Dormer presents a series of lively, clearly argued discussions about the relevance of handicraft in a world whose aesthetics and design are largely determined by technology. The question of computer aided design in craft is also addressed.

Craft practice has a rich history and remains vibrant, sustaining communities while negotiating cultures within local or international contexts. More than two centuries of industrialization have not extinguished handmade goods; rather, the broader force of industrialization has redefined and continues to define the context of creation, deployment and use of craft objects. With object study at the core, this book brings together a collection of essays that address the past and present of craft production, its use and meaning within a range of community settings from the Huron Wendat of colonial Quebec to the Girls? Friendly Society of twentieth-century England. The making of handcrafted objects has and continues to flourish despite the powerful juggernaut of global industrialization, whether inspired by a calculated refutation of industrial sameness, an essential means to sustain a cultural community under threat, or a rejection of the imposed definitions by a dominant culture. The broader effects of urbanizing, imperial and globalizing projects shape the multiple contexts of interaction and resistance that can define craft ventures through place and time. By attending to the political histories of craft objects and their makers, over the last few centuries, these essays reveal the creative persistence of various hand mediums and the material debates they represented.

"Crafts were central to daily life in early modern Japan. They were powerful carriers of knowledge, sociality, and identity, and how and from what materials they were made were matters of serious concern among all classes of society. In Craft Culture in Early Modern Japan, Christine M. E. Guth examines the network of forces--both material and immaterial--that supported Japan's rich, diverse, and aesthetically sophisticated artifactual culture between the late sixteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries. Exploring the institutions, modes of thought, and reciprocal relationships among people, materials, and tools, she draws particular attention to the role of women in crafts, embodied knowledge, and the special place of lacquer as a medium. By examining the ways and values of making that transcend specific media and practices, Guth illuminates the 'craft culture' of early modern Japan"--

A rich, authoritative look at a material that plays an essential role in human culture Wood has been a central part of human life throughout the world for thousands of years. In an intoxicating mix of science, history, and practical information, historian and woodworker Harvey Green considers this vital material's place on the planet. What makes one wood hard and one soft? How did we find it, tame it? Where does it fit into the histories of technology, architecture, and industrialization, of empire, exploration, and settlement? Spanning the surprising histories of the log cabin and Windsor chair, the deep truth about veneer, the role of wood in the American Revolution, the disappearance of the rain forests, the botany behind the baseball bat, and much more, Wood is a deep and satisfying look at one of our most treasured resources.

In this beautifully designed and illustrated volume, leading craft scholars, curators and artists come together to assess the post-War history and contemporary flourishing of craft in America. Their critical gaze encompasses craft practice by artists, professional makers, and amateurs; crafting as it takes place in the studio and in the domestic space, and as it is exhibited in museums and galleries; craft that uses materials and crafting in the digital arena, and critical issues confronting craft such as industry, education and digitization.

Salient Features Presents a comprehensive, indepth and updated socio-cultural profile of the Tharu and their habitat. - Indepth documentation of various facets of all activities that can be clubbed as artistic, since it takes into consideration the term arts and crafts in its widest sense. - Analyses importance of arts and crafts and its functional place in a society. - Unique book containing numerous colour, black & white photographs, line drawings and illustrative tables at appropriate places, which makes it vivid and comprehensible. - Suggests ways in which the various indigenous artistic activities can be innovated upon to create exquisite marketable products which would be economically viable for the tribals. - Helpful bible for welfare and development agencies who can derive from this microscopic study to formulate macroscopic welfare programmes.