From the managing editor, October 2015
I’ve never been much of a maker, though that’s not for lack of trying. An artistic streak got me through graphic design courses in college and these days keeps my home stocked with odds and ends from the hobby shop. My sewing machine collects dust next to yards of colorful fabric. Dried-out paints clutter spare drawers in my basement. Years-old canvases, still wrapped in cellophane, remain at the ready.
When it comes down to actually making something, my inner perfectionist almost always gets in the way. My mom, on the other hand, has been quilting for decades, carrying on a tradition passed down by her mother. Mom times her quilting endeavors so that the coldest months can be spent hunkered down on the couch with a pieced-together project on top of her.
Her father carved beautifully, chiseling intricate designs into wooden plates and boxes. Santa Claus was his specialty; each year he whittled and painted one for each of us grandkids. For a few years, my dad bonded with him over the hobby. Grandpa was a more confident carver, having honed the skill over many years, but Dad has always been a natural with the paintbrush.
Indeed, making is about so much more than the end product. Though the act itself can be isolating, art forges connections. My dad learning how to carve from his father-in-law. My mom hand-piecing quilts to keep her children and grandchildren wrapped in love.
In this issue, we celebrate those connections by spotlighting some of the region’s best makers. There’s Billie Ruth Sudduth the basketmaker, who weaves together mathematical theories and time-honored Appalachian techniques. Knoxville designer Marcus Hall invests in his community with denim. Joel and Tara Mowrey’s hot-sauce company convenes the worlds of farming and artisan food buyers, spice addicts and holistic health believers.
The daughter of a master luthier, Elizabeth Jayne Henderson puts her own spin on that legacy with one-of-a-kind guitars and ukuleles. Likewise, outdoorsman Adam Masters also builds on the family business: His dad revolutionized the kayak manufacturing industry in the 1970s; now he has shaken up the sport itself with belly-down kayaks.
Each of these people—not to mention the countless other artisans who call these mountains home—share stories that reveal as much about this region as the products they make. Indeed, that’s the beauty of a handcrafted object. Beyond its skillful craftsmanship, there’s a story folded in.
Of all the items in my home that tell stories, my dining table is the pièce de résistance. Handcrafted a few blocks down the hill from my house at the Old Wood Company in Asheville’s River Arts District, the table gives new life to lumber reclaimed from a heritage barn in East Tennessee.
The varied grains, knots, and pockmarks of this weathered wood bring a sense of the past into my dining room. In these nooks and crannies, I can see the future, too: the spills and sorrows, the laughter and celebrations. Quality craftsmanship ensures that this table will last my family through years—even decades—of joys and frustrations.
Its story goes on.
— Katie Knorovsky, managing editor