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ACC Library
The ACC library has current subscriptions to nearly 100 magazines - but this post is about a new subscription, and a couple interesting old (and older!) donations. We invite you to come in and check them out!
There is a new journal titled Craft Research, and it is a gem. It was founded in 2010 by Dr. Kristina Niedderer, and is dedicated to advocating and promoting current and emerging craft research. Included is research on materials, processes, methods, concepts, aesthetics, and style, in any discipline of applied arts and crafts, including craft education. The pictured journal is the first issue (it's ...
ACC Library
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 ...
70-Year Craft Timeline
In the August/September issue of American Craft we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the magazine with a 70-year timeline of making. This is quite an ambitious undertaking for our new magazine staff as they scoured the ACC library and consulted with many craft luminaries to identify the significant moments that highlight craft's rich history. While there have been other timelines documenting craft, the significance of this timeline is that it identifies the cultural influences that have shaped craft and its social impact since 1940. Space is limited in our print version, but we are creating a digital version that ...
ACC Library
Many visitors to the American Craft Council library come solely for the magazines. They like to browse the medium specific journals, read about current and upcoming exhibitions, and study the latest techniques in both studio and DIY application. Knowing how important these publications are to our users, it is with great sadness that we recently learned two of our beloved magazines, Fiberarts and ReadyMade, are no more.
Fiberarts has been a go-to resource for stimulating, in-depth information on contemporary textile craft for more than 35 years. In a world where how-to publications abound, Fiberarts uniquely provided documentation on the field from ...
ACC Library
Today's interview is with Alanna Nissen, office coordinator at the American Craft Council.
What is your favorite/most-read craft book in your personal collection? I have so many, it's impossible to pick! I've got everything from historical overviews of traditional, domestic crafts to how-to books to Amy Sedaris's new book, Simple Times. A favorite recent addition is the catalog to the Sonya Delaunay exhibition, "Color Moves," which recently closed at the Cooper Hewitt - a show I absolutely loved.
What book or magazine would you like to sneak out of the ACC Library? I just did! I recently borrowed Becoming Judy ...
ACC Library
Today's interview is with Pati Hibbard, visual resources intern at the ACC library.
What is your favorite/most-read craft book in your personal collection? What?! I don't have any craft books in my personal collection (a truly sad discovery)! That's why I must frequently visit the American Craft Council's library! So when I'm here I check out (in the following order) the newest periodicals, the exhibition, most titles that fall in Library of Congress subclass NK (decorative arts, applied arts, decoration and ornament), and the resource section.
What book or magazine would you like to sneak out of the ACC Library? ...
Books
Artists' Handmade HousesBy Michael GotkinPhotography by Don FreemanAbrams Books, $60abramsbooks.com
Every so often a new generation calls for a more personalized, often simpler approach to nesting that forgoes "pre-fab" inside and out. This desire usually focuses on the present day - as with the flurry of 1970s books on that era's handmade homes - but recent volumes suggest our zeitgeist is also interested in looking backward. One of the best is Artists' Handmade Houses, which showcases 13 homes ranging from the late 19th century to the 1980s. Along with those by familiar craftsmen ...
ACC Library
Recently, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft generously donated their library materials to the American Craft Council Library. The boxes were treasure chests to open - full of books, exhibition catalogs, and magazines. Here are a few of our favorites.
Cutting the Mustard is the autobiography of Miles Burkholder Carpenter, a folk artist from Virginia. He started carving small animals and figures in the 1940s, progressing to carving sculptures in the late 1960s. The art world discovered Carpenter in 1972, when he was 82 years old. To see some of his work, see the works owned by the ...
70-Year Craft Timeline
Choosing favorites hasn't ever been my strong suit (just ask anyone who's ever had to go clothes shopping, or, heaven forbid, to the grocery story with slow, methodical me). But choosing favorites out of our massive, 70-year craft timeline presents a special challenge - there are so many great entries! I'm soothing myself with the thought that, as this week unfolds, other American Craft staff members will be sharing their favorite entires too. And some of the great moments in craft that I passed by, well, they could still get their due.
1941: Aileen Osborn Webb's Handcraft Cooperative League of America ...
70-Year Craft Timeline
It's been a fun week around the office, seeing everyone's timeline highlights and hearing the reactions as people have received their copies of the magazine. I'll forgo a repeat pick of the launching of This Old House (possibly my favorite TV show growing up), but otherwise, here are my favorite entries in the 70-year craft timeline:
1950: Mary and Russel Wright's Guide to Easier Living paints an Atomic Age vision for a well-designed futuristic utopia, laying the foundation for lifestyle mavens such as Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren.
When I first saw this entry I rushed to the ACC library ...
70-Year Craft Timeline
In all honesty, I must admit that I had selfish reasons for supporting the creation of the 70-Year craft timeline. Here in the ACC library, we receive countless research requests for information pertaining to the history of craft. Don't get me wrong - I live for the thrill of digging up that one golden nugget of information, quote, or photograph that can help connect the dots of a thesis, exhibition, or the like. In today's world, however, where time is of the essence, having the timeline is certain to be a quick, resourceful tool for both serious fact-checking ...
Ideas
Fine artists are increasingly turning to skilled craftspeople to help them realize their works. Michael Petry talks to us about The Art of Not Making. ...
70-Year Craft Timeline
As we cobbled together 70 years of craft history for the uber timeline in our August/September issue, we had way more to choose from than we could include within our pages. Contributor Faythe Levine, perhaps best known for her film Handmade Nation, sent us a delightful bonus timeline of "The New Wave of Craft." Illustrated by Kate Bingaman-Burt, the timeline takes us from 1994 through 2007, from the beginnings of Venus Zine and Bust and the inaugural Stich ‘n Bitch group to the formation of regional craft mafias, indie craft fairs, craft websites, and more. It's simply too ...
ACC Library
The library has recently purchased some new books on selling craft, and all have been very highly reviewed. Whether you've been crafting for years, or are looking for how to begin, these books are a great place to start!
Kari Chapin describes it all in The Handmade Marketplace, from pricing to photography, and online sales to marketing. Faythe Levine writes that this is "a fantastic resource full of useful tips and guidelines from top DIY insiders" and a "must have for any maker's library."
Philip Kadubec, in Crafts and Craft Shows, helps specifically on good business practice for shows, dealing with customers, ...
70-Year Craft Timeline
Over the past two weeks we've been recounting our favorite entries from the 70-year craft timeline in our August/September issue. Today's picks are from Alanna Nissen, the American Craft Council's office coordinator.
1991: Anne Wilson's Hair Work in the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, extends the provocative possibilities of human hair in art. Call me creepy, but I love hair art. Everything from elaborate 19th century wreaths made of intricately twisted and braided strands to Janine Antoni's "Loving Care." As an artistic medium, human hair brings together themes of embodiment, loss and memory, beauty, ...
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