![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183901\/4236975a48c2b1b8240783f6fde33e73-um203.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Across the country, young designers and craftsmen\u00a0are rediscovering the value of a hands-on process, and a select few are going the extra mile. Here we profile ten up-and-coming makers who chose a craft, pursue it with rigor, create beautiful objects, and\u2014above all\u2014find inventive ways to bring them to market.<\/p>\n
UM Project<\/a> <\/span> Franc\u0327ois Chambard considers himself a precursor to the maker movement, and rightly so. He founded UM Project, a furniture-making practice, in 2004 with a moniker that stands for \u201cUsers and Makers.\u201d Over the years, his Brooklyn-based workshop has produced myriad well-crafted objects, both one-offs and product lines, including stools, mallets, lamps, theremins, tables, and interior fit outs.<\/p>\n Chambard likes to combine manual techniques with a touch of mass production. \u201cWhat might seem like a contradiction is a great source of inspiration and creativity, as novelty and innovation often come from unexpected opposites,\u201d he says. \u201cI believe that is actually the main source of appeal in my work, as cues from both are mixed in an unexpected way.\u201d This mash-up of methods often leads to playful, colorful pieces reminiscent of gizmos from some gigantic machine. His design process, however, begins by hand, and his sketchbooks are filled with drawings and details of potential creations.<\/p>\n Since its founding, UM Project has rapidly gained exposure\u2014Chambard recently created an exclusive line of mallets in wood, metal, and lacquer for the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, for example\u2014at times challenging the balance between creativity and production. Franc\u0327ois seems quite able to deal with this pressure: \u201cThe split between experimentation and products, between art and industry, between producing and making, has always felt somewhat artificial to us.\u201d\u2014A. J. P. Artemel<\/em><\/p>\n Behind the intricately carved geometric patterns of Dana Bechert\u2019s ceramic vessels lies an ongoing problem-solving process: \u201cI create things as I develop a need for them,\u201d says Bechert. From coffee pour-over funnels to planters and tea sets, Bechert\u2019s interests in cooking and gardening find a functional expression in her ceramics. She credits her time at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and the broad range of classes she took there, with teaching her how different crafts can inform one another.<\/p>\n In her work, Bechert, who grew up in rural Connecticut and has a studio in Nottingham, Pennsylvania, draws from imagery as diverse as American pieced quilts, Native American Acoma Pueblo pottery, and historical textile prints and weavings, but her primary source of inspiration remains geometry as it appears in nature. \u201cMost of my ceramic work is done outside, among the birds, bugs, and plants,\u201d says Bechert. \u201cI find my work looks best when it is paired with organic matter, and I feel like, in some small way,\u00a0I am able to add value to these wild subjects.\u201d<\/p>\n For an artist who prefers to work in nature, winter might be considered a quiet time to rest and regroup, but Bechert has, instead, been keeping busy with her next project, a camp and artist residency called Oak Hill Nature Center. \u201cIt will be focused on environmental and agricultural education, with traditional craft and culinary skill-building as part of the curriculum,\u201d says Bechert. \u201cI\u2019m excited to see how my ceramics practice will fit into my pursuits there.\u201d\u2014Dora Sapunar<\/em><\/p>\n \u200b Growing up in Toledo, Ohio, the birthplace of the Studio Glass movement, John Hogan had a long tradition to draw from. \u201cI started blowing glass at the Toledo Museum of Art youth art program at 15 years old,\u201d says Hogan. \u201cThat started me down the rabbit hole of glasswork.\u201d<\/p>\n With the help of some of the country\u2019s most influential glassmakers, Hogan immersed himself in the history of the craft, from the highly technical Italian approach to the more minimal method, focused on the optical qualities of\u00a0glass, that he observed during a sojourn in the Czech Republic. Finally settling in Seattle, the current hub of the glass-blowing community, Hogan is now eager to help other artists and designers develop their own projects through Ballard Assembly, a consulting, prototyping, and production operation that he is developing.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Hogan\u2019s personal work, which manipulates glass for experiments with color and light, is garnering accolades in both commercial and\u00a0gallery settings. And while influences on his work come from sources as diverse as electronic music and culinary art, he distills them all in crisp, simple forms that let the material shine through. \u201cFor me, the most challenging aspect of working with glass is staying out of its way,\u201d Hogan says. \u201cI admire artists and designers who choose to work in many materials. But, for me, the specific elements of a material as complex as glass can only be understood with immense amounts of time and focus.\u201d\u2014D.S.<\/em><\/p>\n Founding studio DAMM gave wife-and-husband team Brenda and Robert Zurn (above) an opportunity they were more than happy to embrace\u2014to work on new projects together. \u201cFrom our very first apartment together, we have made our own furniture, including bookshelves, coffee tables, bed frames, and cabinets,\u201d Brenda says. Based in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Zurns decided to launch their joint venture with a foray into lighting. \u201cLighting allows us to be sculptural in an open way,\u201d says Robert. \u201cThe restrictions on lighting are minimal and, if done well, a fixture or a lamp can stand alone like a unique art object.\u201d<\/p>\n From a Memphis-inspired table lamp to the pastel simplicity of their Hombre pendants, their products reveal a wide variety of influences and visual expressions. And although their ideas might start in different places\u2014Robert being heavily inspired by concepts rooted in the art world and Brenda\u2019s interest in history and storytelling\u2014they share a strong preference for utilizing simple, honest materials.<\/p>\n In their work, the Zurns strive not to disguise the authentic nature of materials such as wood, brass, and glass. \u201cThese types of materials have a built-in history because people have interacted with them for millennia,\u201d says Brenda. \u201cThey also have sense of authenticity that goes all the way through the object.\u201d The duo is set to continue exploring the field of lighting design in developing its first floor lamp, but is also eager to expand its range through a line of home goods, which it plans to release later in the year.\u2014D.S.<\/em><\/p>\n Detroit, once the national icon of mass manufacturing, is quickly becoming one of the most exciting incubators for young makers and craftspeople. Among these is Smith Shop, a metalworking studio founded in 2012 that has made a name for itself with a selection of ethically sourced and exquisitely crafted jewelry, kitchenware, and architectural hardware.<\/p>\n Smith Shop is based in Ponyride, a vibrant studio space and community of small creative businesses in the Corktown area that sprang up in an effort to revitalize the city. Spaces like Ponyride have been instrumental in organizing exchanges between makers and the general public\u2014Smith Shop values workshops and lectures. \u201cThere\u2019s a long history of craftspeople sharing what they do with people who want to learn,\u201d says Gabriel Craig, one of the founders of Smith Shop. \u201cMetalworking is primarily an oral tradition. It\u2019s an opportunity for people to engage with their hands and learn how manufacturing happens.\u201d<\/p>\n A sense of history, both in terms of its aesthetics and the exceptional level of craftsmanship, is a signature quality of Smith Shop\u2019s work, particularly its elegant copper and steel serving ware. \u201cWe look backwards a lot, and try to create work that embraces tradition, but also breaks away from it a little bit,\u201d says Craig. One of these historical points of reference is Detroit itself, its Art Deco heritage, and, even more so, its unwavering sense of entrepreneurship. \u201cFor a long time in Detroit, the currency was talking about doing things that would turn the city around, and eventually it became a city of doers,\u201d Craig says. \u201cWe\u2019re here, we\u2019re committed, and we\u2019re doing things.\u201d\u2014D.S.<\/em><\/p>\n Faced with the difficulty of finding custom-design work in the throes of the economic downturn, Asher Dunn decided to create his own. \u201cWhen the market crashed, we all looked at this uncertainty around us and were eager to regain a sense of stability in our lives,\u201d Dunn says. \u201cA huge amount of innovation and entrepreneurship came out of it because one way people recovered a sense of control, was by employing themselves.\u201d For Dunn, the decision was fortunate\u2014his first collection won him the Best New Designer award at the 2010 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF).<\/p>\n That same year, Dunn founded his studio, which has since grown to employ seven other designers and makers. \u201cI wanted to recreate the atmosphere that I found while studying at the Rhode Island School of Design,\u201d says Dunn. \u201cOur design process is very natural, but there\u2019s always a lot of back and forth.\u201d The work produced by the studio is highly varied, both visually and materially\u2014from the warm, midcentury modern-inspired wooden furniture to raw industrial lighting\u2014but is driven by Dunn\u2019s desire to explore the capabilities and limitations of materials, as well as a commitment to using only sustainable materials.<\/p>\n As the studio\u2019s repertoire is expanding, with forays into metalwork and soft goods, Dunn remains dedicated to carving out his own path. \u201cThere is a huge amount of value in entrepreneurship and being able to create your own success,\u201d Dunn says. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see that people are returning to creating things themselves, and that we are starting to reevaluate what it means to manufacture products in the United States.\u201d\u2014D.S.<\/em><\/p>\n Silvia Song started her wood carving studio in 2012, after more than a decade of working in architecture and design. Based in the Bay Area, Song has gained a cult following, as her 15,000 Instagram followers<\/a> can attest.<\/p>\n Her wooden bowls and vessels are influenced by lessons from working in the building industry. \u201cI don\u2019t consider myself a maker so much as a designer that utilizes different methods of construction,\u201d she says. \u201cWood is a breathing material. It expands and contracts. If you think about it, buildings also function in the same way.\u201d Similarly, Song considers the spaces within her bowls and vessels to be analogous to those designed by architects.<\/p>\n Many of her pieces are made from wood, salvaged by arborists and neighbors, that she then turns on a lathe with traditionally forged Japanese carving implements. The freshly turned vessels are then usually dried and oiled before being sold through many retail outlets and collaborators around the country. Song has added other types of woodworking to her repertoire\u2014she is now working on a series of butcher blocks with complex double-dovetail joints. Recently, she teamed up with an indigo dyer to create a popular series of dark blue maple bowls. However, her biggest upcoming project\u2014designing and building her own house\u2014presents the perfect opportunity to bring together wood-working and architecture.\u2014A.J.P.A.<\/em><\/p>\n Chinami and Rowland Ricketts began cultivating indigo on their Indiana farm in order to supply dyestuff for their respective crafts, turning green leaves into deep blue dye through an almost alchemical process. \u201cThe choice we make to plant, harvest, dry, winnow, compost, and create indigo-dyed textiles by hand is not one of necessity,\u201d they say. \u201cRather, it is a conscious one that places value and meaning on the actions we take in the world, in our ways of making.\u201d<\/p>\n While the duo focuses on creating different types of textiles\u2014Rowland dyes both functional and artistic pieces, while Chinami weaves yardage that can be tailored into traditional Japanese obis and kimonos, among other things\u2014they both channel the indigo into highly meaningful and beautiful artifacts. \u201cBy keeping the actual textiles as close to \u2018just a piece of cloth\u2019 as possible, the goal is to make the indigo the focus and not the thing itself,\u201d Rowland says.<\/p>\n The pair first met in Japan, where they were apprentices to the same dyer; afterward, Rowland refined his method of cultivating indigo while Chinami began to apprentice for an expert weaver. After a stint at Cranbrook and many exhibitions of their work, the Rickettses are expanding the reach of their textiles and of indigo plants themselves. In 2014, after winning a Martha Stewart American Made award<\/a>,\u00a0they spread production to small farms around the Midwest in order to create more dye for other weavers and artisans.\u2014A.J.P.A.<\/em><\/p>\n Wife-and-husband design team Chelsea and James Minola founded Grain in 2008, beginning with a line of self-made sustainable products such as Ty<\/a>, a recyclable shower curtain that does not off-gas. While Ty remains Grain\u2019s biggest commercial success, James and Chelsea have expanded the business to encompass a wide variety of handmade products, from bowls to furnishings and textiles. This has meant expanding production beyond their workshop\u2014the pair collaborates with artisans in Guatemala, where they met, as well as with several specialists around the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n Grain has built enough expertise that large retailers such as Design Within Reach and Anthropologie have looked to them for advice on combining business and sustainability. Despite all this growth, Chelsea and James still design and make many of their products by hand. \u201cFor us, being makers means taking an idea from concept to sketch to model to prototype to finished sample to small production run. This same process permeates the way we have built our life together as well. Our design process and our hands touch every aspect of our home, the food we eat, and the way our family travels and explores,\u201d says Chelsea. Grain will be rolling out a new chair and a collection of wool rugs at ICFF this spring.\u2014A.J.P.A.<\/em><\/p>\n Quilting can be a time-consuming practice, requiring a lot of patience and the ability to stitch together the many different pieces of cloth into a cohesive, pleasing design. And that\u2019s just the way Maura Ambrose, founder of Folk Fibers, thinks it should be. \u201cSpending time making things by hand, you start to develop patience,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s a slower rhythm to craft that\u2019s different from the bustle of daily life.\u201d<\/p>\n Ambrose takes the craft of patience further than most, however, insisting on hand-quilting her textiles\u2014a process that often involves some help from neighbors in the Austin community. Folk Fibers\u2019 quilts also incorporate natural dyes such as cochineal and indigo, the cultivation and harvesting of which Ambrose would like to make part of her business.<\/p>\n For design inspiration, she looks to the colors of the dyes themselves, but also to American tradition. \u201cI prefer to stick to the classic quilt blocks\u2014I find the older designs stand the test of time.\u201d Of course, Ambrose quilts only one piece at a time, making each quilt a serious investment of time and attention. Which quilt, then, is she most proud of? \u201cI really am most excited about my next quilt. By the time I finish my current project, I\u2019ve had so much time to consider the next, I can\u2019t wait to get started.\u201d\u2014A.J.P.A.<\/em><\/p>\n From Brooklyn to Bloomington, these ten creatives are changing the face of maker culture in the United States.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":4250,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"featured_image_focal_point":[],"legacy_WP_ID":null},"tags":[851,77,117,726],"metro_tax_domain":[],"metro_tax_topic":[20,74],"metro_tax_program":[],"metro_issue":[],"metro_cat_profile":[],"internal_flag":[],"class_list":["post-58757","metro_profile","type-metro_profile","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-maker-spaces","tag-makers","tag-round-up","tag-studio-visit","metro_tax_topic-industrial-design","metro_tax_topic-process"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nDana Bechert<\/a>
\nJohn Hogan<\/a>
\nDAMM<\/a>
\nSmith Shop<\/a>
\nStudio Dunn<\/a>
\nSilvia Song<\/a>
\nRicketts Indigo<\/a>
\nGrain<\/a>
\nFolk Fibers<\/a><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nUM Project<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
Brooklyn, New York
\nFurniture, Mixed Materials
\nEst. 2004<\/h4>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183901\/e21f2fa5e60cd26b153a364f78a6b069-UM202.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDesigner and maker\u00a0Franc\u0327ois\u00a0Chambard in his Brooklyn Studio, at work assembling a Holy Stool.<\/a><\/h4>\n
Portrait by Christopher Leaman<\/a><\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183902\/db6a5f9f007ac0ea2c73268e81c7e0bd-2014FD89406HR.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhen the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum reopened in New York, its store carried specially commissioned Mad Mallets made by UM Project. \u201cThe pieces were an instant success and sold in a few days,\u201d\u00a0Chambard says.<\/h4>\n
Courtesy\u00a0Francis Dzikowsji\/otto<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183903\/ed81be8896e66936c75da9b0bf8445d5-41I9600.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTo call yourself a maker, he insists, \u201cyou have to manufacture your designs, or at least most of them.\u201d\u00a0Three-quarters of UM Project\u2019s designs are made in its\u00a0Brooklyn\u00a0studio. The rest are entrusted to a network of local collaborators.<\/h4>\n
Courtesy Christopher Leaman<\/h4>\n
<\/div>\n
\nDana \u200bBechert<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
Nottingham, Pennsylvania
\nCeramics
\nEst. 2012<\/h4>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183903\/0222bdaebd828708d03c533c4f09be83-DSC0536bw.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPhotographs courtesy Dana Bechert<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183904\/37f64082975c4dd8db2aa4acdf92ba8d-glazing.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDana\u00a0Bechert\u00a0scratches away a thin layer of clay on these objects to reveal the color underneath.<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183905\/01359735efd92b04df6b7c5147f1bb25-DSC5800.jpg\")
<\/em><\/p>\nThe Light Herringbone Vase shows the result of the etching process.<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183905\/0368aa70e706fcf964e7c0fb059c2db0-dbechert1.jpg\")
<\/em><\/p>\nBechert’s\u00a0Small Hanging Planter<\/h4>\n
<\/div>\n
\nJohn Hogan<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
Seattle, Washington
\nGlass
\nEst. 2011<\/h4>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183906\/03ef47ec735988c10cf653b0e9392cc7-hogan20torchbw.jpg\")
<\/p>\nJohn Hogan at his glass foundry, working with his molten raw material.<\/h4>\n
Photographs courtesy John Hogan<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183906\/c6e2abf45f72fbf9ee48ae5fa766ca45-hogan20strip20.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183907\/22e2b64415f0e91b8a673ddcfa468f2f-LGAtlas20Illumination201.jpg\")
<\/em><\/p>\nThis lamp from the Atlas Collection <\/a>was created in collaboration with Ladies & Gentlemen Studio.<\/h4>\n
<\/div>\n
\nDAMM<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
St. Petersburg, Florida
\nLighting
\nEst. 2013<\/h4>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183907\/b514516814843b5ffacf903900f30aef-DAMMshopcolorbw.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPhotographs courtesy Joseph Siciliano<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183908\/513532cdd41270bd9f4622c45d6e0ded-DAMMworkclose.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\u201cInspiration can come at any time, from any direction,\u201d says\u00a0Brenda\u00a0Zurn. The Theo\u00a0Lamp (below) is cheekily named after\u00a0Theo\u00a0van\u00a0Doesburg, the founder of the Art\u00a0Concret\u00a0Group in Paris.\u00a0The base is made of elements individually cast in high-tech\u00a0GFRC\u00a0concrete (above), and tinted by hand to produce a gradation of color.<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183909\/4888140081d4f86e5766f28b1c26fd33-DAMM1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nSmith Shop<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
Detroit, Michigan
\nMetalworking
\nEst. 2012<\/h4>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183909\/5cce9c743de02da8bcfe79f7cbaf6b9f-PORTRAIT02bw.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSmith Shop co-owners Amy Weiks, Gabriel Craig, and Adam Whitney<\/h4>\n
Photographs courtesy Smith Shop<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183910\/d7c89bd3dcd2755ef14a588f20d5a48c-WORKING06.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThree partners, a full-time\u00a0metalsmith, and an intern work at Smith Shop\u2019s forge.<\/h4>\n
Courtesy Trisha Holt<\/a><\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183910\/fc0f776944717b70cb5bc5d8f08ee55c-HANDS04.jpg\")
<\/em><\/p>\nCopper is a\u00a0current preoccupation because of Smith Shop\u2019s efforts to recycle metal. \u201cFor copper, there isn\u2019t a mill or refinery that is auditing the input into its own production. Over\u00a0the past couple of years, we\u2019ve been trying to figure out a way to\u00a0artisanally\u00a0melt copper.\u201d<\/h4>\n
Courtesy Trisha Holt<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183911\/511a5e31899a29fa4116f5e08be51c4a-SmithShopCreamerandSugar.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIn its kitchenware, Smith Shop takes historical metalsmithing and gives it a contemporary twist. \u201cThe objects that we make have been forgotten in a lot of ways,\u201d Gabriel\u00a0Craig explains.<\/h4>\n
<\/div>\n
\nStudio Dunn<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
Providence, Rhode Island
\nWoodworking
\nEst. 2010<\/h4>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183911\/6159bea6a9f80e0db065cafcf19a7f56-ProcessAsherDunnbw.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAsher Dunn had woodworking in his blood\u2014his father was a carpenter\u2014but he initially \u201cwanted nothing to do with it.\u201d Nonetheless, while studying industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design, Dunn felt the undeniable pull of the craft.<\/h4>\n
Photographs courtesy Studio Dunn<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183912\/f9220751ec83dd45a18356e52c935d30-3-Coventryonsteps.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAfter graduating, Dunn\u00a0founded a community woodshop where he produced his first designs. \u201cThings kind of took off from there,\u201d he says about starting his namesake studio. His work, such as the Coventry Stool<\/a> (above) reflects a midcentury influence that he grew up with, he says. \u201cMy parents had a huge appreciate for it.”<\/h4>\n
<\/div>\n
\nSilvia Song<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
Berkeley, California
\nWood turning
\nEst. 2012<\/h4>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183913\/b6bc375b26952a1b504884c1c7e90e5c-IMG3280bw1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSilvia Song\u2019s Bay Area workshop contains all manner of tools for wood turning, as well as dozens of found objects.<\/h4>\n
Photographs courtesy Silvia Song<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183913\/f25396e945378f45a919a42fce86e23d-song2.jpeg\")
<\/em><\/p>\nSong developed indigo versions of her nested\u00a0maple bowls<\/a> with\u00a0dyer Kristine Vejar for kitchenware seller March.<\/a><\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183914\/d38686e37247bc47c44b6d003257ff89-IMG3730.jpg\")
<\/em><\/p>\nThe Doma Butcher Blocks<\/a> use sugar maple wood to give them a vintage appearance.<\/h4>\n
<\/div>\n
\nRicketts Indigo\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
Bloomington, Indiana
\nIndigo, weaving
\nEst. 2000<\/h4>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183914\/b0d26859fc94e12122802df1b41fb33a-Ricketts-09bw1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nRowland Ricketts learned the craft of indigo dyeing in Japan, where he met his wife and\u00a0partner Chinami.<\/h4>\n
Photographs courtesy Ricketts Indigo<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183915\/7c36f76050bdb0afe68d3d4eb2eab560-Ricketts-101.jpg\")
<\/p>\nChinami Ricketts weaves traditional Japanese narrow-width cloth.<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183916\/be1b1570ddc18bdb2a27cac6a0a1edf6-Ricketts-121.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Striped Triangle Table Runner uses a simple repeating geometric motif that lets the indigo come to the fore.<\/h4>\n
<\/div>\n
\nGrain<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
Bainbridge Island, Washington
\nCraft collaborations
\nEst. 2008<\/h4>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183916\/150429804e6f25fbac168516779f5a99-IMG2008bw.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPhotographs courtesy Grain<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183917\/fe2aee262d53c0fe350ca6cd6d0a346e-IMG9688.jpg\")
<\/em><\/p>\nGrain\u2019s Totem Candles (below) are completely made in-house on a lathe.\u00a0The process (above) is painstaking but integral to the design, says Grain cofounder Chelsea Minola, because while the candles could easily be cast en masse, \u201cwe feel doing so would take away from the final object.\u201d<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183918\/9e254f3d75fb665cdd8d9079966a76b1-GrainTotem5.jpg\")
<\/em><\/p>\nThe end result is satisfying for additional reasons, Minola says. \u201cThe whole shop fills with the smell of beeswax, plus the wax scraps can be melted down and reused so there isn\u2019t any waste.”<\/h4>\n
<\/div>\n
\nFolk Fibers<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
Austin, Texas
\nQuilting
\nEst. 2011<\/h4>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183919\/71e66c38c0b587dad61c226526c0c1b1-IMG3164bw.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMaura Ambrose dyes all her fabrics in her studio, and continually\u00a0experiments with new dyes.<\/h4>\n
Courtesy Folk Fibers<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183920\/be591b274c2dd4532939bd8549b20a63-adasquilt.jpg\")
<\/p>\nLike all of\u00a0Ambrose\u2019s textiles, Ada\u2019s Quilt\u00a0is made using natural, plant- based dyes: \u201cI\u00a0don\u2019t deviate too far from the classics because I\u00a0find using naturally dyed fabric elevates the quilts.\u201d<\/h4>\n
Courtesy Folk Fibers<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sdg-migration-met.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/12183920\/01615b82c88b7bb91693c1a54b4b58f5-IMG2951.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\u201cMy ultimate goal is to be growing and foraging all my own dyestuff,\u201d Ambrose says.<\/h4>\n
Portrait by K<\/a>ate\u00a0<\/a>Lesueur<\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"