Visiting Artist: Faythe Levine of "Handmade Nation"

On March 8, 2010, Faythe Levine visited Syracuse University to share her experience as an artist with students and the general public. Levine wrote a book called "Handmade Nation" only to later take the initiative of turning her book into an independent film. The film involved revealing the Indie Craft Community through a series of interviews with various people located throughout the United States. Levine ended up traveling to 15 cities to conduct 80 interviews. Though "Handmade Nation" was completely independent, the film took the country by storm. Levine reflected back on some crucial steps she had to take to make her project a success. She emphasized that the craft community is centralized online, so making accounts on different websites played a necessary role in publicizing her work.

Among the interviews in "Handmade Nation" were people who practiced all sorts of crafts and played different roles in the community. Some organizations that were represented were "The Little Friends of Printmaking," "Sublime Stitching," "Super Crafty" and "buyolympia.com." The film captured a culture of people who valued the "Do It Yourself" mentality and freedom through craft. In the film, one person said, don't allow people to "feed you your culture." The Indie Craft Community is very much about finding your own identity through the cultivation of creativity and ideas. The fact that this film was independent only further corresponded with the idea of "D.I.Y." When asked about her next project, Faythe Levine responded that she is currently working on a documentary about sign painting. It is people like Faythe Levine that keep the craft community thriving, and it is our job -as people who have a place in our hearts for such a community- to support our fellow crafters.