inspiration
AMAZING CRAFTERS
Crafters, artisans, artists, and creatives...
Preserving time-honored traditions, furthering contemporary craft, and inspiring new generations...
These are the people taking craft to a new level, cherishing its heritage, and exemplifying true craftsmanship with utmost creativity and care.
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Prepare to be amazed.
greta langenberg / textile & costumes
Greta Langenberg is a costumer + costume designer living in Los Angeles and working worldwide. I met her while visiting the textile studio at Penland, and was so impressed by the patterns she had screen printed and then sewn. One of the items for sale on her website boasts the quote: "To practice craft is to connect with the divine"
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brittani locke /marbler
(silk and paper)
Brittani Locke creates and applies unique designs on fabric, paper and canvas, using the centuries-old hand-marbling technique. Her work is phenomenal! She was taught by mentors, and passes her knowledge along via her in-studio workshops and her youtube channel
sasha baskin / weaver
Sasha Baskin’s weaving and drawing work explores the intersection of craft and classical rendering. She is a draftsperson turned weaver turned lacemaker, and majored in craft for her MFA. She uses traditional weaving and lacemaking processes in combination with source imagery from reality television to address the intersections between analog and digital technologies. Sasha was a visiting instructor at Penland in 2023, and i was riveted by her "Northlights" presentation and by her artistic direction
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India rose crawford / knitter
In her own (succinct) words:
"I knit and i make videos"
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...and it's extraordinary.
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Check her out on IG and you'll instantly understand why she has 3.1 million followers!!
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victoria birth / bookbinder
Not just an incredibly talented bookbinder, Victoria was also my boss when I worked in book repair and conservation at the BYU library... and she not only taught me incredible skills, but introduced me to (life-changing) Penland! So... basically I owe her my life
sol rebora / bookmaker
Sol Rebora is a designer bookbinder who began her studies and practice in 1996 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has studied in Toronto and New York as well, and is renowned across the world for her innovative, experimental work in designer binding and contemporary conservation methods. And, she was one of the visiting instructors at Penland when I was there in 2023!
eric cannizzaro / chairmaker
Vermont woodworker working primarily with green wood to make handmade traditional and contemporary chairs. Also an educator... trained under Curtis Buchanan, held a residency at Arrowmont... and taught ME how to make an 18th-century ladderback "Jennie Alexander" chair from a log! A wealth of knowledge, talent, and skills TAKE HIS CLASS!
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ericcannizzaro.com
curtis buchanan / chairmaker
Woodworker in Jonesboro, Tennessee, making traditional Windsor (and other) chairs the same way they were made 200 years ago. Curtis has taught in craft schools around the world, sharing his vast expertise and knowledge, and has mentored and influenced countless other woodworkers, chairmakers, and casual artisans. Truly epitomizes preserving the Lost Arts! And p.s. I got to visit his awesome studio! (photo cred: me)
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nol putnam / blacksmitH
History-teacher-turned-blacksmith who became a legend in the trade, and worked his forge until the age of 87! He passed away at 89 in 2023, but his love for and influence in this ancient, nostalgic trade lives on! Read about him, see his amazing work...
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elizabeth brim / blacksmith
Elizabeth Brim is a living legend at penland and beyond. she is dknown throughout the craft world for her life-sized, steel replicas of traditionally feminine objects such as hats, dresses, pillows, and flowers; for her expressive and fluid use of the material; and for her facility at inflating steel forms with compressed air-- and she is never without her iconic string of pearls as she works the forge.