July 10th marked the release of Season 2, Episode 4 of Citizens of Craft: The Podcast. Featuring Allison Green, textile artist and nature enthusiast, and Tamika Knutson, Indigenous jeweller and artist, this episode explores the manifesto statement, You are not automated, manufactured, or cloned… You weren’t made in a factory, so you prefer not to bury your life with things that are.

Tamika, in response to the manifesto statement, says, “I just feel that when [I’m] making things, sometimes I don’t know where these ideas are coming from but I think it’s coming from some subconscious place inside of me, and to be able to communicate that through an object… I think that is just completely special and unique.”

“I really like that idea that Tamika said about us being unique and having these unique voices”, Allison added. “It really made me think of, this Photoshopped idea of perfection that we’re kind of bombarded with…Factory-made objects, to me, seem like they don’t have any complexity, or they’re just too perfect, and I can’t relate to them because I’m not perfect.”

Allison and Tamika continue their discussion, tackling topics such as life after craft school, consumerism, and material obsessions.

“If you buy a piece of craft, you have to pay a little bit more for it and that’s a good thing… You just buy one beautiful woven blanket and you love it and you cherish it and maybe you pass it on if you took really good care of it. You feel really satisfied with it, so it doesn’t leave that hole in you like buying mass-produced things can. It kind of fills you up and every time you look at it, you’re happy and you remember that you took the time to find that particular object that you wanted.” – Allison Green

In addition to the main discussion, this episode’s special segment, “The Topic at Hand”, features an interview with Saskatchewan-based craft artist Monique Martin, in which she describes how her regional craft council helps to support its members and create a sense of community.

This episode was generously sponsored by the Sheila Hugh Mackay Foundation and made possible through an extensive partnership with voicEd Radio as well as the many members of the Canadian Crafts Federation.

Tune in next Wednesday, July 24, for our Season 2 Finale, “Vases Are People, Too” featuring ceramist and Editor of Musing About Mud, Carole Epp, and glass artist and Blown Away contestant, Benjamin Kikkert. Available on citizensofcraft.ca/podcast and all major podcast streaming platforms.

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