Artisan BreadRecently, a friend of mine pointed out the ridiculous over use of the term ‘Artisan’ in common use today. With the proliferation of products labeled ‘Artisan’ from ‘Artisan furniture’ from Ikea to ‘Artisan breads’ at the super market, the term is rapidly losing meaning in todays culture. An Artisan, according to TheFreeDictionary.com is

“…A skilled manual worker; a craftsperson.” and “from Latin arttus, skilled in the arts,”

The friend who pointed this out had asked a friend enroute to a dinner to swing by the market and ‘pick up some artisan bread’. The dinner guest arrived with a loaf of bread with the word ‘Artisan’ pressure-pressed into the top of the loaf. Hmmm….

Before we lose this word entirely to the consumer-industrial-complex, I’d like to offer a question and an answer. I love the concept of a real artisan; a true craftsman or craftswoman with skills that were were earned and sweat-honed over a period of years; with a body of work that speaks for itself. A quick web search turned up the fine saddlecraft turned out by the BVCC Leather Program and the exceptional detail in Pony Tracks Metal Art products. So my question to you dear reader is, if you were describing a real artisan, a true craftsman, who practices their art in the valley, who would you say? I would like to know. Please share your nominees in the comments.
I offer a short documentary on people using archaic technology to produce results that you simply can’t get with the fanciest laser printer today. And while they don’t keep their printing press in the valley, I think they embody the artisan spirit fully.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNBb98N79nM[/youtube]

Photo Credit: Justin Baeder CC 2.0 licensed

You Should Also Check Out This Post:

More Active Posts: