After decades of building, achieving, and changing course, the Tennessee artisan is still finding new lessons in his craft—and passing them on to the next generation.

Brian Boggs, maker of fine, handcrafted wood furniture in Asheville, N.C., just can’t seem to leave a good idea alone. A lifetime of tinkering and experimentation has led to his line of innovative woo...

How one journalist (and her daughters) turned her frustration with household plastic waste into a sustainable, handmade line of organic soap bars—crafted with creativity and a whole lot of heart.

One would think that when people have been as successful in business as America’s billionaires have, they would understand basic economic arithmetic. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Local Mexican producers are working to overcome the challenges created by a global craze for artisan mezcal that threatens the beverage's authenticity.

In the mountains of Michoacán, Mexico, a band of determined Indigenous women led the overthrow of a criminal cartel, and took back their town.

Handcrafted dragons, bears, miners, kings, and queens have 'loomed large' over festivals in the Flanders region for more than 200 years. Who's making these traditional giants today?

Some of today’s top photographers are ditching digital for the magic and mystery that’s only possible by using old techniques. We’re talking really old. Our correspondent travels to a mountain town in...

Meet some of the master guitar makers of Paracho, Mexico, and find out how they develop new techniques while keeping their traditions alive.

Inside a former silk weaver’s workshop in Lyon, France, a carpenter and trained musician is breathing new life into an instrument that was on the brink of extinction in his country: the alphorn. In today’s episode, we’ll hear about this modern-day maker of the alphorn, which was used for centuries to summon livestock, or send messages across vast alpine valleys. “A Man on an Unusual Mission: Bringing the Alphorn Back to France” was written and narrated by Anna Richards. Read the original story here: https://craftsmanship.net/field-notes/a-man-on-an-unusual-mission-bringing-the-alphorn-back-to-france/ Anna Richard’s website: https://www.annahrichards.com/ Music in this series is from Blue Dot Sessions. Michelle Tucci photographed the story and recorded Sandro Faita playing the alphorn. Craftsmanship is a multimedia publication about artisans and innovators who are creating a world built to last. This podcast episode was hosted and produced by Pauline Bartolone. Todd Oppenheimer is the founding editor and executive director of the magazine and its parent organization, The Craftsmanship Initiative. Laurie Weed is the magazine's managing editor. Craftsmanship's podcast page: https://craftsmanship.net/podcasts/ Subscribe to Craftsmanship on Substack: https://craftsmanship.substack.com/

Scribes craft sacred Hebrew texts using an ancient, laborious process. Here, we visit three of them to learn more about their art.

A third-generation metalworker makes the security gates and doors that guard Las Vegas's neighborhoods—and with the same steel, he explores themes of vice, labor, and life beyond the Strip.

Will robots replace humans in tomorrow's job market? Not if workers get the support and hands-on training they want and need.

Why don't more businesses follow the successful example set by Spain's Mondragon Corporation—the world’s largest co-operative business enterprise?

I’m sure you’ve seen the news about the double milestone the United States just reached when our national debt hit $40 trillion. Not only is that amount an all-time record, it’s also the first time it...

Students at London's School of Traditional Arts use the ancient guiding principles offered by geometry, thanks to the school's Islamic roots.

Vocational training declined in the U.S. over the 20th century, as four-year college degrees became much more common. Is it time to flip this equation?

When we’re engrossed in watching a movie, most of us don’t pay close attention to all of the sounds playing in the background. But what we hear subconsciously is often what makes films feel “real”—water rushing in a stream, the clink of ice in a glass, footsteps, the crackle of dry branches underfoot. Since the early days of cinema, Foley artists have been creating these kinds of acoustic layers by hand, using everyday objects, movement, and deep listening. In today's story, “Making Noise: The Endangered Craft of Foley Sound,” we visit a Foley sound studio in San Francisco. We learn why this specific type of audio craft is critical to filmmaking—and which parts of it can’t be easily replaced by digital technology. This story was written and narrated by Craftsmanship's contributing editor, Jeff Greenwald. Read the original story on Substack: https://craftsmanship.substack.com/p/making-noise-the-endangered-craft Jeff Greenwald's website: https://jeffgreenwald.com/bio/ Special thanks to Outpost Studio SF! We used clips of their work from the films "Amina" and "A Thousand Pines," and from a commercial for LinkedIn, as well as the "Canyonlands" episode of the Mindsource series. Craftsmanship is a multimedia publication about artisans and innovators who are creating a world built to last. More episodes—along with original feature stories, short videos, and more—can be found on www.craftsmanship.net. Music in this series is from Blue Dot Sessions. Todd Oppenheimer is the founding editor and executive director of the magazine and its parent organization, The Craftsmanship Initiative. Laurie Weed is the magazine's managing editor. Outpost Studio in San Francisco: https://outpoststudiosf.com/ Craftsmanship's podcast page: https://craftsmanship.net/podcasts/ Subscribe to Craftsmanship on Substack: https://craftsmanship.substack.com/

Among Muslim countries, traditional Islamic music, played with a ney, flourishes most vigorously in Turkey. Our correspondent searched for its elusive master, Niyazi Sayin.

As U.S. student loan debt balloons to $1.75 trillion nationally, calls for low-cost or free college tuition programs are getting louder. How do such programs work? Ask Berea College, which has been tu...

In an city once known for its fine brasswork, Noha El Qahwagy is one of just a few Egyptian artisans crafting traditional brass pieces by hand today.

Mike Morgan uses his skills as a master luthier to build kayaks and other small skin boats by hand, based on traditional designs.

Picking up a longtime hobby, our publisher tries out some new calligraphy tools and techniques, only to find that mastering graceful script is harder—and messier—than it may appear.

In Lyon, the silk-weaving capital of Europe for centuries, the rhythmic clatter of Jacquard Looms once emanated from about 30,000 workshops. Today, only three workshops still uphold this tradition.

With specialized training, professional glassblowers, like those of the West Berkeley co-op Adams & Chittenden, can also make scientific glass, turning out precise, customized tools for advancing rese...

Master woodworker Gary Rogowski muses on the myriad uses and lessons of 'The Mighty Wedge.'

From labor anthems to civil rights hymns, the Resistance Revival Chorus shows how the ancient tradition of communal singing can inspire courage in difficult times.

If properly maintained, a fine piano can last for centuries. So what does it take to keep them in top form? A remarkable documentary follows one team that pulls this off, and even improves these instr...

This profile of Mike Snowden, a rock musician who has made and sold more than 1,000 cigar box guitars, also explores the instrument's lore and legends.

Quilting, which is so often treated as a “domestic” art or folk art, is a serious craft—and a serious business. Today’s featured story profiles a master artisan who has been part of the modern quilting movement for more than four decades. "The Uncommon Quilts of Joe Cunningham" was written and narrated by Jeff Greenwald. You can read the original story at https://craftsmanship.net/field-notes/the-uncommon-quilts-of-joe-cunningham/ This is the Craftsmanship podcast, a series about the artisans, makers, and innovators who are creating a world built to last. It is hosted and produced by Pauline Bartolone. Craftsmanship's managing editor is Laurie Weed. Todd Oppenheimer is the founding editor and executive director. Theme music is from Blue Dot sessions. Cover image by Jeff Greenwald. Subscribe to Craftsmanship on Substack: https://craftsmanship.substack.com/ Craftsmanship is funded by grants and individual donations, and every bit of financial support goes a long way. You can support our journalism by making a donation at www.craftsmanship.net.

An homage to The Whitehall – a classic wooden rowboat whose design might date from the 1500s and is still being rowed on the San Francisco Bay.

When Venice flooded in 2019, Pietro Livi was there to restore waterlogged, ancient texts to their former glory in his intricate machine shop.

If you watch the video at the end of this story, done by Lisa and Loren Skyhorse, two custom Western saddle makers in Durango, Colorado, it’s easy to be inspired by their skill, and touched by their d...

In the heart of Old Delhi, with roots going back to the 17th-century Moghul era, Asia's largest spice market showcases a kaleidoscope of culinary history. Whether you’re a foodie or just a curious tra...

Inside a 250-year-old house in Cairo, patient teachers and traditional Islamic patterns offer students powerful lessons in craft, cultural knowledge—and math.

Gelato is an entirely different beast than ice cream. Italy's master gelatiere, Andrea Soban, explores its regional and colloidal mysteries.

Musician and comic monologist Josh Kornbluth has a lot to say about the painfully exacting process of making an oboe reed.

For 30 years, a team of skilled artisans has been recreating a medieval castle in Central France—using only materials, tools, and techniques that were available in the 13th century.

The gondola, like Venice, is composed almost entirely of secrets — and challenges. Master gondola maker Roberto Dei Rossi refuses to give up.

When you put on a vegan jacket made of viscose or recycled plastic, are you sure you’re helping the planet more than if you had bought one made of leather?

It can often seem like there are no limits to how far many captains of industry will go to deceive, pressure, and take advantage of the workers they depend on.

The work of David Drake, or “Dave the Potter,” commands eye-popping prices at art auctions. Drake (c. 1801-1870) was a formerly enslaved Black American ceramicist who would become one of the most famous names in Edgefield pottery. He signed his own pots and sometimes inscribed them with a poem, defying the strict anti-literacy laws of the time. Contemporary ceramicists are continuing a long legacy of Black Americans working in clay, and finding new ways to tell their stories. This audio version of the Craftsmanship story, “Black Artists Are Reshaping How We Think About American Ceramics,” was written by Ruth Terry and narrated by Chinwe Oniah. This is the Craftsmanship podcast, a series about the artisans, makers, and innovators who are creating a world built to last. It is hosted and produced by Pauline Bartolone. Craftsmanship's managing editor is Laurie Weed. Todd Oppenheimer is the founding editor and executive director. Theme music is from Blue Dot sessions. Cover image: "Farm bowl with chicken," by Syd Carpenter, a Philadephia-based ceramicist and sculptor. You can read this story on craftsmanship.net: https://craftsmanship.net/field-notes/black-artists-are-reshaping-how-we-think-about-american-ceramics/ Subscribe to Craftsmanship on Substack: https://craftsmanship.substack.com/ Craftsmanship is funded by grants and individual donations, and every bit of financial support goes a long way. You can support our journalism by making a donation at www.craftsmanship.net.

Nand Kishore Chaudhary built Jaipur Rugs into a runaway success by empowering some of India’s poorest citizens, and through an apprenticeship system for weavers.

Willy Wonka meets herbology? Craftsmanship's contributing editor gets a hands-on lesson in making plant medicine, with sweet results.

In the U.S. alone, nearly 3 million homes have a saltwater aquarium. And globally, the market is worth billions of dollars. Could this booming hobby become a force for ocean conservation?

New England’s fabled (and much valued) lobstering industry is struggling with many challenges:. So why would a bright young man in Eastport, Maine commit to a life fishing the seas?

Inside the Berkeley Herbal Center, traditional knowledge is thriving—not as a musem relic, but as a living practice focused on holistic healing.

Durham, N.C. is turning once-abandoned factories into tech hubs and microbreweries. Barry Yeoman digs into the layers of the city’s soul.

Gian Piero Bellucci may be the last Italian artisan who still makes the traditional, handcarved wooden forms that serve as hat blocks.

Equality's Foot Soldiers