Handmade Nation began as a documentary film. Officially
released in February, it is scheduled to make its local debut in April
at the Museum of Contemporary Craft. In the meantime, director and
author/editor Faythe Levine is reading this week to promote a book
version of Handmade Nation, which collects testimonies from
members of the craft community, and essays on how “the new wave of
craft” (think Crafty Wonderland’s monthly bazaar and Etsy.com) coincides with various forces, from
religion to the internet.
MERCURY: American Craft Editor
Andrew Wagner’s introduction to Handmade Nation mentions the damage done to craft’s reputation for quality in the
’60s and ’70s by over-proliferation. How will the new wave avoid
this?
FAYTHE LEVINE: It’s important not to have quality control on one
level, because it’s important to remind people that having a creative
outlet—no matter what it is or what the quality is—is
incredibly positive. Our generation is embracing the fact that you can
do whatever you want with a medium. Some are focusing more on quality,
some more on process. It’s all really important.
The virtues of buying handmade flow closely to buying local. Is it
contradictory to buy a handmade item and have it shipped?
I definitely see that point. If you are making the decision to buy
something online instead of buying it direct from someone in your own
community, there might be a reason for that. You might live rurally;
you [might not] have access to something that’s more innovative and
cool.
How do you think the current economy will affect the craft
world?
It seems like because people are becoming more conscious about how
they spend their money, and where they spend their money, it’s proven
to be a really positive thing for the craft community. Ideally, people
will realize the benefits of being creative and having a creative
outlet, and hopefully that might start to reflect back into the
educational system, where there’s no more art programming in most
public schools. This is just the beginning of what’s going to
unfold.