Cut the Craft
Have you ever looked at potters smiling from their booth at the farmers’ market and wondered: “what’s their deal?” Have you ever considered whose hands are behind the wooden chair you're sitting on? How about those fancy kitchen knives you admire?
Cut the Craft is a podcast that brings stories of handcraft and its makers to you. Perhaps you are a craftsperson looking for a fresh perspective, or a newcomer to handmade things; no matter your starting point, your hosts Amy Umbel and Brien Beidler are here to cut the craft.
Episodes
70 episodes
Episode 62: Bill Deresiewicz
Recorded June 6, 2023. William Deresiewicz is a non-fiction writer whose work includes The End of Solitude, Excellent Sheep, and A Jane Austin Education. In this episode he speaks with us about his book
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Episode 62
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1:22:34
Episode 061: Kyle Tallio
Recorded May 8, 2023. Kyle Tallio, from Nuxalk and Hailzaqu Nations, makes Northwest Coast Art primarily out of Prince Rupert in Canada. Kyle focuses primarily on wood carvings that are used traditionally: masks, spoons, bowls, and ...
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Episode 61
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1:20:49
Episode 060: Addison de Lisle
Recorded April 18, 2023. Addison de Lisle is a metalsmith who primarily focuses on non-ferrous metals but with a very eclectic range of forms. Within his breadth of interests, Addison makes an effort to set himself a few parameters;...
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Episode 60
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1:04:01
Episode 59: Kathryn Sullivan
Recorded March 20, 2023. Kathryn Sullivan is a woodworker who focuses on restoration and conservation. Over the course of our conversation Kathryn highlights the importance of communication with their clients. Learning more about wh...
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Episode 59
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1:20:44
Episode 58: Robell Awake
Recorded March 13, 2023. Robell Awake is a furniture maker based in Atlanta Georgia. He has a background in the trades, but has dedicated his current efforts in ladderback chair making and green woodworking. Along with making the fu...
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Episode 58
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1:08:01
Episode 57: Gabriela Marván
Recorded February 6, 2023. Gabriela Marván is a cartonera living and working in Wisconsin. Cartonería is a paper sculpture technique that has roots in the beginning of colonialism in Mexico. The Catholic Church used sculptures to co...
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Episode 57
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1:37:40
Episode 056: Louise Bescond
Recorded January 2, 2023. French bookbinder Louise Bescond is couched within the multifaceted world of bookbinding. She describes her niche as bookbinding “haute couture,” but despite her exacting eye, she acknowledges the moving b...
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Episode 56
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1:38:17
Episode 055: Ben Blount
Recorded December 12, 2022. Letterpress printer and designer Ben Blount believes in the power of the printed word. He uses design as a way to communicate, motivate, tell stories, and record histories. He uses the printed word as a v...
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Episode 55
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1:06:45
Episode 054: Jögge Sundqvist
Recorded November 7, 2022. Jögge Sundqvist is a slöjdaire from Umeå Sweden. As a multi-talented woodworker he’s made everything ranging from butter knives to theater entrances. During this episode, Jögge helps us clear up the defini...
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Episode 54
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1:10:22
Episode 053: Esra Alhamal
Recorded September 19, 2022. Dr. Esra Alhamal creates illuminated paintings and works out of England. In this episode, she clears up the language surrounding biomorphic patterns and the western idea of Islamic Art. Instead, Es...
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Episode 53
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1:04:30
Episode 052: David "Swen" Swenson
Recorded July 25, 2022. Ceramic artist David “Swen” Swenson creates his utilitarian wares in Clearwater, Minnesota. His work is a cacophony of design elements and motifs that fit together like quilt pieces. Swen draws inspiration fr...
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Episode 52
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1:20:06
Episode 051: Aliyah Salmon
Recorded April 25, 2022. Episode contains some language.Textile Artist and surface designer Aliyah Salmon has had a recent breakthrough with her large hand-tufted wall hangings. The opportunity came quickly to start working with tu...
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Episode 51
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1:07:39
Episode 050: Andrew Meers
Recorded May 2, 2022. Bladesmith Andrew Meers focuses his creative practice on making a variety of knives. Most of his knives are heavily embellished art and are not strictly utilitarian. Conversely, he also sometimes makes...
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Episode 50
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1:13:18
Episode 049: Andrea Davis
Recorded April 18, 2022. Soapmaker Andrea Davis is the owner of Motherland Essentials in South Carolina. She focuses on cold process soapmaking and loves the interplay between art and science that soapmaking allows. During our inter...
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Episode 49
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1:22:03
Episode 048: Caitlin Morris
Recorded March 28, 2022. Blacksmith Caitlin Morris is the founder of Ms. Caitlin’s School of Blacksmithing in Frederick, Maryland, and “is dedicated to sharing the craft with as many unsuspecting people as possible!” Caitlin i...
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Episode 48
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1:25:41
Episode 047: Makeda Smith
Recorded April 4, 2022. Ceramicist Makeda Smith took a leap of faith during 2020 to start her own business. She had dabbled in ceramics in college, but when a friend saw her talent and encouraged her to take her creative side more s...
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Episode 47
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1:16:22
Episode 046: Jesse Merrill
Episode Recorded February 28, 2022. Jesse Merrill is a craft baker and greenwood worker/turner from Ontario Canada. He has his feet in two areas of craft. Running Polestar Hearth Bakery supports his family through th...
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Episode 46
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1:35:41
Episode 045: Eleanor Rose
Episode Recorded February 21, 2022. Eleanor Rose is a craft-based sculpture artist, and toolmaker currently based in Pennsylvania. During our conversation, she shares how she started making tools; she didn’t have access to wha...
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Episode 45
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1:11:29
Episode 044: Mikko Snellman
Episode Recorded February 7, 2022. Mikko Snellman specializes in knot tying and ropemaking and comes from a long line of sailors in Finland. During our conversation, he shares the important place cordage has in h...
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Episode 44
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1:20:25
Episode 043: Gabriel Frey
Episode Recorded February 2, 2022. Gabriel Frey is a 13th generation Wabanaki basketmaker from the Dawnland. During our conversation Gabriel shares the importance of indigenous land stewardship and the role basket weaving has ...
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Episode 43
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1:26:36
Episode 042: Sreeraghavi Mani
Episode Recorded February 1, 2022. Sreeraghavi Mani is a textile origamist working out of New Jersey who has a background in design and textiles. She talks about how she has shifted her perspective from an industrial model to ...
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Episode 42
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1:07:04
Episode 041: Reid Schwartz
Episode Recorded November 22, 2021. Reid Schwartz is a knife maker from rural New Hampshire and throughout his career as a hand-tool maker, he has settled into a solid understanding of why he is making tools and the feedback l...
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Episode 41
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1:47:07
