National Magazine Honors Design Village

April 25, 2006—Neelam Padte of South Brunswick, New Jersey ranks as one of the top traditional artisans in America, according to a panel of 18 experts convened by Early American Life magazine. The experts—curators from such prestigious institutions as Historic Hudson Valley, Old Sturbridge Village, Rhode Island School of Design, and Shelburne Museum, as well as antiques dealers, independent scholars, and professional instructors—selected the top craftspeople working with traditional tools and techniques for the magazine’s 21st annual Directory of Traditional American Craftsâ. Design Village’s hand-crafted painted canvas rugs / floorcloths showed mastery of the art form, heritage techniques, and workmanship, according to the judges.

The Directory of Traditional American Craftsâ is a special listing that appears in the June 2006 issue of Early American Life, a national magazine focusing on architecture, decorative arts, period style, and social history from colonial times through the mid-19th Century. The Directory has been used for the past two decades by curators at living history museums, owners of traditional homes, and motion picture producers for finding artisans to make period-appropriate furnishings and accessories for displays, collections, and use.
“The judges look for authentic design and workmanship, whether the piece is a faithful reproduction or the artisan’s interpretation of period style,” said Tess Rosch, publisher of Early American Life. “Scholarship, as well as use of period tools and techniques, is particularly valued in this competition.”

One goal of the Directory is to help preserve traditional handcrafts, part of our culture that is rapidly being lost in the digital age. Many of these skills were passed down from master to apprentice for hundreds of years, but now few new people choose to learn and master them. “If our traditional arts are lost, we have forgotten a part of who we are as Americans,” Rosch said.
The June issue of Early American Life, on newsstands April 25, lists all artists selected for the Directory as well as their addresses and telephone numbers for those wanting to own their work. The Directory layout features lush color photos of many of these artworks, photographed aboard the Charles W. Morgan whaling ship—launched in 1841 and the only wooden whaler still in existence—and in other museum settings at Mystic Seaport, The Museum of America and the Sea, in Connecticut.

“The Directory is a source for collectors and historic museums eager to own fine, handcrafted, period-accurate objects and also a means of supporting those who perpetuate the art forms that are such an important part of our nation’s heritage,” Rosch said. To learn more about Early American Life, for subscription information or to purchase a copy, visit http://www.ealonline.com/.

Early American Life is a bimonthly magazine with a circulation of 90,000. The magazine was founded in 1970 and is owned by Firelands Media Group LLC, Shaker Heights, Ohio. Editors can request a copy of the June 2006 issue with the 2006 Directory of Traditional American Craftsâ by calling 440-543-8566.

Design Village offers a wide selection of unique custom-made, hand-painted floorcloths - painted canvas rugs in traditional quilt designs, historical floor patterns and designs from early American wall stencils. A well-constructed floorcloth will protect the floors; provide dust-free environment as well as give years of pleasure and enjoyment with ease of maintenance. Design Village floorcloths are available at http://www.floorcloth.net/.