Modern Artisan: A World of Craft Tradition and Innovation

Taking readers on a tour of the world’s craft traditions, this beautifully illustrated volume is an homage to committed craftsmanship.

Every culture is rooted in an artisanal tradition that combines locally sourced materials, time-honored savoir faire, and a desire to adorn and embellish objects from daily life. Here, thirty-eight women and men--from the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, India, Italy, France, Mali, Mexico, and beyond--open their workshops to share their heritage, skill, and unique vision.

Dana Goodwin and Dennis Williams from the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota hand-bead traditional Ojibwe clothing. Mexican textile artist Porfirio Gutiérrez selects yarn from a palette of some two hundred shades dyed naturally in colors that his sister extracts from local plants. Both honor and evolve the Zapotec traditions gleaned from their ancestors. London-based artist Anna Dickinson explores light and shadow through glass, by varying its transparency, opacity, color, reflection, thickness, and weight. Other artisans use natural and sometimes surprising materials, including banana fiber, seaweed, or household refuse, in this thoughtful contemplation on the important role of handicraft, of time, and of nature in our contemporary societies.

Artisanal crafts--some nearly forgotten and lost forever--are having a renaissance thanks to a nascent consciousness for fair-trade practices, an urgent call to protect the planet, and a renewed respect for the quality and durability of handmade objects. This beautifully produced and richly illustrated tome pays homage to natural materials, the hands that shape them, and the ethos that guides their exceptional creators.

Isabelle Dupuy Chavanat wrote and directed a series of documentaries on artisans around the world. She has contributed to numerous publications including Architectural Digest.