Emily Freidenrich writes about art and craft, the process of making things, and what it means to create today.
Emily is available for art writing, developmental editing, proposal writing, curatorial projects, and more. Scroll for recent projects.
Books
Almost Lost Arts: Traditional Crafts and the Artisans Keeping Them Alive
208 pages, Chronicle Books, 2019
By Emily Freidenrich, with contributions from Margaret Shepherd and Narayan Khandekar
“Almost Lost Arts is a celebration of tactile beauty and a tribute to human ingenuity. [The book] features the stories of 20 artisans who have devoted their lives to preserving traditional techniques. From globemakers and bookmenders to cassette tape manufacturers and neon sign makers, the profiled artisans represent a diverse mix of media, ages, genders, and cultural backgrounds.
Gorgeous photographs reveal these craftspeople's studios from places like Oaxaca, Kyoto, Milan, and Tennessee [and takes] the reader in-depth with each artisan and explores how people around the world are saving traditional arts from obscurity.”
— via Chronicle Books | Buy: Amazon / Bookshop
The Art of Beatrix Potter: Sketches, Paintings, and Illustrations
256 pages, Chronicle Books, 2016
By Emily Zach, with contributions from Steven Heller, Linda Lear, and Eleanor Taylor
“Published to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Beatrix Potter's birth, this magnificent collection celebrates the artist behind The Tale of Peter Rabbit and numerous other beloved children's books. Brimming with famous images and rarely seen gems—ranging from character sketches and notebook pages to watercolor landscapes and natural history illustrations—this monograph explores Potter's artistic process and reveals the places that inspired her timeless work. Organized geographically and featuring more than 200 images from the artist's oeuvre, The Art of Beatrix Potter includes illuminating essays by Potter scholar Linda Lear, illustration historian Steven Heller, and children's book illustrator Eleanor Taylor. It is the definitive volume on one of the world's most influential authors, a woman whose artistry, until now, has not been fully celebrated.”
— via Chronicle Books | Buy: Amazon / Bookshop
Writing
Recent Work
2019 – present
American Craft Magazine
“Portraits in Craft: Three artists use old photos and photographic processes to tell new stories,” Fall 2021, cover story, The Kinship Issue.
“Natural Metalsmiths: How four jewelers unearth beauty and meaning from materials of their trade,” December/January 2021, cover story, The Gift Issue.
“The Ochre Whisperer: Heidi Gustafson’s foraging and archival work connects people to the earth and to their ancestors,” August/September 2020, cover story, The Beauty Issue.
“Enter the Plaidiverse: Handmade and digital come together in JCRT’s striking men’s garments,” April/May 2020, cover story, Behind the Design.
“Legacy of the Land: A conversation with Joanna Keane Lopez on the architectural traditions that inform her adobe art,” February/March 2020, Home.
Artsy
“Inside One of the World’s Only Workshops Where Globes Are Crafted by Hand,” September 27, 2019.
Literary Hub
“What Traditional Papermaking Looks Like in 2019: Visiting the Studio of Stephanie Hare,” October 30, 2019, Literary Hub.