American master Stankard reveals hard-won career guidance from his 45-year career, plus shares distinguished colleagues' insights A guided analysis of 150+ top contemporary works helps your own art compete with the best Personal advice from the top on ways to pursue creative excellence, with plenty of specific visual examples

Here is the first comprehensive survey of modern craft in the United States. Makers follows the development of studio craft--objects in fiber, clay, glass, wood, and metal--from its roots in nineteenth-century reform movements to the rich diversity of expression at the end of the twentieth century. More than four hundred illustrations complement this chronological exploration of the American craft tradition. Keeping as their main focus the objects and the makers, Janet Koplos and Bruce Metcalf offer a detailed analysis of seminal works and discussions of education, institutional support, and the philosophical underpinnings of craft. In a vivid and accessible narrative, they highlight the value of physical skill, examine craft as a force for moral reform, and consider the role of craft as an aesthetic alternative. Exploring craft's relationship to fine arts and design, Koplos and Metcalf foster a critical understanding of the field and help explain craft's place in contemporary culture. Makers will be an indispensable volume for craftspeople, curators, collectors, critics, historians, students, and anyone who is interested in American craft.

"Perspectives from 22 master artisans fuse with industrial product design techniques and the author's own craft experience to offer a powerful framework for designing, making, and selling your work."--Amazon.com

Discover what kind of stunning spaces for creative work you can build in your own home no matter your budget with this inspirational DIY guide. Art, craft and all things homemade have never been more popular and the trend for working from home continues apace. But it can be tricky to carve out a space in your house that lets you indulge your passion or earn a living from your creativity. Studio and study spaces are special places—full of creative spirit and practical potential—and there’s never been a greater demand for a book that shows you how to carve out a corner that allows you to not only practice your craft, but inspires and facilitates the very work you create. Real-life case studies from seven different countries, ranging from crafters, writers, designers and artists, show readers just what can be achieved on every budget. Many of the studio owners featured have a dedicated and ever-expanding social media following, including fashion designers Kiel James Patrick and Sarah Vickers, woodworker Ariele Alasko, designer Sarah Sherman Samuel, fine artist Lisa Congdon and decor blogger Holly Becker. Detailed chapters outline the vital pieces needed to create a functioning and inspirational studio space, while also taking an in-depth look into different styles of studios for craft and creative activities. With Studio, Sally Coulthard shows you that spaces for creativity can be easy to make, look beautiful, and fitted into any home. Praise for Studio “A visual feast of a sourcebook . . . features real-life home offices to inspire even the most spatially challenged of us.” —Fabric magazine “A fantastic and inspiring volume.” —Holly Becker “A lovely peek into lots of different creative studios, from potters to knitters, textile designers to fine artist, and every one is a delight.” —The Women’s Room “Working from home has never been so stylish.” —Ham & High

Gain a wealth of information, inspiration, and know-how on moving your artistic career forward from one of the most successful illustration agents in the industry! I Just Like to Make Things is a dazzling, colorful volume of career and personal advice for artists, filled with ideas, playsheets (as opposed to worksheets), case studies, and tools for staying inspired and creative. These pages are grounded in the wisdom and experience gleaned from a long and buzzing career as creative juggernaut Lilla Rogers shares her analysis of leveraging various working styles and ways to keep your art fresh. Artist interviews provide inside details about the best jobs, as well as tips on how to work smart and stay creative. You’ll also find annotated case studies of several successful art jobs, in addition to coloring book pages, hand-drawn charts, and lots of crazy fun. Acquire real-life, professional advice from an artist known for setting the trend with I Just Like to Make Things!

Illustrated with 200 stunning photographs and encompassing objects from furniture and ceramics to jewelry and metal, this definitive work from Jo Lauria and Steve Fenton showcases some of the greatest pieces of American crafts of the last two centuries. Potter Craft

This is the first book on the American sculptor and ceramist Mary Tuthill Lindheim (1912- 2004) who, with contemporaries Edith Heath, Peter Voulkos, Marguerite Wildenhain and others, awakened the art world and public to the exciting potential of clay as a fine art medium. A student of Alexander Archipenko, Isamu Noguchi, and JosA(c) de Creeft, Lindheim entered ceramics in 1946 as a fully formed sculptor. A year into her new career, she was exhibiting with the best potters of her generation. A leader in three influential artists organizations the Association of San Francisco Potters, San Francisco Women Artists, and Designer-Craftsmen of California Lindheim worked to foster dialogue among museums, critics, and artists and to break down what she saw as artificial and destructive distinctions between art and craft. During her most prolific period in ceramics, 1947-1969, she was featured prominently in national publications and exhibited in most of the important ceramics and studio craft shows of the period. Her work is in the collections of numerous museums, including Arizona State University Art Museum, the Bolinas Museum, Crocker Art Museum, Mills College Art Museum, Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art (Utah State University), and the Oakland Museum of California, among others.

A music-career book like no other, The Music Producer’s Survival Guide offers a wide-ranging, exploratory, yet refreshing down-to-earth take on living the life of the independent electronic music producer. If you are an intellectually curious musician/producer eager to make your mark in today’s technologically advanced music business, you’re in for a treat. This new edition includes industry and technological updates, additional interviews, and tips about personal finances, income, and budgets. In this friendly, philosophical take on the art and science of music production, veteran producer, engineer, and teacher Brian Jackson shares clear, practical advice about shaping your own career in today’s computer-centric "home-studio" music world. You’ll cover music technology, philosophy of music production, career planning, networking, craft and creativity, the DIY ethos, lifestyle considerations, and much more. Brian’s thoughtful approach will teach you to integrate your creative passion, your lifestyle, and your technical know-how. The Music Producer’s Survival Guide is the first music-production book to consider the influence of complexity studies and chaos theory on music-making and career development. It focuses on practicality while traversing a wide spectrum of topics, including essential creative process techniques, the TR-808, the proliferation of presets, the butterfly effect, granular synthesis, harmonic ratios, altered states, fractal patterns, the dynamics of genre evolution, and much more. Carving out your niche in music today is an invigorating challenge that will test all your skills and capacities. Learn to survive—and thrive—as a creative-technical professional in today’s music business, with the help of Brian Jackson and The Music Producer’s Survival Guide!

This unusual two-section resource directs creative people toward their personal best. Internationally renowned artist Paul Stankard provides a practical, personal guide outlining his philosophy based on self-directed learning. First, by referencing his own career path, he offers readers what he yearned for during his 45-year journey toward international acclaim: a practical, intimate guide showing how successful artists achieve excellence in their work. Next, he introduces a cross section of dozens of masters who are respected by experts on the American craft landscape. Stankard walks you through a selection of 150+ top works from these artists, each of whom also offers candid advice. With this guide, learn to compete with the best from the past and the present as you pursue a personal journey in the studio, or consider a career in the arts. This book promotes self-directed learning, and is destined to be a classic.