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Illustrated with 200 stunning photographs and encompassing objects from furniture and ceramics to jewelry and metal, this definitive work from Jo Lauria and Steve Fenton showcases some of the greatest pieces of American crafts of the last two centuries. Potter Craft
New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice A groundbreaking and endlessly surprising history of how artisans created America, from the nation's origins to the present day. At the center of the United States' economic and social development, according to conventional wisdom, are industry and technology-while craftspeople and handmade objects are relegated to a bygone past. Renowned historian Glenn Adamson turns that narrative on its head in this innovative account, revealing makers' central role in shaping America's identity. Examine any phase of the nation's struggle to define itself, and artisans are there-from the silversmith Paul Revere and the revolutionary carpenters and blacksmiths who hurled tea into Boston Harbor, to today's “maker movement.” From Mother Jones to Rosie the Riveter. From Betsy Ross to Rosa Parks. From suffrage banners to the AIDS Quilt. Adamson shows that craft has long been implicated in debates around equality, education, and class. Artisanship has often been a site of resistance for oppressed people, such as enslaved African-Americans whose skilled labor might confer hard-won agency under bondage, or the Native American makers who adapted traditional arts into statements of modernity. Theirs are among the array of memorable portraits of Americans both celebrated and unfamiliar in this richly peopled book. As Adamson argues, these artisans' stories speak to our collective striving toward a more perfect union. From the beginning, America had to be-and still remains to be-crafted.
A how-to book of native crafts offers instruction in reproduction of authentic, traditional pieces, accompanied by a pattern and historical background for each of the projects covered
Why do people work hard, and take pride in what they do? This book, a philosophically-minded enquiry into practical activity of many different kinds past and present, is about what happens when people try to do a good job. It asks us to think about the true meaning of skill in the 'skills society' and argues that pure competition is a poor way to achieve quality work. Sennett suggests, instead, that there is a craftsman in every human being, which can sometimes be enormously motivating and inspiring - and can also in other circumstances make individuals obsessive and frustrated. The Craftsman shows how history has drawn fault-lines between craftsman and artist, maker and user, technique and expression, practice and theory, and that individuals' pride in their work, as well as modern society in general, suffers from these historical divisions. But the past lives of crafts and craftsmen show us ways of working (using tools, acquiring skills, thinking about materials) which provide rewarding alternative ways for people to utilise their talents. We need to recognise this if motivations are to be understood and lives made as fulfilling as possible.
CRAFT is the first project-based magazine dedicated to the renaissance that is occurring within the world of crafts. Celebrating the DIY spirit, CRAFT's goal is to unite, inspire, inform and entertain a growing community of highly imaginative people who are transforming traditional art and crafts with unconventional, unexpected and even renegade techniques, materials and tools; resourceful spirits who undertake amazing crafting projects in their homes and communities. Volume 01, the premier issue, features 23 projects with a twist! Make a programmable LED shirt, turn dud shoes into great knitted boots, felt an iPod cocoon, embroider a skateboard, and much more.
"Stunning..." - Parade Magazine"A rare pictorial journey across America." - Bookpage Portraits of the American Craftsman is a collection of portraits of the people and products made in small workshops all over the country, with lyrical descriptions of what they make, who they are, and the tradition embedded in their trade. This book is a celebration of the handmade at a time when it’s being embraced by a new generation of DIY and local-focused consumers who are averse to the mass-produced. Award-winning photographer Tadd Myers is four years into a cross-country journey to capture images of the American craftsman engaged in his work. At a time when the public is growing disenchanted by the disposable items that litter the American landscape, the workers in Tadd’s portraits are still using human eyes to guide human hands; the objects they make carry the souls of their makers. His beautifully rendered photographs and profiles celebrate the thriving American culture of true craftsmanship, which is alive and well in all parts of the country: from the Steinway factory in Queens, NY to hatmakers in Tennessee; from a carousel works shop in Ohio to guitar makers in Texas; from hatmakers in Chicago to boatbuilders in Vermont. In the connected realm of photo-rich social media platforms such as Pinterest and Etsy, and in reaction to the mammoth corporations that create and sell us our wares, we’re seeing a boom of Americans of all ages re-evaluating the values that actually inspire them. Away from these conglomerates, the American craftsman keeps a different, more personal kind of work alive – work that is uniquely inspirational and genuine.
What is craft? How is it different from fine art or design? In A Theory of Craft, Howard Risatti examines these issues by comparing handmade ceramics, glass, metalwork, weaving, and furniture to painting, sculpture, photography, and machine-made design from Bauhaus to the Memphis Group. He describes craft's unique qualities as functionality combined with an ability to express human values that transcend temporal, spatial, and social boundaries. Modern design today has taken over from craft the making of functional objects of daily use by employing machines to do work once done by hand. Understanding the aesthetic and social implications of this transformation forces us to see craft as well as design and fine art in a new perspective, Risatti argues. Without a way of understanding and valuing craft on its own terms, the field languishes aesthetically, being judged by fine art criteria that automatically deny art status to craft objects. Craft must articulate a role for itself in contemporary society, says Risatti; otherwise it will be absorbed by fine art or design and its singular approach to understanding the world will be lost. A Theory of Craft is a signal contribution to establishing a craft theory that recognizes, defines, and celebrates the unique blend of function and human aesthetic values embodied in the craft object.