WARWICK, R.I. – Janise Nieves creates wearable art meant to last generations. Each crochet garment, necklace and accessory from their business, Softly Knotted, is first worked out on paper, sometimes down to the math, so it can be passed down like an heirloom. Janise lives with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome,
NEW YORK – Heather Bearden wraps gifts in museum masterpieces. As the founder of Specimen Press, the artisan designs wrapping paper from public domain art. Each design starts with a single artwork, like a Dutch still life or a Hokusai ghost print, which Bearden turns into a repeating pattern using crystallographic
Food artist Sarah Rosado transforms cereal, fruit, vegetables and other ingredients into playful portraits and edible art. In her interview, Sarah tells us how her cereal portraits of celebrities unexpectedly launched her creative business. "I want to give kids and adults a fun reason to smile and look at
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Ashley Ernest brings the art class to you with Creative Wanderings Art Center. In her interview, the creative entrepreneur shares more about her art studio on wheels. Tell us about Creative Wanderings Art Center. We are a mobile art center for kids and adults. We work with
NEW YORK - While much of our entertainment today is digital, there are still analog media forms that deliver joy, like live concerts and theater. Zack Buchman would add puppetry to that list. He's the founder and creative director of Furry Puppet Studio in Brooklyn, New York, which creates
San Francisco Bay Area, Calif. – Sheila Khan is a sound healer working at the intersection of ancient practice and modern medicine. Sound therapy, which uses instruments like crystal singing bowls to create vibrations that affect the nervous system, has gained recognition in clinical settings for its ability to reduce stress
SAN BRUNO, CALIF. – MariAngeles Davila runs Candelas By Angeles. In our interview, she shares how a suggestion from her daughter prompted her candle-making journey and why she collaborates with young artisans in El Salvador. Tell us about your work and what makes it distinctive. I create hand-poured candles
Acworth, Ga. — When Asha Chaudhary talks about her company, she is really telling a family story rooted in conviction, sacrifice and dignity through work. In 1978, in Rajasthan, India, Asha's father, N.K. Chaudhary, turned down a bank job, borrowed 5,000 rupees from his father and launched
TEXAS & FLORIDA – Allison Eyler rescues vintage and antique quilts from her Texas base, restoring what she calls their "cuddle-worthiness" through a proprietary cleaning treatment. Quilts that arrive beyond repair or don't survive her strict cleaning standards get a second life through Lottie Dal, a
PAWTUCKET, R.I. – Ilira Steinman fell for bookbinding during a workshop in Italy as a student at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). In her interview, the co-owner of Rag & Bone Bindery shared how a class abroad became a lifelong craft – and a family business. What do
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – CHOP looks like a restaurant. The welcoming aromas confirm it. But the people in the kitchen aren't just cooking – they're training for future careers. Inside the Providence Public Library building, but with its own entrance, CHOP, an acronym for Culinary Hub of Providence,
BARRINGTON, R.I. — Artisan Joy has launched a new online directory designed to help Rhode Islanders discover local art, craft and culinary classes across the state. The searchable directory features studios, schools and community spaces offering hands-on learning opportunities in categories like pottery, printmaking, jewelry, sewing, cooking and more.