E D I T O R S ’ L E T T E R
M ixing
It Up
S e a r c h in g f o r c r a ft in a ll th e r ig h t p la c e s
—
B r a z il\ T a iw a n , S o u th C a r o lin a , a m o n g o th e r
d e s tin a tio n s , n o t to m en tio n th e B r o n x .
W e h a d d i v e r s i t y o n o u r m in d s w h e n w e
c o n c e i v e d th is is s u e —b y w h i c h w e m e a n
a fo c u s o n t h e c u ltu r a l, g e o g r a p h ic a l, e th n ic
m ilie u s in w h i c h w e fin d e x a m p le s o f flo u r -
is h in g , s in g u la r c r a ft t o d a y . A s w e m o v e d
fo r w a r d , w e r e a liz e d th a t o u r o v e r a ll th e m e
w a s e v e n r ic h e r th a n a n tic ip a te d : in a n u m -
b e r o f a r tic le s t h e e m p h a s is w a s o n th e e x u -
b e r a n t m ix o f s o m e tim e s c o n t r a d ic t o r y e le -
m e n ts th a t r e s u lt e d in e v e n m o r e d iv e r s it y .
W i n t o n a n d R o s a E u g e n e , a h u s b a n d
a n d w i f e in C o w p e n s , s c , a r e t h r iv i n g as
c o lla b o r a tiv e m a k e r s o f p o t t e r y th a t r e fle c ts
t h e ir ru ra l S o u t h e r n s u r r o u n d in g s b u t a ls o
u r b a n is s u e s t h e y m a y h a v e e n c o u n t e r e d
li v i n g m a n y y e a r s in C h i c a g o . C e n t r a l
t o t h e ir s t y le , c h a r a c t e r iz e d b y th e u s e o f
c a r v e d r e l i e f im a g e s , a r e th e m e s o f id e n -
t i t y , fa m ily a n d t h e ir A f r ic a n - A m e r i c a n
h e r it a g e as e x p r e s s e d b o th in p o r tr a its a n d
s y m b o lic a lly . T h o u g h t h e ir w o r k b e a r s
s o m e r e la tio n t o f o lk p o t t e r y , t h e a s s u r a n c e
a n d a d v e n t u r o u s n e s s o f t h e s e s e lf -t a u g h t
a r t is t s , d e v e l o p i n g in t a n d e m w i t h t h e ir
t e c h n ic a l p r o w e s s , h a s r e s u lt e d in a s t y le
d is tin c t ly th e ir o w n ( “ A M a r r ia g e o f M a k -
in g ,” p a g e 5 0 ).
A fa s h io n lin e th a t a p p e a ls t o th e lik e s
o f film s ta r C a m e r o n D i a z , o u t o f o r g a n ic
c o t to n g r o w n , s p u n a n d w o v e n in G u a te m a la
b y M a y a n w e a v e r s a n d tu r n e d in to g a r m e n ts
b y p a tte r n -m a k e r s a n d s e w e r s in a p a r is h
in B r o n x ,
NY
,
is th e m ix a t th e h e a r t o f th e
Left: Rodrigo Almeida’s
Fogucira (Bonfire) bowl
honors Brazilian folk
events such as Festa
Junina-June festivities-
which celebrate the
harvest and Catholic
icons, and are influenced
by Portuguese, Spanish
and French cultures.
s t o r y o f F a t h e r A n d r e w O ’ C o n n o r , a “ m a n
o f th e c lo t h ” in m o r e w a y s th a n o n e . F a t h e r
A n d r e w ’s m u lt ifa c e te d e n te r p r is e , G o o d s
o f C o n s c i e n c e , p r o v id e s a p a r a d ig m fo r
n u r t u r in g lo c a l p r o d u c t io n a n d c o n s u m p -
t io n , c r e a t in g j o b s , f o s t e r in g s u s ta in a b ility
a n d e l e v a t in g t h e h a n d m a d e ( “ F a s h i o n
C o n s c ie n c e : T h e C y c l e o f C h a r i t y ,” p a g e 34).
N o o n e m ix e s it u p b e t t e r th a n t h e B r a -
z ilia n d e s ig n e r R o d r ig o A lm e id a , w h o
b r in g s S o u th A m e r ic a n p i z z a z z t o th e fu r n i-
tu r e h e c o n s t r u c t s in a r io t o f fo r m s a n d
c o lo r s fr o m s u c h it e m s a s p la s t ic la u n d r y
b a s k e t s , b a c k p a c k s a n d s n e a k e r fa b r ic .
A lm e i d a ’s w o r k is n o t e d f o r its a b s o r p t io n
o f d if f e r e n t c u ltu r e s —A f r i c a n , B r a z ilia n ,
I n d ia n — a n d its a f fin it ie s in s h a p e s w i t h
Ita lia n M e m p h is -e r a d e s ig n ( M a t e r ia l C u l -
tu r e , p a g e 2 6 ) .
S o n ia K e lli h e r - C o m b s a n d N a d ia M y r e ,
t h e t w o N a t i v e A m e r ic a n a r tis ts f e a t u r e d
in “ H id e : S k in as M a t e r ia l a n d M e t a p h o r ,”
e a c h in h e r o w n w a y r e p r e s e n t a n o th e r k in d
o f s y n th e s is : t h e y w o r k w it h m a te r ia ls a n d
th e m e s th a t h a v e a tr a d itio n a l r e s o n a n c e
f o r I n d ia n c o m m u n it ie s , b u t t h e y b r in g to
th e m a n a e s th e t ic s o p h is t ic a tio n th a t c o m e s
fr o m t h e ir m e m b e r s h ip in a w i d e r a r t w o r ld .
T h e r e s u lts a re w o r k s th a t a re s im u lta n e -
o u s ly a v a n t-g a r d e a n d p r im a l ( R e v i e w e d ,
p a g e 3 2 ).
S im ila r ly , o u r r e p o r te r fr o m fa r -flu n g
T a i w a n d is c o v e r e d in t h e c r a ft s c e n e th e r e
a c o m b in a t io n o f s tr o n g c r a ft tr a d itio n s
c o m b in e d w i t h an e a g e r o p e n n e s s t o in t e r -
n a tio n a l d e s ig n id e a s . I t ’ s c e r ta in ly th e p la c e
t o fin d a b e a u t if u lly c r a ft e d b a m b o o iP h o n e
c a s e ( T h e W i d e W o r l d o f C r a f t , p a g e 6 8 ) .
S o as s u m m e r b e g in s t o w i n d d o w n , w e
in v it e y o u t o s tir u p a m a r g a r ita o r a g in a n d
t o n ic , p u ll u p a c o m fo r ta b le c h a ir a n d e n j o y
th e m ix .+
S h a n n o n S h a r p e , B e v e r ly S a n d e r s ,
C h r is tin e K a m in s k y
D r o p u s a lin e : le t t e r s @ c r a f t c o u n c il.o r g
06
american craft
aug/scp io
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