'Craft in America - Service: Season 6'
(DVD / NR / 2014 / PBS)
Overview: From the origins of the Army Arts & Crafts Program and the G.I. Bill to contemporary soldiers and veterans, SERVICE documents the power of the handmade to inspire, motivate and heal.
DVD Verdict: Here on this highly-popular PBS TV series, the SERVICE episode documents craft in the military and the power of the handmade to inspire, motivate, and heal. Featured craft artists include ceramic artists Ehren Tool, Judas Recendez and Peter Voulkos as well as paper artist Pam DeLuco and saddler Eugene Burks, Jr.
Indeed, it's through their own words that these craft artists reveal what makes their work – and the lives they lead – unique. Learn more about the artists featured in these episodes contained on this DVD: Forge, Holiday, Industry, Family, Threads, Crossroads, Origins, Process, Messages, Memory, Landscape and Community.
My two most engrossing episodes were the one that features Judas Recendez, a man who lost both legs in an IED explosion in Iraq. During his rehab at Walter Reed Army Medical center, he refined his ceramic practice at the army Arts and Crafts Center, then obtained his BA in Fine Arts at the Corcoran College of art + Design.
The other is about Eugene Burks Jr. who makes leather horse tack for the caissons that transport the remains of fallen comrades to their final resting place in Arlington National Cemetery. He is a member of "The Old Guard," the Army's oldest active duty regiment.
Oh, and if you were not aware, Craft in America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the exploration, preservation and celebration of craft and its impact on our nation’s cultural heritage. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.
www.PBS.org