Being able to see some of the most innovative craft exhibitions of the 20th century is by far the best part about scanning materials from the Your Portable Museum collection for our new digital image database. The main curator of the Museum of Contemporary Craft's exhibitions was Paul J. Smith, who explained in a recent interview for American Craft magazine that he often took risks by building shows based on the nonconformist culture of the time. One of the 1965-66 exhibitions he uses as an example, which also happens to be a favorite around the ACC library, is Cookies and Breads: The Baker's Art.

With dough as the medium and baking as the method, Cookies and Breads explored the visual interest of breads and cookies through their shapes and decorations. Smith states in the exhibition catalog, "Dough is inexpensive and available; the technique of baking is simple and immediate." While considered very controversial at the time, the straightforwardness of the concept resonated with the audience, and the show was well received. Smith also notes, "The artist is attracted to dough as a medium expressive of today's concern with impermanence." Living for the day and expressing ...

It is indeed daunting and incredibly sustaining to sit with a blank surface trying to find exactly the right shape or rhythm or movement that brings bits of stone, fossil, glass, or porcelain to life in a way that is aesthetically relevant. Amid the sublime satisfaction of creation, there is inevitably a vital bit of delicious suffering involved as I make decisions that seek to carry the life of the piece to the viewer.

It is a thrill to come to the art of mosaic with a naiveté and purity of heart - still exploring technicalities, but trusting that the beauty of this world and what I know about art will manifest in a piece. For me, mosaics are borne of an inexplicable paradox of time and space. Materials that are ancient and honored may be juxtaposed with those that are transient and disposable. Bits of reality may wander amid the illogical. A whole might be composed of hundreds or thousands of disparate parts. And yet, when things go right, it all works.

Perhaps it is my father's influence that draws me to mosaic. He was Italian - a stonemason, a bricklayer, a lover of the arts. He would survey a wall ...

At Penland School of Crafts' annual auction, you can't walk a foot without bumping into fabulous works of craft. (But try not to bump into the five-figure pieces.)

Here is a tiny sampling of work, some by artists in their 20s, that caught my eye this past weekend.

The design of Jack Mauch's adorable Coffee Table started with the legs, which are part hoofed animal and part tree branch. Mauch - articulate, young, personable - is a furniture maker to watch.

Posey Bacopoulos' Gold Oval Teapot is a charming, springtime take on a traditional form. But look more closely, and you'll see an unexpected gold decal pattern that adds texture and modernity.

The Chocolate Truffle Necklace by Alexander Miles Dreyer suggests: Life is short; wear dessert first. The piece looks delectable, but the material is glass.

Jeannine Marchand's Bittersweet is similarly deceptive. It looks like pristine fabric, framed in wood. But it's white earthenware bordered by steel.

Aran Galligan makes enamel jewelry that evokes science. The wonderfully asymmetrical Cellular Necklace is Exhibit A.

Can't get enough craft? Neither can we. Heck Yes Craft is a series of visual blog posts with a simple mission: to ...

Greta Tacke from the American Association of Woodturners recently dropped in to the American Craft Council and brought the library a wealth of resources for woodturners and turned wood admirers.

Woodturning Today: A Dramatic Evolution is a beautiful new book celebrating the 25th anniversary of the AAW. It describes the history of woodturning and the organization. It also celebrates the role the AAW has had on the development of contemporary woodturning and wood art. Plus, the photography is outstanding.

The AAW holds annual symposiums, and the ACC Library is now a repository of the handouts and videos from 2008-2010. For each year, there are two DVDs of techniques and another DVD containing a gallery and critique. There's also a book of the handouts from all the demonstrators and panelists.

If you want to improve your craft, there are technique and project books, chosen from issues of American Woodturner, a bimonthly magazine the library subscribes to. Even more: There is the DVD "Woodturning Masters Series," which features interviews and studio tours with Ed Moulthrup, Rude Osolnik, William Hunter, and David Ellsworth.

If you're ever in St. Paul, be sure to visit the gallery space for the AAW. The ACC library now has 15-plus years ...

We had a chance to chat with longtime ACC show exhibitors Sara Mathews and Molly Grant of Cordwainer Shoes at the San Francisco show. Their handmade shoes are beautifully crafted, made out of fine leather and free of synthetic materials and toxic glues typically found in footwear. Here's what they had to say about shoes, shows, and the council's pet policy.

It's show time! As I write this, I'm sitting in a room with a view of the people flooding in for the opening day of the ACC Show in San Francisco at Fort Mason Center. And as soon as I'm done, I'm going to head down to the show floor myself. Among my first stops? Booth 406, where Birgit Kupke-Peyla has set up shop.

Everything about Kupke-Peyla's jewelry gets a huge "heck yes" from me. I love her creative use of texture and pattern, lending depth to her gold and sterling designs. Her pieces have presence, oomph, and pop, and yet - for works of jewelry with such substance - they're not too heavy at all. It's this sort-of perfectly balanced wearable weight. I covet (yes, covet) a pair of medium-sized hoops my sister purchased from Kupke-Peyla at ACC St. Paul in April.

And the Salinas-based metalsmith uses certified green suppliers for her gold and silver, in addition to other ecofriendly practices in her studio and life. To sum up my feelings in a word? Sold.

Can't get enough craft? Neither can we. Heck Yes Craft is a series of visual blog posts with a simple mission: to ...

We had a chance to talk to jewelry artist Lou Ann Townsend before the opening of the San Francisco show this morning. She and Mary Filapek are known as Mary and Lou Ann, and their sterling silver jewelry, inlaid with polymers (and inspired by the mighty atom), is breathtaking. Check out the video below for more from Lou Ann.

Ron Cook has been building early European and early American stringed instruments since the 1970s. His work goes beyond just making an instrument, however. Hand-carved details, recycled, salvaged, and urban forest wood, and perfected techniques yield an instrument that's a playable piece of art. He's in booth 209 at the San Francisco ACC show this year, and you can view more of Cook's work and hear some samples on his website.

Can't get enough craft? Neither can we. Heck Yes Craft is a series of visual blog posts with a simple mission: to show off amazing work. Come back every Friday for more.