In search of hidden beauty and universal meaning, ceramic artist Ibrahim Said shatters technical boundaries with ingenious takes on ancient forms.

The new 28,000-square-foot workshop at Saint John’s Abbey houses a 150-year-old woodworking program and one of the premier pipe organ builders in the country. Its mission is to teach the next generation.

The four craft artists we profile here make works that support more contemplative living, and all four understand the connections between that way of living and their own soulful, patient craft practice.

Roberto Benavidez sculpts piñatas that embrace the odd and fantastical. In The Queue, the Los Angeles–based piñatero shares about the piñata that first inspired him, John J. Audubon’s influence on his work, and the craft art in his home studio.

Chicana musician and fashion label founder LaLa Romero on the power of nameplate jewelry.

LA-based sculptor Roberto Benavidez makes extravagant piñatas based on artistic masterpieces that you wouldn’t think of hitting with a stick.

Jo Andersson’s glass vessels and lighting inspire reflection and contemplation. In The Queue, the Gothenburg, Sweden–based artist shares about the embodiment at the core of glassblowing, her admiration for masters of the medium, and her future plans in glassblowing.

Six local artists share the people and spaces that define this city, which is built on the handmade.

Each summer, interdisciplinary artist Hong Hong travels to faraway and distinct locations to make paper under the sky.

Afro-Caribbean multimedia artist Kandy G Lopez creates ultra-vivid portraits in fiber, stained glass, and oil.

Born in Chandler, Arizona, and raised in Jalisco, Mexico, artist Horacio Casillas makes holy water fonts for use in the Catholic church, elaborately carved clay jars, and other ceramic works.