Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design

Faythe Levine traveled 19,000 miles to document what has emerged as a marriage between historical technique, punk culture, and the D.I.Y. ethos. For "Handmade Nation" (along with the documentary film of the same name, coming in 2009), she 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. Participants in this community share ideas and encouragement through websites, blogs, boutiques, galleries, and craft fairs. Together they have forged a new economy and lifestyle based on creativity, determination, and networking. Twenty-four artists from Olympia, Washington to Providence, Rhode Island, and everywhere in between show their work and discuss their lives.

"Handmade Nation" features photographs of the makers, their work environment, their process, their work, and discussions of how they got their start and what motivates them.

Faythe Levine and Cortney Heimerl are both based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2004 Levine founded Art vs. Craft, Milwaukee's independent craft fair. She is co-owner & curator of Paper Boat Boutique & Gallery.