Running from June 25 to July 13, 2011 at the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, an exhibition of archival Gucci bags celebrates cross cultural exchange and the importance of traditional craftsmanship. This unique exhibition also celebrates 90 years of Gucci, the Florence-based brand excelling in leather goods for 9 decades. In line with the historic nature of the objects show, the host space – the Golden Pavilion – also embodies cultural and artistic traditions.

Exhibitions honoring the Gucci legacy are scheduled in Japan for the remainder of 2011.

View images from the archives after the jump.

With Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts, the American Folk Art Museum has transformed New York’s Park Avenue Armory into a temple of American craft. Undoubtedly one of the most stunning installations of the year, the quilts are only on display through March 30, 2011.

Park Avenue Armory
643 Park Avenue (between 66th and 67th Streets)
New York City

Catch it if you can.

A full look at Infinite Variety is found on Curated.

Every urban woodsman needs some arrows. The look is no longer complete with just a beard, Filson coat, and some Redwings. Weapons are needed. (Just Kidding).

While weapons certainly aren’t needed, Fredericks and Mae’s decorative arrows – made with wood, feathers, thread, gold, and silver – are uniquely crafted and have great individual flare. We’ll go as far as saying their more visually exciting than a random axe, and a real at home conversation starter.

View more arrows after the jump.

Adam Steiner’s tables cut a masculine stance. Born in New York, and now working in Paris, Adam Steiner studied as a sculptor before gravitating to the stark beauty of 19th-century industrial metalwork. His interest in the aesthetic is apparent in his most recent pieces, this series of ruggedly handsome tables. (via Design Boom).

More looks at Steiner’s riveted tables after the jump.

Ski season is around the corner.

Lust for the mountains breeds desire for new sticks. Placerville, Colorado’s Wagner Custom Skis and Snowboards handcrafts their wares in small lots. Terrain, location, style… all these are taken into account as the team assemble custom rides from the best available maple and ash (not to mention state-of-the-art plastics and resins). To make things better, the shop is fully powered by sun and wind. Quality craft for outdoor pursuits.

Visit Wagner, map out your Skier DNA, and be ready for the slopes.

Take a look at some of the wood finishes used by Wagner Custom Skis and Snowboards after the jump.

Based in Wakefield, Rhode Island, Corwin Butterworth began his career in the arts with paint before gravitating towards wood in 1998. A two-week continuing education course at RISD provided quick springboard into the medium, the short stint enough to find Butterworth assisting Barry Sumrall in his workshop. The experience kicked off a series of apprenticeships for Butterworth. He’s worked in England and completed the intensive course at the Center of Furniture and Craftsmanship in Rockland, Maine.

Now five years into his own studio, Butterworth concentrates on custom designed, hardwood furniture. His comfort ranges from seating to neat little boxes. He’s no slouch with cutting boards either. The range of influences are obvious (Asian, Scandinavian, Shaker, etc.), but the artists stamp is rarely lost. His pieces are functional and full of personality – the above 4-Post chair as firm  example of Butterworth’s contemporary and personal take on past styles.

View a selection of Butterworth’s designs after the jump.

Preserving Taiwanese craft might be the underlying theme of new design brand Yii, but the Brick Plan Collection also fits beautifully in the current trend for industrial aesthetic.

Designed by Rock Wang and produced by Pei-Ze Chen, the collection includes bowl, vase and tray. Each piece is hand formed from an existing block of brick. The brick said to be a “symbol of Taiwanese culture” influenced by 17th-century Dutch colonization. The stern nature of the material balances wonderfully with the curves of Chen’s crafted forms. The collection as a whole manages to successfully blend contemporary form, historic reference, and Yii’s desire to keep traditional craft alive. (via Contemporist).

View all the Brick Plan forms after the jump.

Canadians have some gumption.

First, they insist that Moosehead is a drinkable sud. Second, they try to beat Americans at their own game – baseball. Sam Holman, for what its worth, makes some magnificent baseball bats. His Sam Bat, located in Ottawa, was the first maple stick approved for use by the Major Leagues.

Founded in 1997, Sam Bat’s can now be found in the hands of top flight dudes and guys like Prince Fielder. Editions are also available that would look fabulous over the mantle. And, there are Little League approved bats for youngsters wishing to swing the same Maple as their professional heroes.

For the past 20 years, the brewers at Portland, Oregon’s Thomas Kemper Soda Company has made Root Beer the old fashioned.

In 2008, Kemper Soda Company changed recipes to include cane sugar. This move eliminated high fructose corn syrup, making things more natural and more delicious. Like many other craft soda companies, the line began with Root Beer (and the company has a history in traditional brewing as well), and has since expanded to include a range of other old fashioned tastes. The addition of Black Cherry, which joined in 1998, is the real kicker.

Thomas Kemper is widely distributed in the West and made its debut in New York City last summer. Seek it out, “because nothing’s sweeter than authenticity.”

All I want for Christmas is a hand-crafted wooden boat. At this point, it is between a canoe from Klassen or a kayak from previously featured Guillemot Kayaks. Both produce stunning craft, equally suited to hitting the water or conspicuous display. Klassen, run by John Klassen, incorporates magnificent inlay in the canoe design. Needless from a boat building point of view, fantastic from an aesthetic one.

Klassen was inspired by his grandfather, an accomplished carpenter, and father, a canoe guide, and began building boats 30 years ago. Located in Whitefish, MT, each Klassen boat is built from 200 hours of John’s devoted attention.

In short, boats like these are the American made product that really make my mouth water.

Detailed images of wicked canoes after the jump.