The creativity of our craftspeople infuses every corner of Illinois with economic and cultural vitality. From the river towns and busy cities of the north, through the rich wide farmland of the central region, to the rolling hills and forests of the south, our artisans are transforming the age-old materials of clay, fiber, metal, paper, leather, wood, and glass, into bowls, cups, jewelry, lamps, baskets, quilts, rugs, tools, and works of furniture that will surely last for generations.

We encourage all who wish to see more of the work of Illinois artisans to seek them out through the directory in the back of this book and visit the regions where they live. As you'll see in the preludes to each region in the book, Illinois is rich with historic and scenic sites, cultural festivals, and great outdoor recreational destinations. The wonder and beauty of Illinois has inspired these artists and has served as a perfect backdrop for their work-exceptional work in an exceptional state.

Many of this book's artists are participants in the Artisans Program of the Illinois State Museum. Their works are often on exhibit and for sale in the Program's Artisans Shops in Chicago and Rend Lake and in the State Museum's gift shops in Springfield and Dickson Mounds, all of which we cordially invite you to visit-we promise you will not be disappointed.

A work created by hand is different than something that comes off a factory's conveyor belt. A work of craft is imprinted with the touch of an individual human being. It seems the more old skills die away, the more we hunger for evidence that those skills-the knowledge of how to weave a shawl, throw a pot, dovetail a drawer-still exist. For all the astonishments of technology, the hand is still the most amazing tool of all, and the work done by the people in this book is proof of it.