Craftsmanship

The commercial signs of yesteryear, which were all painted by hand, offer a kind of beauty, personality, and longevity that today’s industrial signs have been unable to duplicate. While exploring what’s left of the old sign-painting traditions, we stumbled upon small but lively seeds of revival.

"The New Sign Painters" 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 LAURA FRASER

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by GÖRAN NORQUIST

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

James and Deborah Fallows spent four years crisscrossing the United States in a small plane, visiting dozens of small towns. The stories they found were surprising—and entirely contrary to the narrative we've all read about in the news. They saw  communities engaged in a vigorous process of economic renewal—a stunning portrait, in sum, of an America reinventing itself, literally from the ground up. They published their findings in “Our Towns: a 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America,” (Penguin Random House, 2018) and produced an HBO documentary of the same name in 2021. They also founded Our Towns Civic Foundation, a nonprofit initiative that continues their work.

Because their story overlaps so forcefully with the theme of our Winter 2022 issue, “Reviving Our Abandoned Small Towns”, we snagged Jim and Deb for a sit-down interview with Todd Oppenheimer, founder and executive director of The Craftsmanship Initiative.

This episode is part of the series of “Artisan Interviews,” produced by Craftsmanship Quarterly, in which we bring you conversations with the artisans behind the stories, and with those who write about them.

Written by CRAFTSMANSHIP EDITORS

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by TODD OPPENHEIMER WITH JAMES & DEBORAH FALLOWS

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

The Isbell family of Arkansas has spent decades experimenting with new ways to grow rice. In the process, they pioneered American-grown rice for sushi and sake, along with farming techniques that can save water and help slow climate change.

"The Craft of Sustainable Rice Farming" 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 DAVID RAMSEY

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by MIKE EGUSA

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

In November, 2017, the doors closed on North Carolina’s White Oak plant — one of the first, and (almost) the last, big textile mill in the  U.S. to make true, vintage-style denim. Our correspondent tracks down the secret to classic jeans, and their unexpected future.

"The Secret to Vintage Jeans" 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 BRIAN HOWE, with updated reporting by TODD OPPENHEIMER

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by CHRIS EGUSA

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN

What makes people devote hours to the frustrating task of gluing together pieces so small you have to pick them up with tweezers? And does this obsessive hobby even matter anymore? To find out, a devotee of the art dives into Revell’s world of plastic models.

"Parts & Recreation" 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 JEFF GREENWALD

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by MITCH GREENBERG

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

A collection of sewing enthusiasts, dedicated to the anachronistic art of making old-fashioned clothes, stumbles onto a path that revives quality, comfort, ecological consciousness—and respect for the female form in all its varieties.

"Historical Clothing’s Comeback" 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 BETH WINEGARNER

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by AVANTHIKA SRINIVASAN

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN

In the Basque country of Northern Spain, the Mondragon Corporation—the world’s largest co-operative business enterprise—has found ways to  weather economic crises, avoid severe income inequality, and build long-term worker loyalty. Why don’t more businesses follow “the Mondragon model”?

"Could Co-Ops Solve Income Inequality?" 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 ROBERTO LOVATO

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by GÖRAN NORQUIST

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN

Rebecca Burgess is the executive director of Fibershed, an internationally recognized nonprofit focused on transforming the clothing and textile system, the author of two books, and a vocationally trained weaver and natural dyer. She sat down with Craftsmanship Quarterly to talk about price and privilege when it comes to "slow fashion," why the world can no longer afford fast fashion, and what she learned from a year of only wearing clothing produced within 150 miles of her home.

This episode is part of our series “Artisan Interviews,” in which we bring you conversations with the artisans behind the stories, and with those  who write about them.

Craftsmanship Quarterly is 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.

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

A collection of sewing enthusiasts, dedicated to the anachronistic art of making old-fashioned clothes, stumbles onto a path that revives quality, comfort, ecological consciousness—and respect for the female form in all its varieties.

"Historical Clothing's Comeback," written by Beth Winegarner, 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 BETH WINEGARNER

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by AVANTHIKA SRINIVASAN

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN OF  “THE CIGAR BOX GUITAR MAKER”

Everyone in the fashion world wants to find a more sustainable, environmentally friendly way to make cotton clothes — or a benign (and comfy) alternative. Some are on the brink of succeeding. But almost no one understands these innovations’ social costs.

"The Human Cost of Recycled Cotton," written and narrated by Alden Wicker, 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.

Editor’s note: This story was updated from the original by the author for re-release in our Fall 2021 issue.

Written by ALDEN WICKER

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by ALDEN WICKER

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN