Artist Talk: Erik and Martin Demaine
MIT artist-in-residence Martin Demaine and MIT computer science professor Erik Demaine present on their collaborative research and artwork based on folding. The father and son duo explore the principles and possibilities of folded paper for mathematical, scientific, and artistic applications. The Demaines are also featured in the upcoming Craft in America episode, SCIENCE.
This talk is presented in conjunction with the Craft in America Center exhibition, Erik and Martin Demaine: Puzzling with Paper, on view September 14, 2024 to January 4, 2025.


Recorded-talks-and-interviews
…..
Reading Craft: Architectural Pottery
Authors Daniel Chavkin, Jeffrey Head, and Jo Lauria discuss their contributions to their exhibition catalog, Architectural Pottery: Ceramics for a Modern Landscape, the first book to document the history of the groundbreaking company Architectural Pottery, tracing its critical influence on midcentury design and its enduring appeal today.
In 1950, pioneering entrepreneur Rita Lawrence and her husband, Max, founded Architectural Pottery with design partners John Follis and Rex Goode. The cutting-edge ceramic manufacturer received an immediate and enthusiastic reception. Their strikingly minimal ceramics embodied a shift from the ornamental to the essential; the planters became highly coveted in design circles, and appeared in houses by Richard Neutra, John Lautner, and the historic Case Study Houses. Featured in the first of MoMA’s Good Design exhibitions alongside now-iconic designs by Ray and Charles Eames, Alexander Girard, and George Nelson, Architectural Pottery’s refreshingly clean, exceedingly elegant pots and planters were soon ubiquitous in spaces that epitomized modern living.
This talk is presented in conjunction with the American Museum of Ceramic Art exhibition, Architectural Pottery: Ceramics for a Modern Landscape, on view August 17, 2024–March 2, 2025.
Buy the exhibition catalog
Take advantage of 20% off when using the discount code PHAIDON20
About the Authors
Daniel Chavkin is a photographer, collector, and researcher of all things modernist, and the author of Unseen Midcentury
Desert Modern.
Jeffrey Head is a writer specializing in architecture and design, and is author of several books.
Jo Lauria is a Los Angeles-based curator, writer, and educator, as well as coauthor of Master of the Midcentury: The
Architecture of William F. Cody, also published by Monacelli.
Recorded-talks-and-interviews
…..
Artist Talk: Lorraine Bubar
Papercut artist Lorraine Bubar talks about how she was inspired to transition from painting and animation to the long-standing tradition of papercut. As an avid world traveler, Bubar noticed that paper cutting was a global and timeless practice. She felt that it was the perfect outlet to convey the intricate and ordered natural beauty she observed on her travels.
Presented in conjunction with the exhibition, Lorraine Bubar: Papercut Perspectives on view September 14, 2024–January 4, 2025.
Recorded-talks-and-interviews
…..
Artist Talk: Martin Alexander and Lauren Verdugo
On the occasion of the exhibition, Building Blocks: Process & Wood, Los Angeles-based artists Martin Alexander and Lauren Verdugo talk about their work and their shared interests in materiality, reconceptions of functionality, and expressions of identity. Both artists were filmed for the Craft Video Dictionary.
Martin Alexander Hernandez is a multidisciplinary sculptor and woodworker. He graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a BFA in Woodworking in 2018. Shortly after this, he opened his studio practice, Martin Alexander Studio, in Los Angeles, California. Since then, he has produced sculptural work and designed furniture utilizing both his personal studio and wood shops throughout the Los Angeles area. He has also honed his skills by apprenticing under a variety of artists and furniture studios.
Hernandez’s work fuses traditional craft techniques with a conceptual design approach. He is interested in material sustainability, often producing sculptural work with found materials. He currently serves as the shop tech at Allied Woodshop in Los Angeles.
Lauren Verdugo is a Southern California-based artist, woodworker, and furniture designer. Verdugo began their formal training in 2016 by apprenticing with master woodworker Larry White, whom they met through an internship at the Sam and Alfreda Maloof foundation. They went on to complete their BA in Applied Design at San Diego State University in 2021, and are currently enrolled in the Wood MFA program at California State University, Long Beach.
Verdugo’s designs emphasize the unique attributes of their source material, including history, meaning, and physical features. Minimalist forms are punctuated by playful decorative elements. Verdugo rhythmically juxtaposes hard and soft lines, heavy and light features, resulting in works which appear sturdy, yet distinctly energetic. In addition to their multimedia arts practice, they teach wood workshops at the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation in Alta Loma, California and at Allied Woodshop in Los Angeles.
recorded-talks-and-interviews
…..
Artist Talk: Larry White
Woodworking artist Larry White talks about his development with Sam Maloof and his ensuing decades-long practice in both woodworking and art. Learn about his stream-of-consciousness creative process and how his inspiration comes from a wide range of sources.
recorded-talks-and-interviews
…..
Artist Talk: Reuben Foat and Ryan Taber
On the occasion of the exhibition, Building Blocks: Process & Wood, Los Angeles-based artists Reuben Foat and Ryan Taber will talk about their shared interest in reconsidering historic furniture processes and their perspectives on furniture education approaches and opportunities. Both artists were consulted for the Craft Video Dictionary.
Reuben Foat is a furniture designer and sculptor who is recognized for his traditional and technological approach to furniture. Finding inspiration in both old and new approaches to making, Foat creates much of his work using technologies like computer-aided-design and computer-aided-manufacturing.
Foat was raised in Mukwonago, Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin where he received a BS in Art and learned furniture design. Foat then took on several positions as a cabinet maker, furniture restorer, and furniture designer before attending San Diego State University where he received his MFA with a concentration in furniture design and digital fabrication. Foat currently works out of his studio in Long Beach, California, while serving as a professor and chair of the Woodworking Department at Cerritos College.
Ryan Taber is an artist, woodworker, and educator. Since 2015, he has served as head of the Wood program at the School of Art at California State University, Long Beach. The program has continued to evolve under Taber’s leadership, emphasizing sustainability and critical thinking at every step in the creative process.
Taber’s art practice is discursive, drawing on painting, photography, sculpture and furniture making. Each piece utilizes an intricate web of historical references to interrogate notions of art and visual culture. The work considers historical shifts in social perspectives on objecthood and materiality, which is reflected in the CSULB Wood program’s initiative to up cycle wood from nearby dead trees in order to reduce the industrially produced materials used by students. The challenges inherent in working with imperfect, recycled wood encourage Taber’s students to continuously problem solve and maintain an ongoing dialogue with their materials.
recorded-talks-and-interviews
…..
Artist Talk: John Luebtow and Stephen Edwards
On the occasion of the exhibition, Between the Lines, John Luebtow and Stephen Edwards talk about their overlapping early development in Los Angeles, careers as teaching artists, and how they used their experience to build state-of-the-art shops for glassmaking on the West and East coasts.
recorded-talks-and-interviews
…..
Textile Arts LA Artist Talk: Ben Cuevas
The Craft in America Center hosted this talk for Textile Arts Los Angeles.
A Deep Dive into My Body of Work and Artistic Practice
Ben works most notably in the art of hand knitting that transcends across platforms of performance, video, sculpture, and installation. His work seeks to defy the distinctions of art and craft, digital and handmade, male and female binaries.
“I am an artist whose work is rooted in concepts of otherness, inspired by my queer, non-binary, HIV-positive, Latinx identity. As intersectionality informs my practice, my work is naturally interdisciplinary — involving textiles, photography, sculpture, installation, and more. A central part of my artwork is based in fiber, underscoring queer/feminist ideologies within the gendered history of women’s work.”

Photo by Stacey Meineke
recorded-talks-and-interviews
…..
Tea Time with Potter Jeff Oestreich: Artist Talk & Trunk Show
Jeff Oestreich was trained in the austere simplicity of traditional Asian pottery while serving as an apprentice to Bernard Leach in England in the 1960s–70s. He will talk about his time at Leach Pottery in St. Ives and how its legacy continues to influence and resonate with contemporary artists. He will discuss and show his own work and the work of three potters who also apprenticed with Leach: Kat Wheeler, John Beddings, Roelof Ulys.
In the British tradition, after the talk, tea and scones will be served while attendees can meet the artist.
Libby Buckley, current director of Leach Pottery, will begin the presentation with a brief Zoom conversation about recent developments at the studio, including new buildings and exciting programs.
Let us know if you plan to attend: rsvp@craftinamerica.org

Courtesy of the Migie Film Archive/Marty Gross Films Production

(l-r): Bernard Leach, Janet Leach, Jeff Oestreich.
Courtesy of Jeff Oestreich
recorded-talks-and-interviews
…..
Online Artist Talk: Mira Nakashima
Mira Nakashima, director of George Nakashima Woodworkers and daughter of the innovative furniture maker, gave a presentation on her father’s legacy and philosophy.
recorded-talks-and-interviews
…..