Craftsman of the Cumberlands: Tradition and Creativity

by Michael Owen Jones

Overview

Why do people consider aesthetic qualities as well as utilitarian ones in the making of everyday objects? Why do they maintain traditions? What is the nature of their creative process? These are some of the larger questions addressed by Michael Owen Jones in his book on craftsmen in the Cumberland Mountains of eastern Kentucky. Concentrating on the work of one man, woodworker and chairmaker Chester Cornett, Jones not only describes the tools and techniques employed by Cornett but also his aspirations and values. Cornett possessed a deep knowledge of his materials and a mastery of construction methods. Some of his chairs represent not objects of utility but aesthetic developments of the chair form. Cornett sought to cope with the problems of his life, Jones maintains; their massiveness provided a sense of security, the virtuosity of their design and construction, a feeling of self-esteem. Jones also compares other area craftsmen and their views about their work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813190389
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	02/14/2003
Edition description:	3RD
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Michael Owen Jones is professor of folklore and history at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
1	The Chairmaking Business	1
2	The Masterpiece and the New Design	48
3	Man of Constant Sorrow	80
4	The Unique and the Antique	113
5	Security, Seclusion, and Self-Esteem	155
6	It Takes Half a Fool to Make Chairs	196
7	The Beauty Part and the Lasting Part	235
	Bibliographical Notes	263
	Index	284

Editorial Reviews

The story of a complex man who through his chairs tries to transcend his limitations, yet seems to be thwarted. He withdraws more and more into his craft and looks toward it as some kind of salvation. Just may change the way we look at handmade objects.

Atlanta History

Jones investigates the lost tradition in the context of folklore, exploring the craft of chairmaking through the bittersweet stories of those who keep the traditions alive.

McCormick (SC) Messenger

An outstanding work. It describes chairmaking in southeatern Kentucky as a craft in fine detail, and it fulfills its promise to answer some more fundamental questions about chairmakers themselves, their families, their friends.

Southern Folklore

Reminds us why studying folklore makes us feel good.

Journal of American Folklore

"The story of a complex man who through his chairs tries to transcend his limitations, yet seems to be thwarted. He withdraws more and more into his craft and looks toward it as some kind of salvation. Just may change the way we look at handmade objects." — Atlanta History

"Reminds us why studying folklore makes us feel good." — Journal of American Folklore

"Jones investigates the lost tradition in the context of folklore, exploring the craft of chairmaking through the bittersweet stories of those who keep the traditions alive." — McCormick (SC) Messenger

"An outstanding work. It describes chairmaking in southeatern Kentucky as a craft in fine detail, and it fulfills its promise to answer some more fundamental questions about chairmakers themselves, their families, their friends." — Southern Folklore

From the Publisher

A charming book in the Foxfire tradition. Jones (history and folklore, UCLA) focuses on the artistic and traditional constraints in the work of one woodworker and chairmaker, Chester Cornett. Paper edition (unseen), $15. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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