Craftsmanship

A good conductor can lead an orchestra with almost anything — even a chopstick. Leonard Bernstein was known to conduct a full symphony with just his eyebrows. Why, then, in this age of cheap manufacturing, are handmade, customized batons still in demand?

Written by JEFF GREENWALD
Introduction by PAULINE BARTOLONE
Narrated by JEFF GREENWALD
Produced by PAULINE BARTOLONE
Music by
Town Market by Blue Dot Sessions
Palms Down by Blue Dot Sessions
Beethoven’s Sixth (Pastorale) Symphony
Jean-Baptiste Lully: "Armide" 
Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade" by Sinfonia de Galicia
Music of the Ancient World: Sumerian Music I 

When a promising rock musician tired of the road and the pressure, he gave up music and got a job at a hardware store. Then one day, he had a revelation.

"The Cigar Box Guitar Maker" originally appeared in Craftsmanship, a digital magazine about master artisans and innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — free of charge and free of ads.

Written by NANCY LEBRUN
Introduction by PAULINE BARTOLONE
Narrated by AVANTHIKA SRINIVASAN
Produced by PAULINE BARTOLONE
Music by MIKE SNOWDEN, CODA TUITION, JEROME GRAILLE

When Hohner, the world’s largest harmonica manufacturer, changed its flagship model (and in the process, its signature sound), a few musicians and harp customizers waged a quiet rebellion—and won.

"The Return of the Harmonica" originally appeared in Craftsmanship, a digital magazine about master artisans and innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — free of charge and free of ads.

Written by BEN MARKS
Introduction by KATHERINE MONAHAN
Narrated by GORAN NORQUIST
Produced by KATHERINE MONAHAN
Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

Oboists can spend more time making reeds for their instrument than playing their music. One such musician, the comic monologist Josh Kornbluth, has a lot to say about reed making's painfully exacting process.

"The Agony and the Ecstasy of an Oboe Reed Maker" originally appeared in Craftsmanship, a digital magazine about master artisans and innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — free of charge and free of ads.

Written by JEFF GREENWALD

Introduction by KATHERINE MONAHAN

Narrated by JEFF GREENWALD

Produced by KATHERINE MONAHAN

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

The late Butch Morris, a figure from the outer edges of jazz, reimagined conducting as a form of composition, coining his own word for the combination of the two.

"The Conductionist" originally appeared in Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by FRANCIS DAVIS
Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA
Narrated by MITCH GREENBERG
Produced by CHRIS EGUSA
Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

In the inner city neighborhoods of Providence, Rhode Island, Janice O'Donnell set up playgrounds where kids could build anything they want, and break anything they want. She has been stunned by what everyone has learned in the process.

"The Play Gap" originally appeared in the Spring 2019 issue of Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by TODD OPPENHEIMER
Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA
Narrated by AVANTHIKA SRINIVASAN
Produced by CHRIS EGUSA
Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

A bicycle made of bamboo might look a little silly—brown and fat, with swollen joints. But Craig Calfee, a respected pioneer of carbon fiber bicycle frames, swears by their strength, flexibility, and ecological value.

"What? A Bamboo Bicycle?" originally appeared in the Summer 2016 issue of Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by JEFF GREENWALD
Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA
Narrated by JEFF GREENWALD
Produced by CHRIS EGUSA
Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

Jill Giordano makes women’s clothing with fine fabrics in timeless styles, and in combinations that can be mixed and matched in multiple ways. The goal: Improve your look, save the planet, and save money.

"The Antidote to Fast Fashion? System Dressing" originally appeared in the Fall 2017 issue of Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by LAURA FRASER
Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA
Narrated by LINDSAY SCHERBARTH
Produced by CHRIS EGUSA
Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

In Japan, an aging population, declining birthrate, and a concentrating of jobs in the major cities, has left rural areas across the Japanese countryside littered with abandoned houses—known as akiya, or “empty homes.” Now, a movement is on the rise to repurpose and enliven them with artistry and craft. 

"Can Japan’s Akiya Movement Rebuild Rural Communities?" originally appeared in the Summer 2020 issue of Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by KIMBERLY HUGHES

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by CHRIS EGUSA

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

Ross Shafer made his mark creating a popular brand of mountain bikes, called Salsa, and a line of small but crucial bicycle parts that no one had brought to the market before. Now he’s making what might be the world’s most beautiful “pedal steel guitar.” Could Shafer’s relentless eclecticism offer a model for a second Renaissance?

"From bicycles to “pedal steel” guitars: One maker’s quirky frontiers" originally appeared in the Summer 2016 issue of Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by OWEN EDWARDS

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by MITCH GREENBERG

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS