e d i t o r s ’ l e t t e r
Thinking
about Tools
“The sense o f interjecting
discovery an d p la y in
m y work became an early
learning tool. ”
— M ichael Sherrill
I t is h a r d t o t h i n k a b o u t a n y c r a f t w i t h o u t
v is u a liz in g t h e t o o ls u s e d in t h a t a c t i v i t y .
T h e r e a r e , o f c o u r s e , t h o s e h a n d t o o ls
t h a t h a v e a lw a y s b e e n a n d w i l l a l w a y s b e
a p a r t o f w h a t i t m e a n s t o b e a m a k e r . B u t
a s s o c i e t y h a s g r o w n a n d c h a n g e d , s o h a s
w h a t h a s c o m e t o b e c o n s id e r e d p a r t o f a
c r a f t s p e r s o n ’s t o o lb o x .
O u r c o lu m n is t G le n n A d a m s o n p r a is e s
t h e h u m b le p e n c il a s a t o o l f o r “ t h in k in g
t e n t a t i v e l y ” a n d , l i t e r a lly , d r a w in g its u s e r
i n t o a n a c t i v e p r o c e s s , ( C o n s i d e r i n g .
. . ,
p a g e 3 6 ) . T h e e m in e n t e n g in e e r a n d a u th o r
H e n r y P e t r o s k i , in a p h i lo s o p h i c a l y e t
d o w n - t o - e a r t h d is c u s s io n w i t h c r i t i c S u -
z a n n e R a m jla k , c o n s id e r s to o ls —in c lu d in g
t h e t o o t h p i c k , t h e h a m m e r a n d t h e s t e a m
e n g in e —a s h e a r g u e s f o r t h e im p o r t a n c e
o f e n g i n e e r i n g in s o l v i n g o u r g lo b a l
p r o b le m s ( “ H e n r y P e t r o s k i o n E s s e n t ia l
E n g in e e r in g ,” p a g e 4 6 ) .
F o r c e r a m is t M ic h a e l S h e r r ill, t o o ls
a n d t o o lm a k in g a re s e c o n d n a t u r e , p a r t o f
h is a r t is t ic d e v e lo p m e n t a n d a d i r e c t r o u t e
t o b e a u t y ( “ N a t u r a l N a r r a t i v e s ,” p a g e 3 8 ) .
A n d s p e a k i n g o f b e a u t y , m c t a ls m it h S u e
A y g a r n - K o w a l s k i c r e a t e s a p p e a lin g o b je c t s
t h a t c o u ld b e u s e d a s t o o l s —h a m m e r s ,
b a la n c e s a n d s u c h —b u t a r e d e s t in e d f o r t h e
g a l l e r y p e d e s t a l ( R e v i e w e d , p a g e 3 4 ) .
W o o d w o r k e r a n d w r i t e r G le n n G o r d o n
t a k e s n o t e o f t h e b e a u t y c o e x i s t i n g w i t h
p e r f e c t f u n c t io n a li t y in t h e a m a z in g p la n e s
p r o d u c e d b y s e v e r a l s m a ll c o m p a n ie s
d e v o t e d t o h ig h - e n d h a n d t o o ls f o r w o o d -
w o r k i n g —a k in d o f “ s h o p j e w e l r y ” fit f o r
a t r o p h y c a b in e t ( O u t s k i r t s , p a g e 2 8 ).
I n o u r c o n c e r n f o r t h e f u t u r e o f c r a f t ,
w e ’ v e g iv e n s o m e t h o u g h t t o t h e t o o ls u s e d
in h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n , a n d w e r e e a g e r t o
fin d o u t w h a t d e c o r a t iv e a r t s h is t o r ia n J o
L a u r ia w o u l d d i s c o v e r w h e n s h e p r o p o s e d
t o e x a m in e t h e r o le d ig it a l t e c h n o lo g y h a s
p la y e d in t h e e d u c a t io n o f t h o s e w h o w a n t
t o d e s ig n a n d m a k e t h in g s w i t h o u t lo s i n g
t h e h a n d . A f t e r o b s e r v i n g t h e w a y p r o d u c t
d e s ig n is b e in g ta u g h t in t h r e e le a d in g a r t
s c h o o ls , s h e r e p o r t s b a c k t h a t c o n t r a r y t o
w h a t w e m ig h t s u p p o s e , s o m e o f t h e n e w
t e c h n o lo g ie s a r e le a d in g s t u d e n t s b a c k t o
a s ig n if ic a n t r o le f o r t h e h a n d ( “ E x p a n d in g
t h e T o o l b o x , ” p a g e 5 0 ).
T h i s p r e o c c u p a t io n w i t h t o o ls p r o m p t e d
u s a s e d it o r s t o lo o k a r o u n d t h e o f f i c e f o r
o u r o w n c a n d id a t e f o r f a v o r i t e , o r a t a n y
r a t e u b iq u it o u s , t o o l , s e t t i n g a s id e , o f
c o u r s e , t h e e le c t r o n ic d e v ic e s t h a t b y n o w
h a v e b e c o m e e x t e n s io n s o f o u r s e lv e s . T h e
o n e w e lig h t e d o n ( A d a m s o n h a v in g p r e -
e m p t e d t h e p e n c i l ) is d e f i n i t e l y l o w - t e c h ,
lit t le m o r e th a n 3 0 y e a r s o ld , q u ite h e lp fu l
in c o m m u n ic a t io n a n d “ f la g g in g ,” h a s e v e n
b e e n u s e d in a r t , a n d c o m e s in a v a r i e t y
o f s iz e s a n d c o l o r w a y s . P e r h a p s y o u ’v e a l-
r e a d y g u e s s e d . H o w w o u ld w e in t h e m o d -
e r n o f f i c e ( o r e v e n a t h o m e , c o m e t o t h in k
o f it ) f u n c t io n w it h o u t t h e P o s t - it n o t e ? ♦
D r o p u s a li n e :
S h a n n o n S h a r p e
s s h a r p e d ) c r a f t c o u n c il.o r g
B e v e r l y S a n d e r s
b s a n d c r s @ c r a f t c o u n c il.o r g
C h r is t in e K a m in s k y
c h r is k @ c r a f t c o u n c il.o r g
Ceramics tools from
Michael Sherrill’s tool-
box, many handmade by
him. Some arc from his
Mudtools line, which he
created when he found
that the available clay
tools didn’t always fit
his needs and other cera-
mists felt the same way.
08 american craft apr/mayio
