DIY art and culture lives, thrives and has been gaining a massive resurgence in the past decade. The growth of hand crafted work, arts and crafts that could easily have been made by machines and digital media, but wasn’t, by choice of the artists, is astonishing and rad.
One artist, director, craft show creator (Art vs. Craft), retail craft store co-owner (Paper Boat) and all around superwoman of DIY, Faythe Levine also undertook the writing of a book and making an extraordinary documentary film about this movement beginning in 2006. The film is called Handmade Nation and is just beginning to screen all around the country, and the newly released book is called Handmade Nation The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design. Both authors Faythe Levine and Cortney Heimerl are touring the US and abroad with their film screenings and talking to folks about the passions and work of folks who make art and crafts with their hands. Both the film & the book have been highly anticpated for 2 years and counting. I can’t wait to see the film and have the book in my wishlist, ready to come home any minute now.
For screenings, or to book a screening (they welcome the inquiries) check out the Handmade Nation website and/or the Handmade Nation blog. The Handmade Nation book is available here, and for more photos, visit the Handmade Nation flickr page.
Awesome Blossom!
