Category Archive

Review: A Weaverly Path

BY LYN HART The Tapestry Life of Silvia Heyden, a film by Kenny Dalsheimer How does one peer into the mind of an artist, into the deep recesses where creativity and vision abide? What would be visible there? How could it…

A Living Pattern

BY RACHEL DAVEY The art of ajrakh Sufiyan Khatri shakes out a length of cloth and a sky unfolds in the cramped family office, spilling stars. Blue like a summer twilight and patterned with intricate geometries, the cotton has an almost…

Knitting a More Perfect Union

BY ADRIENNE SLOANE Adrienne Sloane’s Political Knits I am a self-confessed sculptural knitter. It is always difficult to describe what that means since for most people it is a bit of an unusual obsession. However, I seem to be compelled by…

Kenyan Utopia

BY KEITH RECKER Nani Croze, her buildings made with recycled materials, and her health and education projects. Nani Croze, German artist and community activist, settled in Kenya many years ago. Her flower-child idealism has inspired a complex of Gaudi-esque buildings with…

Gone Rural

BY ANNIE WATERMAN Working with sisal Cultural artistry meets age-old tradition when we take a peek at Gone Rural’s innovative collection of home accessories, all created with sisal. This organization impresses in their unique designs as they experiment with natural and sustainable fibers that they hand…

¡Hola, Guibani!

TEXT: MARNIE FLEMING A native of Oaxaca, Mexico, 33 year-old Christopher Brandon creates artisanal furniture designs that speak to the traditions and the vibrancy of this dynamic city.  His business is aptly named, Guibani: a Zapotec word for the “color of…

Trash Talk

BY KEITH RECKER Unique-Eco cleans up the Kenyan shoreline and uses what it carts away to create sculpture and jewelry that are getting attention in European fashion circles. Julie Church went from being a marine biologist to businesswoman…just because she had…

Social Fabric Woven

BY CHERYL ROBERTSON Handicrafts bring independence, industry and income “My message to every woman is that the first step to self empowerment is to learn to love and believe in yourself,” says Halima Al Quaidah, once a volunteer wool-washer and now…