Featured story: “Of Dahlias, Obsessive Growers, and their High-Stakes Beauty Contests"
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Featured story: “Of Dahlias, Obsessive Growers, and their High-Stakes Beauty Contests"
Many gardeners take their flowers seriously; few devote almost all their time to growing one breed, then drive hundreds of miles to compete in shows. But that's exactly what Deborah Dietz does.
Dear Friends,
Many of us enjoy getting our hands dirty this time of year, but how many of us devote all of our gardening time to one specific flower? For devotees of the dahlia, the growing season is already in full swing — sometimes with an eye to competing in regional or national dahlia shows, where the craft is taken very seriously indeed.
This week, which marks the end of our Spring issue, we’re bringing back an audience favorite that is perfect for the season. I hope you’ll enjoy reading, “Of Dahlias, Obsessive Growers, and their High-Stakes Beauty Contests,” written by Thomas C. Cooper and photographed by Jak Wonderly.
Next week, we’ll take a brief pause from our featured stories to tell you more about our forthcoming reader-supported publication here on Substack. Our offerings here won’t change most of our regular releases, which we have always kept free of ads and free of charge. The big difference in what’s coming on Substack is a new layer of rich, original content that we hope that you, our loyal readers, will be inspired to support. We can’t wait to tell you more about it next week.
Our Spring issue, which focused on “The Future of Craftsmanship,” is now complete, but if you missed a story, don’t despair — the entire collection will remain available in our extensive free Archives. Our Summer issue, which celebrates some unusual masters and innovators in the world of music, will launch June 9. Along with stories on our Summer theme, we will also have, as is our custom, plenty of material about other topics, so please, stay tuned.
In the meantime, I hope you'll always find something intriguing to read, watch, or listen to within our pages. We welcome your thoughts via email, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Thank you for reading and sharing our stories, for donating to our cause when you can, and for being such a loyal part of the Craftsmanship community.
Be well,
Todd Oppenheimer
Editor & Publisher, Craftsmanship Quarterly
Spring 2023: The Future of Craftsmanship
Look at almost anything you own of real quality, and you immediately see its maker's commitment to beauty, functionality, and longevity. Those values, which in our mind define works of craftsmanship, are being aggressively tested these days, as more and more material goods exhibit shoddy workmanship, and are not made to last. The trash this creates not only damages our environment, it also erodes the principles of excellence that advance us, both individually and collectively. In this issue, we introduce you to some brave souls and organizations that are fighting to preserve, and expand, the intelligence in our hands.