Retreat. I have always thought of weekends and vacations as creative sabbaticals. I may take a trip to explore textiles and local foods, tuck myself away in the woods and make sculptures from found materials, or rearrange objects in my home until the space feels fresh. We all need time and space to fortify our bodies and souls—especially in times of great change.
When we started planning this issue over a year ago, the first thing I envisioned was featuring spa-like spaces and handcrafted works that bring peace and calm. What you’ll discover here instead, I’m happy to share, is a more nuanced approach to connections between craft and the theme retreat.
One can simply retreat into a good seat, for example. On the cover is a chair by Kevin Reiswig of Washington, who finds refuge in his work and asks us to reimagine how we use wood. Also in these pages are ceramic furniture that embodies both the hard and the soft, made by Kelsie Rudolph in Montana, and a fantastical sculpted folly by Brooklyn-based Nicholas Devlin that invites one in to rest and dream.
A retreat often involves slowing down or learning. So we go to Hawai‘i, where makers take their time to harvest, process, and shape kapa—a Hawaiian bark cloth—into jewelry, sculpture, and wall hangings. We drop in to Denver’s Craftsman & Apprentice, where kids learn to work with their hands. And we visit Georgia, where Oyster Bamboo creates old-school fly rods and teaches workshops on how to do the same.
We can feel a sense of retreat when exploring spaces that evoke the artistic spirit and connect us to place. Our in-depth coverage of craft in Atlanta offers a guide to exploring the city. The high desert of Wyoming, where silversmith Amy Erickson lives, inspires her as she engraves bits, spurs, and jewelry. Joshua Tree, a popular California vacation spot, is the perfect setting for the artists represented at HeyThere Projects. And in New Jersey, a home built for craft is a magical setting for the incredible collection of Lou and Sandy Grotta.
May you find a renewed sense of wonder and inspiration to create a retreat—whatever that looks like for you—as you explore our Summer issue.
Karen Olson is editor in chief of American Craft.
Made from kapa, a Hawaiian bark cloth, Dalani Tanahy’s Mana Wahine, 2018, represents three Hawaiian goddesses: Kalawahine (water), Pele (fire, lightening, wind), and Hina (moon, ocean, feminine power), 28 x 32 in. Featured in Beauty in the Bark by Catharine Lo Griffin.
