The Shape Of Craft

Today when we hear the word “craft,” a whole host of things come immediately to mind: microbreweries, artisanal cheeses, and an array of handmade objects. Craft has become so overused, that it can grate on our ears as pretentious and strain our credulity. But its overuse also reveals just how compelling craft has become in modern life. In The Shape of Craft, Ezra Shales explores some of the key questions of craft: who makes it, what do we mean when we think about a crafted object, where and when crafted objects are made, and what this all means to our understanding of craft. He argues that, beyond the clichés, craft still adds texture to sterile modern homes and it provides many people with a livelihood, not just a hobby. Along the way, Shales upends our definition of what is handcrafted or authentic, revealing the contradictions in our expectations of craft. Craft is—and isn’t—what we think.

A collection of 25 fun and unique "Star Trek"-inspired crafts--from accessories to decor to toys. Featuring full-color photographs and easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, this clever craft book puts a fresh spin on Captain Picard's order to "make it so."

An introduction to shapes through the acclaimed art of Josef Albers The influential art of Josef Albers is used to teach shapes in this stylish read-aloud board book, which takes children through Albers' range of geometrics, one artwork per page, beginning with squares and returning to them as a familiar refrain throughout. The variance of colour, scale, and quantity adds to the richness of the visual arc, and the accompanying text provides a humorous and engaging commentary. Readers will not only learn their shapes, but also grow familiar with fine art in this second title in the 'First Concepts with Fine Artists' series. Includes a read-aloud 'about the artist' at the end.

Paper craft is given a stunning and contemporary look through these easy-to-make projects for home décor. Transform a simple sheet of paper into something extraordinary! Explore the versatility, beauty, and simplicity of paper. From a geometric paper-folded vase to paper petal lights and a unique paper cuckoo clock, you’ll discover 25 projects that use basic materials and easy techniques to create stunning home décor items. Taking inspiration from the shapes and repetition found in architecture and nature, designer and paper-lover Sarah Louise Matthews offers contemporary designs that will add a creative flair to your home or make for wonderful gifts. With clear step-by-step instructions and beautiful photographs, you’ll explore techniques like paper cutting, folding, and engineering to create gorgeous results.

Innovative approach to bookbinding explains techniques that elevate handmade books into extraordinary artworks. Simple, well-illustrated directions explain how to make pop-up panels, pages that "explode" from the spine, slipcases, and more.

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.

Unlike books that focus solely on methods, The Craft of Collaborative Planning provides a detailed guide to designing and managing all aspects of the collaborative process, advocating for making collaborative work the norm. Beginning with a discussion of the political and legal context of collaborative practice in UK land use planning systems, The Craft of Collaborative Planning tracks a path through the challenging task of process design and working with various groups and individuals. Taking into account the great need for coherent organizational approaches, Bishop outlines evaluation and learning from the collaborative process for the future. Jeff Bishop brings to his writing an exemplary career focused on bringing various parties together to generate creative and widely supported plans and projects. With its focused discussion of UK engagement practices, and detailed outline for making a better collaborative process, The Craft of Collaborative Planning is an essential read for practitioners and decision-makers seeking to bring communities together with creative solutions to spatial planning, design, and development.

In today’s new economy—in which “good” jobs are typically knowledge or technology based—many well-educated and culturally savvy young people are instead choosing to pursue traditionally low-status manual labor occupations as careers. Masters of Craft looks at the renaissance of four such trades: bartending, distilling, barbering, and butchering. In this engaging book, Richard Ocejo takes you into the lives and workplaces of these people to examine how they are transforming once-undesirable jobs into “cool” and highly specialized upscale occupations. He shows how they find meaning in these jobs by enacting a set of “cultural repertoires,” resulting in a new form of elite taste-making. Focusing on cocktail bartenders, craft distillers, upscale men’s barbers, and whole-animal butcher shop workers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and upstate New York, Masters of Craft provides new insights into the stratification of taste, the spread of gentrification, and the evolving labor market in today’s postindustrial city.