Arts, Crafts, and Photography from our 2021 Winter Newsletter

Many aspire to the creative life, and even more find it fascinating. Here the brilliant interviewer and designer Debbie Millman shares some of her best interviews of some of the world’s most fantastically creative and influential people from her podcast Design Matters. Educational, poignant, funny, and inspiring, with creators who range from traditional designers to illustrators, musicians, directors, and more, this is a perfect gift for anyone with a creative spirit, shining a light in darker times.—Jocelyn

Don’t miss our event with Debbie Millman on November 18th, 2021.

For a man known globally for art and activism, Ai Weiwei’s memoir, in Allan H. Barr’s translation, is a surprisingly straightforward narrative, where art is a matter-of-fact occurrence, and the illustrated history of China is seemingly incidental. Starting with the life of his father, the poet Ai Qing, Ai Weiwei’s life is laid out, at times starkly heartbreaking, at times breathtakingly inspiring, but always fascinating, full of the thought, feeling, and movement of a singular life.—Jocelyn

In this small but powerful book, Tina Campt examines Black contemporary artists—from filmmakers to photographers to multi-media artists—who are dismantling the white gaze and insisting that we see the world “with, through, and alongside” Black artists. Not only did A Black Gaze challenge me to bear witness, but it inspired me to learn more about the artists, like cinematographer Arthur Jafa, who are featured within its pages.—S.B.

In our time of a global shared trauma, self-care is more important than ever. Many of us have found new hobbies and passions during the various shutdowns, and for anyone who has been knitting, from the seasoned knitter to the knitting newbie, this book is a great source of patterns and comfort. Crafting can be a soothing activity as well as one that leaves you feeling accomplished. Get cozy and ready to take care of yourself, while making something for you or your friends!—MJ 

The crafting community that is visible to the public eye has for generations been perceived as the realm of cis-het white women. This Long Thread is made up of stories and essays from people who don’t fit into the mold that social media expects from its crafting influencers. The pieces from the BIPOC folks in This Long Thread address racism, family, tradition, love, and loss, all with a focus on fiber crafts. Get this for the crafter or maker in your life; it will enhance their craft and their understanding of the world, no matter their discipline.—Jae

This comprehensive volume of female photography pioneers contains historical images and biographical snippets to chronicle the change in photography from traditional portraiture to nude forms, gender-flipping portraits, and still-lifes, all the way to abstraction and collage. Historians and photographers alike will be enchanted by the whimsy and skill of female explorers of the photographic landscape.  —Celeste 

Quilts are historically group projects; women sat together, creating from spare fabrics a blanket that has the potential to be handed down for generations, telling stories as they sew. Stitching Stolen Lives weaves a portrait of the power of quilts to share stories and to help one express oneself. Trail helps empower young people to use quilting to not only remember those they have lost but to make a promise to themselves to fight injustice for a better future.—MJ

Allison Hawthorne Deming has written a lovely ode to the makers, beginning with those most felt in her own life, her family’s lineage of haute couture women dressmakers and the Canadian weir fishermen of Grand Manan Island, home to her childhood summers. From here, she weaves across the world and time, seeking the intimate and the remarkable, infusing essay with poetry, detail, and an environmental awareness that understands the importance of craft, the purposeful act of making in a world of constant breaking.—Melinda