesson in cross-categorization. Im almost too crafty for the design world, too design-y for the craft world, he says. From a craft perspec-tive, the simplicity of his forms can obscure the significant handwork involved. And the design world, in turn, doesnt always recognize that his prices, ranging from a $15 bottle opener to a $2,400 andiron, reflect that

    run your eyes over the clean steel curves of Marc Maioranas andiron. Its sleek, contempo-rary shape may seem to whisper urban, but it was born in a small smithy in Cedar Bluff, Virginia, in the heart of Appala-chia, where Maiorana lives and works.

    The blacksmith makes a practice of defying easy catego-rization. Since 2008, hes been running Iron Design Company specializing in modern, hand-formed steel housewares alongside Marc Maiorana Stu-dios, the brand for his custom sculptural and architectural commissions, such as sweeping staircase railings.They are two different

    beasts, Maiorana says. To make 100 of something is very different from making one cus-tom something. Some might

    that work while his son was growing up, until I came home from school one day, and sud-denly our single-car garage was a blacksmith shop, Maiorana says. His father gave him a strong background in the funda-mentals. When youre not in a tricked-out shop, you learn to use what you have.

    Maiorana enrolled at Alfred University, still finding his way, and completed a year of broad-ranging art coursework. Each project I would turn in a little bit more metal, he says. After finishing his sophomore year, he transferred to Southern Illi-nois University at Carbondale to focus on the material that, apparently, was in his blood all along. In 2001 he earned his BFA in metalsmithing.

    In 2002, Maiorana began a three-year residency at Penland

    Andiron, 2009,18 x 20 x 18 in.

    Wine rack, 2009,33 x 6.5 x 4 in.

    Pho

    tos (7): M

    arc Maiorana

    Strike a Balance

    call that juggling two jobs; Maiorana calls it a source of balance.

    Commissions allow him to dive deep into the client-maker relationship, into the challenges of a custom design. But coming out of a mammoth project, its great to launch into an order of bottle openers, he says.

    But dont think for a second that those bottle openers arent thoroughly thought through. Charles Eames was spot-on when he said when you design deeply for yourself, you design for others, Maiorana says. IDC products flow from an elegant practice: Maiorana identifies a need, then ponders how he could apply steel. Hell move forward only if a design honors the materials defining character-istics: strength and malleability.

    Maiorana grew up in New Jersey, near the Delaware Riv-er, and his introduction to blacksmithing was through his father, a one-time farrier who left horseshoeing to train as an ornamental smith. He set aside

    030 american craft design 2013

    steelware

  • handwork. Luckily Im strad-dling those worlds enough that now Im getting respect from both, he says.

    His work has attracted main-stream press attention, such as Dwell, Gourmet, and the New York Times. Then there are the design blogs. Were getting tumbled around on the Inter-net, he says. Thanks to a burst of coverage from European bloggers, he sold his most recent run of wine racks to customers in Italy and the Netherlands.

    Meanwhile, the studio craft contingent continues to approve. Maioranas work has been included in numerous exhibitions, including the well-traveled show Iron: Twenty Ten. In 2011, he had a solo show at Memphis Metal Muse-um, where he debuted the gor-geous gate he made for the

    Bottle opener, 2003, 2.5 in. dia.

    Coat hook, 2009,4.5 x 2 x 1.5 in.

    Pines rail, 2005,3 x 3.3 x .4 ft.

    North Carolina School of Art railing, 2009,3 x 9 x 1.3 ft.

    Book sconce, 2008,7 x 6 x 6 in.

    Renwick Gallerys recent 40 Under 40 exhibition. The Ren-wick acquired the piece. To be in the company of Albert Paley, from whom the gallery commis-sioned its Portal Gates (1974), is no small compliment. And hon-ors keep coming: In 2013, he was awarded a Virginia Muse-um of Fine Arts Professional Fellowship.

    Asked whats next, hes full of plans: Upcoming com-missions, a sculpture to install, a redesign for IDCs website. In typical Marc Maiorana

    fashion, its sort of all over the place, he says. And yet, togeth-er, it all balances out. ~julie k. hanus

    irondesigncompany.comJulie K. Hanus is American Crafts senior editor.

    design 2013 american craft 031

  • Portrait: Beach H

    aven Tim

    es / Object p

    hotos: Lara Knu

    tson

    that the glowy material is also used in emergency workers uniforms and athletic garb.

    Knutson says her love of light began with seashells that glimmered on the shores of Beach Haven, New Jersey, where she grew up. When crushed, the shells would crumble and shred, creating a kind of natural glitter, she says. Knutson has long been drawn to phenomena that remind her of childhood on the beach: light glistening off the water, rain-storms followed by rainbows over the ocean, reflective fish scales, she says.

    Jump ahead a couple of decades, past experiments with natural sheet mica from science surplus stores to this incandes-cent, microstructural textile that Knutson stumbled upon some 10 years ago. It is, she says, a synthetic version of all these natural materials she admires.

    A Light Touch

    Industrial designer Lara Knutson with an armful of her cro-cheted glass yarn Nebula jewelry.

    Nebula necklace, 2011, reflective glass yarn, rooster and peacock feathers, rare-earth magnets

    Nebula necklace, 2011, reflective glass yarn, moonstones, rare- earth magnets

    below: Nebula necklace, 2009, reflective glass yarn, rare-earth magnets

    below:Nebula bracelet, 2011, reflective glass yarn, iridescent yarn, gray pearls, rare-earth magnets

    materials are my obsession, says New York-based, Pratt-trained architect and industrial designer Lara Knutson, whose reflective fabric-based work is now sold at the Museum of Modern Art Store and part of the permanent collection at Corning Museum of Glass. It was also included in a major recent exhibition, 40 under 40: Craft Futures, at the Smithso-nians Renwick Gallery. I real-ly feel like Im on a material adventure, she says.

    Since 2002, Knutson has been making a literally luminous series of sculptural objects, cro-cheted vases, conical flasks, and jewelry with titles like Nebula, Supernova, and Soft Chemistry from a fabric filigreed with 50,000 mirror-backed glass beads per square inch, which magnify light 100 times.

    If 50,000 glass beads sounds glamorous, consider

    right:Soft turquoise glass vases, 2011,reflective glass fabric, nylon thread, 7.5 x 5 in. dia. (top),7 x 6.5 in. dia. (bottom)

    material adventure

    032 american craft design 2013

  • Smooth and heavy in sheet form, slightly abrasive as yarn, but soft and lightweight when knit, this effulgent fabric is a shining example of how light can be used as effectively as and more dramatically than more palpable substances.The material responds as

    I move around it by flashing light at me, the designer explains. Even in the same room, its impossible for any-one to experience this material in the same way.

    Along with her Juki sewing ma chine, Knutson prizes her Lamb knitting machine, custom made by the last circular knit-ting ma chine manufacturer in America. (Similar machines come from China now.) This ma chine is the best thing Ive ever bought, Knutson admits, partly because it enables her to add offbeat materials to the mix: neon threads, cashmere,

    her materials and methods more deeply than if she limited her-self to drawing schematics for factory fabrication.When you really break it

    down, everything is handmade, even buildings. Perhaps we all define craft based on precision, scale, and how many steps removed we are from the final outcome, but go to any factory and youll see people making things. Even the machines, machine parts, and raw materials are made and mined by people, Knutson says. There is craft everywhere. ~shonquis moreno

    laraknutson.com Shonquis Moreno is a freelance journalist working from Brooklyn and Istanbul who contributes to publications such as Wallpaper*, Whitewall, and Fast Company. She has been an editor for Surface, Dwell, and Frame magazines.

    nylon fishing line. She uses automation for only some pieces, though: The Nebula jewelry, for instance, is knitted on hand-cranked machines by Special Citizens, a group of adults with autism in the Bronx.

    Knutson recently finished a textile for furniture and light-ing showroom Mondo Collec-tion in Manhattans Flatiron district. In May, she designed three rocking chairs that bounce and reflect light and rainbows with the use of tex-tiles for New York Design Week. She is also designing tapestries that make light look like an object that can be touched. Finally, she is designing high-end jewelry that plays with light using pre-cious stones.

    Light is Knutsons material; her tools are often her hands. She credits thinking with my hands for enabling her to study

    Comet necklace, 2007,reflective glass yarn, opalescent glass

    Supernova necklace, 2009, reflective glass yarn, rock crystal

    design 2013 american craft 033

  • GOODSGet the inside edge,subscribe to American Craft.

    Findunique objects

    for dynamicspaces

  • GOODSUseful and beautiful products designed to make modern life more interesting

  • Michelle Inciarrano and Katy MaslowThese two Brooklynites create verdant miniature worlds from urban settings to waterfalls and rolling hills out of mosses, plants, and succulents. Each Twig terrarium comes with little figures that can be placed anywhere in the scene; custom terrari-ums and DIY kits are also available. twigterrariums.com

    Monica FarbiarzIt looks as if its made of agate or ivory, but this striking Bib necklace by Californian Monica Farbiarz is more eco-

    friendly. Its constructed of vegetable ivory sustainable tagua seeds, harvested by local com-munities and assembled by workers in Colombia

    paid a fair wage. encantojewels.com

    Jon Goodm

    an

    Right and previous page photos: Bryan Hochm

    an

    uncommongoods.com

    goods

    036 american craft design 2013

  • uncommongoods.com

    JGoodsThe JGoods company was formed in Minneapolis a decade ago to cus-tomize sneakers for such tastemakers as Jay-Z and Torii Hunter. Now you can be as cool as those guys, with

    the JGoods Custom Sneaker Kit, which comes with paints,

    brush, and a guide. The leather paint is guaran-teed not to crack or fade. jgoodsonline.com

    Casey W

    oods

    Jobe FabricationsThese ultra-functional adjustable stools by Texas designer Bryan Jobe dont sacrifice good looks for dura-bility. Built for years of use, with polished steel legs and reclaimed wooden seats, they would look equally at home in a high-end kitchen or a garage workshop.jobefab.com

    Valentino LlegadaSome people see beauty in the most unexpected places; Valentino Llegada is Exhibit A. The Florida artist became entranced by a rusty fire extinguisher in his studio, scrubbed it off, painted it, and voil: A rugged new vase was born. Llegadas vessels are one of a kind and come in warm or cool colors. valentinollegada.com

    goods

    design 2013 american craft 037

  • Yaacov KaufmanYes, you can hold nails between your teeth while you hammer, but what kind of barbarity is that? Israeli designer Yaacov Kaufman dreamed up this magnetic ham-mer to simplify the juggling act that is home repair. The hammer can be attached to metal surfaces, wait-ing to be useful. yaacovkaufman.com

    Jessica CarnevaleYouve seen this chair design a thousand times, but not like this. Bungee and latex cording hand-woven onto metal frames give London designer Jessica Carnevales Stretch chair a modern, kaleidoscopic twist. This green one is available exclusively through the MoMA design store. carnevalestudio.com

    Carnevale Studio

    Studio Yaacov Kaufman

    Gwendolyn YoppoloTheres efficient eating, and then theres savor-ing, which you can do beautifully with North Carolina ceramist Gwendolyn Yoppolos glazed Eat for Two porcelain bowl set. Through her unusual dish forms, Yoppolo hopes to rethink the ways we nourish our-selves and others. When the dinner party is particularly intimate, this might be just the thing. gwendolynyoppolo.com

    Gwendolyn Yoppolo

    Blackcreek Mercantile & Trading Co.Josh Vogel of Blackcreek Mercantile & Trading Co. in upstate New York is known for his turned vessels and boxes (see page 104), but also makes select small goods, such as these striking sculp-tural kitchen tools, hand-carved of maple or cherry. Each tool is part of a har-monious limited edition 365 per year. blackcreekmt.com

    BCM&T

    Elena RosenbergEach of this textile

    artists exquisite pieces is an original design.

    Theyre hand-knit (no machine or loom) in her Scarsdale, New York, studio using natural materials including merino wool, alpaca,

    silk, cashmere, and cotton.

    elenarosenberg.com

    Courtesy of the artistgoods

    038 american craft design 2013

  • Joshua Dalsimer

    ChilewichVinyl is convenient, sure, but glamorous? In the hands of New York husband-and-wife team Sandy Chilewich and Joe Sultan, the washable material most certainly is. The pairs placemats and floor mats look like theyre made of such tactile stuff as cowhide and boucl, but theres no accompanying high maintenance. chilewich.com

    Teroforma Press this felt Avva breadbasket into service at your next gathering, and you can be sure your guests wont have seen it before. Designed by Californian Josh Jakus, the basket can hang out on your table when the partys over, look-ing clever. teroforma.com

    Chilewich

    Teroforma

    BellboyThe Water Tower chair, by art director turned furniture maker Mat Driscoll, is made from pieces of an old water tower in his Brooklyn workshop. The curva-ceous seat and patchwork pattern of reclaimed red-wood pieces are inviting yet sophisticated.bellboynewyork.com

    Marcus P

    apay

    Marcus Papay The shade on the Sinuous lamp is made of Entropy resin, a sustainable by-product of bio-refineries. Each shade is made one at a time by the Southern California designer. The shades are trimmed with walnut or maple, and fit-ted on machined alumi-num bodies with vintage- style bulbs. marcuspapaydesign.com

    goods

  • Giovannoni DesignOnly the saintly among us actually enjoy housework. But maybe its not so onerous if your broom looks like Milan designer Stefano Giovannonis. Buy a couple in neon colors, bring them out of the closet, and see if you dont have a new spring in your step when you sweep. stefanogiovannoni.it

    Danielle Gori-MontanelliIn this designer-makers hands, felt is fantastic cut, layered, and stitched into everything from couture collars (right) to chic brooches, and even the occasional house-ware, such as coasters. The Vermont-based jewelry artist began working in felt after having children, seeking a non-toxic alternative to metalsmithing. studiodgm.com

    Carlo Lavatori

    Brad AscalonThis table is designed by New York-based Brad Ascalon, who left the music business to study design at Pratt. The sleek solid-walnut base pays homage to the refined lines of midcen-tury design, with a round marble or travertine sur-face, available in both end table (shown) and coffee table varieties.bradascalon.com

    Design W

    ithin Reach

    Courtesy of the artist

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    040 american craft design 2013

  • Roman VrtikaYou can buy another set of ordinary shelves to contain your stuff or divide your room, but why would you? Consider Prague design-er Roman Vrtikas Unibox. Assemble its modules in endless combinations to create a structure thats func-tional, interesting, and a sure conver- sation starter. vrtiskazak.com, roman-vrtiska.com

    Rom

    an Vrtika

    David Weeks StudioBrooklyn-based David Weeks Studio produces sleek, sophisti-cated furniture and light-ing very grown-up but nothing is cuter than the companys toys for children. Made of dura-ble beechwood, Simus the Rhinoceros (left) and friends will with-stand years of creative, plastic-free play. davidweeksstudio.com

    David W

    eeks Studio

    Jen List and Stacy WaddingtonIllinois artisans Jen List and Stacy Waddington transform old sweaters into snuggly accessories for children as in these slippers from the Storybook Collection, hand-felted of 100 percent wool and inspired by The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. uncommongoods.com

    goods

    design 2013 american craft 041

  • Caleb Siemon and Carmen Salazar

    These color-banded pendants are made from layers of glass in alternating transparent and opaque colors, inspired by the scenery of sunny Southern California, where Caleb

    Siemon and Carmen Salazar have their studio. siemonandsalazar.com

    David GeckelerThis Berlin-based designers Scandinavian influence shines in the Nerd chair. Manufactured by Danish firm Muuto and

    made from oak or lacquered ash, the Nerds clean lines let the rainbow of colors shine.

    davidgeckeler.com

    Muuto

    Iann

    one Design

    Siemon and Salazar

    Iannone DesignFeaturing salvaged automotive sheet metal, with a structure made from walnut hardwood and

    FSC-certified maple plywood, this RE:Wreck sideboard, a collaboration by New Jersey designer Michael Iannone and Joel Hester of Arizonas Weld House, combines clean modern lines with a

    bit of industrial grit for a new take on green furniture. iannonedesign.com

    goods

    042 american craft design 2013

  • Forrest Lesch MiddeltonThe ceramists earthy, tonal Origins tiles come in three sizes and seven historic patterns, based on designs found in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. This is the Petaluma, California-based artists first collection for Cl, purveyors of fine ceram-ic tiles. flmceramics.com, cletile.com

    Joe CariatiThe pure hues, elegant lines, and refined stop-pers of these translucent glass decanters embody Los Angeles artist Joe Cariatis devotion to clean, simple, beautiful forms. Each piece is handmade in his studio, and the bottles come in a variety of sizes, for both use and display. joecariati.com

    Phillip John Cybulski

    Nao TamuraSilicone, with its heat- and cold-resistant properties, has transformed life in the kitchen. New Yorker Nao Tamuras molded silicone leaf also makes a splash in the dining room; her Seasons serving platters can go from microwave to table to dishwasher with-out a hitch. They can be rolled up or stacked to store, making a unique sculptural statement.naotamura.com

    Nao Tamur

    a

    goods

  • Stephanie NicholsThis Vermont designer fills the clear acrylic hous-ing of this pendant lamp with an artful arrangement of ceramic spheres. The mass of colorful, simple shapes makes a bold state-ment; its available in a wide range of colors to match your dcor. stephanienicholsstudio.com

    Fleet ObjectsThe familiar shapes and soothing blues and grays of Fleet Objects Pools Collection will put you at ease. Vancouver-based designer Zoe Garred makes the lids inter-changeable, to enable endless pairings of the ceramic bowls, jars, cups, and vases. fleetobjects.com

    Fleet Objects

    Roos Studio

    Courtesy of Fort Standard

    Fort StandardThe joint project of Gregory Buntain and Ian Collings, Fort Standard blends tradition with innovation, as evident in the Brooklyn design stu-dios Cage necklaces and bangles, of-the-moment geometric forms cast in classic brass. fortstandard.com

    Lisa CrowderIn this Austin, Texas-based artists jewelry youll find silver and gold, perhaps enamel and thread, angles or curves. But in every piece, there is impec-cable design right down to the balanced way an earring loops through the ear.lisacrowder.com

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    044 american craft design 2013

  • John M

    uggenborg

    Oswaldsmill AudioWho says speakers need to be big ugly brown boxes? The OMA Mini, designed by David DImperio, has an aluminum horn and powder-coated car-bon steel stand, all hand-constructed in Pennsylvania. The speakers are designed to work with just about any amplifier for a high-quality lis-tening experience. oswaldsmillaudio.com

    Plywood OfficeMultiple cuts of ply-wood are glued, stacked, and sanded by Chicago designer Chris Jamison, turning this utilitarian material into substantial, midcentury-inspired coffee and end tables. plywoodoffice.us

    Osw

    aldsmill Audio

    Domenic Fiorello StudioDomenic Fiorello, based in Cleveland, designed his

    wall-mounted plant pods specifically for succulents. The CNC-routed

    solid-wood forms, with plastic inserts, really class up your cacti. domenicfiorello.com

    D. Fiorello

    Kiln Design StudioThe Brooklyn-based stu-dios enameled bowls and platters feature glossy, color-saturated surfaces and gently curving forms. And by the way: Kiln also produces equally appeal-ing richly toned jewelry. kilnenamel.com

    Plywood

    Office

    goods

  • stories by

    Joyce Lovelace

    Six craftspeople who joined forces with retailers and manufacturers and found that theyre good together.

    SHIFT

  • Just look around any home dcor emporium or design boutique. From high-end luxury items to that simple, artful mug, there has never been a richer selection of ingenious, expressive, well-made merchandise on store shelves.

    This, of course, is part of a larger trend. Nowadays both your beer and your pretzels can be artisanal. But in the marketplace for quality lifestyle goods house-wares, furnishings, accessories, fashion, even tech gad-gets theres something deeper going on.

    As consumers, were more aware of materials now not just their visual and sensual appeal, but also where they come from, why they matter. Were more curious about how things are made and who made them; we watch TV shows about it. With social media as our global platform, weve all become tastemakers, critics, and curators, happily expressing our individuality and style in every possible way. Yet we spend so much time staring at screens that our spirits yearn for physical objects, especially ones that feel good in our hands. We like a touch of art (literally), a dash of innovation, and a little soul in our stuff. And we really enjoy attaching a name, a face, a persona to the things we use every day.

    In other words, we want everything that craftspeo-ple have always stood for and expressed in their work. The zeitgeist has finally caught up with makers, and the market has taken note.

    So savvy manufacturers and retailers (Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel, West Elm, Room & Board, and Resto-ration Hardware, to name a few) are going right to the source, engaging craftspeople to design original prod-ucts. Whats more, theyre putting artisans names and stories front and center as a marketing strategy. Mean-while, on the entrepreneurial side, enterprising artisans are making the leap to become designer-manufacturers in their own right, expanding their operations and prod-uct lines to build their own companies and brands.

    The result? For all of us, great products. For crafts-people, new career opportunities.

    To be clear: Were not talking about one-of-a-kind objects conceived and handcrafted from start to finish by a single person. That special act of creation goes to the heart of craftsmanship and has its own active mar-ket. Were talking about a product in the industrial sense, specially designed by a craftsperson someone with an artistic vision steeped in a hands-on under-standing of material, technique, form, and function that gets replicated, somehow, in significant quantities. It could be a limited run of, say, 100 chairs, made through some combination of hand and machine meth-ods, by teams of craftsmen employed by the designer-

    Were living in a new golden era of good design.woodworker whose name goes on the collection. Or a signature line of dinnerware by a ceramist, mass- produced at a factory. There are different ways to do it. What matters is that the product be made efficiently and still convey the artisans unique vision and aesthetic that, and sell.

    The worlds of craft, design, industry, and com-merce may have their differences and periodic clashes; a handcraft revival seems to sprout every few decades as a reaction to an overload of technology and consum-erism. But theyre inextricably linked and fundamen-tally good together. The 1940s, 50s, and 60s the time of the modernist designer-craftsman gave us china by Eva Zeisel, barware by Dorothy Thorpe, silver ser-vices by John Prip, and all those fabulous furnishings we see on Mad Men. Dorothy Liebes applied a weav-ers sensibility to textile design, as did Jack Lenor Lars-en, whose firm brings a sophisticated handmade aesthetic to the fabric industry to this day. Other, more recent, craft/design exemplars include ceramist Doro-thy Hafner, who partnered with the Rosenthal com-pany for her line of distinctive, exuberantly patterned ceramic wares beginning in the 1980s; jewelry designer Robert Lee Morris, now selling his RLM Home collec-tion to a mass audience on the QVC channel; and Heath Ceramics, the historic California factory that thrives by offering its classic designs along with new work by con-temporary artists and designers. Then theres Jonathan Adler, who started as a potter and built a design empire with a mind-boggling range of products, from coasters to needlepoint pillows, sold in his own stores through-out the United States and in London.

    Not all craftspeople think as designers, nor do all designers think as craftsmen, observes fashion/design maven Rose Apodaca, co-owner of A+R, a stylish home accessories store with two locations in Los Ange-les. But you do have those rising to prominence who are able to merge what you might call those two sides of their brain. Theyre using craft-y methods, and apply-ing those notions in ways where items can be produced on a larger scale maybe not a Walmart scale, but cer-tainly one that means a good business and living for them, she says.

    This is prime time for design-minded craftspeople, says Susan Harkavy, a New York-based public relations and marketing consultant who has specialized in design and craft for 30 years. In this age, where you can get almost anything from Amazon and it all tends to look the same, craftspeople offer that element of poetry.

    Joyce Lovelace is American Crafts contributing editor.

    SHIFTdesign 2013 american craft 047

  • Elizabeth

    elizabeth whelan gets a kick out of seeing her textiles out in the world, in everyday use. Like on the doctors rolling stool at the hospital where her mother went in for a hip opera-tion. Or in The Bourne Ultimatum, in a scene where characters con-vene in a situation room on Niels Diffrient-designed Liberty chairs upholstered with her fabric.

    Whelan designs textiles for products that meet the human needs of the 21st century, from sneakers and apparel for Nike to luggage by Tumi. Its very cool, as a creator, to walk into a factory thats making chairs out of your fabric, and see 500 chairs in five or six different colorways, she says. But, for her, it all starts with the hand.Im a designer who wants to

    bring craft into her work. I dont think its a far stretch from craft into design. The bridge is short.

    As a child Whelan had a knack for knitting, cross-stitch, any kind of needlework: I loved structures. After graduating

    from college with a history degree, she decided to follow her passion, and earned a BFA in textiles from the Rhode Island School of Design. In 1997 she opened her studio in New York, where today she and several assistants take a bottom-up, hands-on approach to every project. We dye yarns. We put

    things on a loom. We spin yarns together to see how they work. We draw and paint our weave structures, then put them on the computer to figure it out in terms of a repeat. We do all the samples and proto-types by hand. I try to go deep into the work that way, says Whelan, who cites weavers Anni Albers and Jack Lenor Larsen as her inspirations.

    above: Fabric and meshes designed by Whelan for Humanscale office chairs. After in-house design and prototyping, the final products are woven on a high-tech loom in Switzerland.

    Pho

    tos: Alyssa Kirsten

    048 american craft design 2013

  • Whelan

    How is the wool going to take the dye? How is it going to feel? Its so deeply rooted, at least for me, in craft, she says. But we also prepare the design so that it can be made in large quantities and put onto chairs, for example. By working all of that out by hand, we can guide production so much better.

    Whether its textured paper wall coverings for Knoll woven in Mexico on 1940s Spanish looms, or fabrics for Human-scale office chairs produced on high-tech looms in Switzerland, Whelans craft skills and sensi-bility come in handy when shes at the mills, working directly with technicians. The best know their craft really well, and I have a lot of respect for them. Its won-derful when you can connect that way, but youve got to know your stuff. In her practice, weve worked within very advanced technologies. Weve learned how to sonically weld our fab-rics. You can only do that when you know your material well.

    And you know your material well when youre good at your craft.

    Thats where craftspeople have an edge and potential opportunity, Whelan thinks. People will reach out to a cool designer or a cool artist, and I sometimes wonder: Do they even know how to make what youre asking them to make? But if you go to a craftsperson with an idea, he or she is going to know how to make it, she points out, adding that makers are good problem-solvers. Often we dont know how

    valuable we can be. Sometimes we feel undervalued, and prob-ably are. Other times we just havent made the connection to find those who can value us. elizabethwhelandesign.com

    above: Samples of mesh for Nike athletic shoes, including Sailfish (top left), Yellowfish (bottom left), and Waffle (bottom right).

    049american craft design 2013

  • Alison Bergerit was ignorance is bliss and chutzpah, combined togeth-er, Alison Berger says of the time she approached Herms with a proposal for a line of bowls, cruets, and other vessels for everyday use. A maker of glass objects that embody a pure, clear, pared-down aesthetic, Berger has always been inter-ested in quality elevated to the level of rarefied. She felt the French design house epitomized that standard; still, it had never collaborated with an American artist before.

    Aiming high paid off. The company commissioned a series of signed pieces (a rare honor, pairing the iconic Herms name with hers) and asked her to pro-duce them herself. For Berger, who works with a team of glass artisans at her studio in Los Angeles, being both designer and factory was a revelation: I started to understand that you can produce things in a pro-duction house with the level of integrity of art. It led her to lighting, and to this day she does pendants, sconces,

    chandeliers, and floor lamps for Holly Hunt, a luxury home furnishings company.

    Berger takes an open, unfet-tered approach to creativity, having worked in fields from architecture (in Frank Gehrys firm) to entertainment (design-ing objects for a Madonna vid-eo). Hands-on making has been her touchstone, though, ever since she blew glass as a teen-ager in Texas. Her new venture, a furniture collection for Hunt called Tables of the Trade, pays homage to craft, with theme pieces in etched glass, bronze, and steel the Jewelers table, Sculptors pedestal, Carpenters bench, and so on.I see design as trend. Craft is

    about longevity, she says. The challenge becomes, how do you combine longevity with some-thing that feels very current?

    Designer, artist, craftsman for Berger, its not one or the other, but a combination of all, with craftsmanship always the foundation.

    alisonbergerglassworks.com

    The Jewelers table (2012), part of a new col-lection for furnishings company Holly Hunt, is made of cast glass and steel.Photo: Joshua White

    Bergers Surveyors floor lamp (2005) takes inspiration from history.Photo: Alison Berger

    Hand-blown crystal and bronze make up the Chamber pendant chandelier (2011).Photo: Angie West

    050 american craft design 2013

  • Blown crystal cereal and sugar bowls are from the Herms Balance Line Collection (2000).Photo: Laura Resen

    Berger sits with the Roman Ring lamp, a 2001 design made of hand-blown crystal and steel.Portrait: Douglas Kirkland

    An understated Lure sconce (2011) of blown crystal and bronze exemplifies Bergers aesthetic.Photo: Angie West

  • Portrait: Jo

    hn M

    idgley / Other pho

    tos (8): Denyse Schm

    idt

    Denyse Schmidt who doesnt love quilts, or at least the idea of a quilt? Theyre decorative and useful, suggesting warmth, family, and tradition. They go on both walls and beds. But until recently, the ones widely available on the mar-ket not one-of-a-kind or art quilts tended to have a generic, ersatz-homespun look.

    Denyse Schmidt noticed this and saw a niche for herself. A graphic designer trained at the Rhode Island School of Design, she loved handwork, having made things all her life. Why not bring a fresh aesthetic one inspired by the simple beauty and sophistica-tion of historic American quilts to quilts for contemporary interi-ors? She crafted


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