Leonard Koren’s Musings of a Curious Aesthete reads like the work of a practiced conversationalist who has spent a lifetime whispering provocations into the ear of design and culture. Part memoir, part aesthetic tract, the book collects short, nimble essays that move from recollection to critique with the lightness of a sketchbook and the stubborn … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Musings of a Curious Aesthete by Leonard Koren
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – 500 Baskets: A Celebration of the Basketmaker’s Art by Susan Mowery Kieffer
In 500 Baskets: A Celebration of the Basketmaker’s Art, Susan Mowery Kieffer undertakes the ambitious task of distilling the vast, multivalent world of basketry into a single, arresting volume—an endeavour that, on its face, might seem quixotic. Yet Kieffer’s curatorial eye and writerly sensibility ensure that this is far more than a mere “coffee-table” compendium. Here, baskets become more than … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – 500 Baskets: A Celebration of the Basketmaker’s Art by Susan Mowery Kieffer
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Creative Concrete Ornaments for the Garden: Making Pots, Planters, Birdbaths, Sculpture More by Sherri Warner Hunter
Sherri Warner Hunter’s Creative Concrete Ornaments for the Garden invites readers into a world where the utilitarian meets the poetic, transforming raw cement into vessels of whimsy and wonder. Hunter, a seasoned artisan and educator, structures the book as both a technical manual and a meditation on the sculptural possibilities of a humble medium. At once precise … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Creative Concrete Ornaments for the Garden: Making Pots, Planters, Birdbaths, Sculpture More by Sherri Warner Hunter
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Robbin Hopper Ceramics: A Lifetime of Works, Ideas and Teachings by Robin Hopper
Robin Hopper’s memoir-cum-manual stands as a singular achievement in contemporary ceramics literature, marrying the reflective tone of autobiography with the precision of a practical studio guide. From the first chapter, Hopper situates his personal narrative within the broader arc of postwar craft movements, offering a nuanced perspective on how the tides of modernism, folk traditions, … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Robbin Hopper Ceramics: A Lifetime of Works, Ideas and Teachings by Robin Hopper
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Contemporary Wicker Basketry:Projects, Techniques,Inspirational Designs by Flo Hoppe
Contemporary Wicker Basketry by Flo Hoppe offers both the novice and the seasoned basket-maker an elegant synthesis of tradition and innovation. In this richly illustrated volume, Hoppe contextualizes wickerwork within a lineage stretching from ancient utilitarian forms to today’s sculptural explorations. She deftly balances a respect for time‑honored techniques with an enthusiasm for fresh, personalized expression. Scope … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Contemporary Wicker Basketry:Projects, Techniques,Inspirational Designs by Flo Hoppe
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – 500 Chairs: Celebrating Traditional & Innovative Designs by Ray Hemachandra
500 Chairs: Celebrating Traditional & Innovative Designs, edited by Ray Hemachandra, offers both the aficionado and the casual reader a panoramic survey of seating as a sculptural, functional, and cultural artefact. Structured into thematic chapters—ranging from “Frameworks of Form” to “Innovations in Materiality”—the volume showcases five centuries of chair design, from the humble Windsor to … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – 500 Chairs: Celebrating Traditional & Innovative Designs by Ray Hemachandra
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – 500 Cabinets: A Showcase of Design & Craftsmanship, edited Ray Hemachandra
In 500 Cabinets: A Showcase of Design & Craftsmanship, editor Ray Hemachandra orchestrates an exquisite symphony of form, function, and fantasy, offering a sumptuous visual anthology that redefines the cabinet not merely as a utilitarian object but as a philosophical and artistic proposition. Published as part of Lark Books’ renowned “500 Series,” this volume succeeds not … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – 500 Cabinets: A Showcase of Design & Craftsmanship, edited Ray Hemachandra
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – 500 Tables: Inspiring Interpretations of Function and Style edited by Ray Hemachandra
In 500 Tables: Inspiring Interpretations of Function and Style, edited by Ray Hemachandra, the notion of the table—a ubiquitous, often-overlooked element of domestic and civic life—is elevated into a platform for the interrogation of function, form, and metaphor. This volume, part of Lark Books’ lauded "500 Series," is more than a visual catalogue of exquisite craftsmanship; … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – 500 Tables: Inspiring Interpretations of Function and Style edited by Ray Hemachandra
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Masters: Blown Glass: Curated by Susan Rossi-Wilcox and edited by Ray Hemachandra
Before delving into detailed analysis, this review establishes that Masters: Blown Glass: Major Works by Leading Artists(2010) is a seminal survey of forty studio‐glass practitioners from North America, Europe, and Asia, curated by Susan Rossi-Wilcox and edited by Ray Hemachandra, which foregrounds the conceptual breadth and technical virtuosity of contemporary blown glass. The volume’s generous format—330 … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Masters: Blown Glass: Curated by Susan Rossi-Wilcox and edited by Ray Hemachandra
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – The Penland Book of Glass: Master Classes in Framework Techniques, Edited by Ray Hemachandra
The Penland Book of Glass: Master Classes in Framework Techniques by Ray Hemachandra is a magisterial contribution to contemporary glass artistry, offering both a panoramic survey of framework methods and an intimate glimpse into the creative processes of some of today’s most innovative practitioners. Hemachandra, himself a seasoned educator at the storied Penland School of Crafts, … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – The Penland Book of Glass: Master Classes in Framework Techniques, Edited by Ray Hemachandra
The New Renaissance Mindset 