In 2006, filmmaker, author, independent curator and all-round creative person Faythe Levine travelled 19,000 miles across North America to document the burgeoning contemporary craft movement.

Embracing emerging artists, crafters, and designers working in traditional and nontraditional media, contemporary craft mashes up historical technique, punk culture, and the D.I.Y. attitude. The participants share ideas and support each other through websites, blogs, boutiques, galleries, and craft fairs. Together they have forged a new economy and lifestyle based on creativity, determination, and networking. 

For HANDMADE NATION Faythe Levine and Cortney Heimerl have selected 24 makers and 5 essayists who work within different media and have different methodologies to provide a microcosm of the crafting community. The book features photographs of the makers and their work, as well as discussions of how they got their start and what motivates them.

A documentary film directed by Levine about contemporary craft (also called HANDMADE NATION) is currently in pre-production and will be released in 2009. Here’s a sneak peak:

You can also read Faythe Levine’s blog about the movie here!