Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1545128
Those who create craft-based art, known as makers, work in an intersection where skill, material, and a controlled hand coalesce to forge vibrant works. The discipline needed to create often requires repetition to sharpen skills and train the eye and mind — leading to a deeper understanding of both material and outcome. At its most elevated, craft becomes a language of restraint and detail. It prioritizes process as highly as outcome, valuing the decisions — the tension of a stitch, the weight of a line, the finish of a surface — that accumulate into something far greater than the sum of their parts. For the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2026, material intelligence and human touch align in works that feel rigorous, precise, and alive. Craft is authorship of materials that carry the imprint of the maker, creating works from disparate materials and objects that bear, in their final form, the unmistakable imprint of human touch. Here, five of the 30 finalists for this year's prize share their inspirations. 70 Craft Work By Steven Hempel and Michelle Aviña