Now we get into the good stuff!
I love two simple yet layered concepts presented in the preface. One, that studio craft is handwork with aesthetic intent and two, the need for a contention with the material. What great thoughts. When I teach at the undergrad level any of my former students (some of whom are in this class) can tell you that I do like talking about or teaching elements and principles of design as such . I think of them as part of the art language but not a motivation nor a reason to create. I believe in the art heart. The passion and desire to make art/ make something/ then make some else. The above two concepts could be tattooed on my art heart....intent and connection.
So as you respond to this chapter remember you answer 3 questions:
What surprised you?
What impressed you?
What are you taking away with you?
Refer to actual artists/ movements.
Well, found out two things over the weekend. Future started a new page, and I missed it. When I found out, I tried to post something but this blog and my Ipad do not mix!!!
ReplyDeletePreface, Pge X, "so even utilitarian craft today is made for philosophical and aesthetic reasons." Since industry meets most of the useful needs, to make craft has turned into art, using aesthetics as the reason. Like Quilts made that will not be used due to materials incorporated or the fragileness of the work.
What amazed me the most was realizing that women become more of the craft leaders due to the Industrial revolution and women having more "free time" on their hands.
Did not know that Cincinnati Ohio was so important to the ceramic movement.
The tension in pottery between creativity and cost.... yep, still today!!!
And what I take away... Page 20, who a lack of information, requiring the practitioners to work things out for themselves, that led to exceptional achievements.... Love that! When I paint, I feel to confined by the rules. Using clay, I do not know the rules and tend to be much more creative. YES!!!
Chris, on the topic of craft leaders being women, I wonder how much sexism has lead to the lower status of craft in the cannon of art history? I remember when reading about education reform that one of the reasons stated that teacher pay was low was that the career was one that traditionally was held by women, and women traditionally didn't need to be paid much because it was assumed that their fathers or husbands would be supporting them financially. It's similar to how, when Picasso started abstracting influenced by African masks, he was considered a genius, but no one gave the African mask-makers that developed the abstractions that moniker.
DeleteChris can you expand a little more...like how do you feel about quilts and do you see or have you seen women as craft leaders and how does cost control creativity today
DeleteI love quilts, and I really like how they may not really be quilts, but the piecing and sewing has evolved into beautiful things that I would not want to sleep on!!!
DeleteWomen as craft leaders.... I see women leaders in regard to textiles. Glass, there are some but the strength needed was an issue to some women, but more are working in that medium. In clay, I think it is fairly balanced male and female. I was amazed at how the Industrial revolution had an effect on the women as potters and decorators.
Cost vs. Creativity... Well, I hate when someone sees the price on something and states "They are really proud of that", as if asking a fair price is wrong. With so many items that can be mass produced, it seems that consumers expect the same price whether hand-made or factory produced. There is a social media meme around that puts the price of an artist's product in terms of schooling, time learning the craft, time into that piece, cost of materials, etc., and why the item should cost more. Unfortunately, I think that is only circulated, read or understood by those who create!!!
Chris - I agree with ya on the pricing of something. I think those that state, "they are really proud of that" are because they have not ever experienced making something and do not understand the time it takes to create the work from design to progression of the piece. I see this a lot in the quilt industry - exhibiting side of it. There are those that are making $10,000 or more for a quilt but are internationally recognized vs those just starting to exhibit. The Quilt exhibiting world is still women dominant. I was amazed that Ohio had such an appeal to the decorative arts as well - my grandparents the artists in my family, lived in Akron and moved in retirement to the Phoenix Az area - My mother said at the time there were more painters in the Phoenix area than embroiders (my grandmother's talent).
DeleteChris I also believe what you said above. I also believe for those of us that create we understand the work and price. So how do we educate the public to appreciate the work involved which will lead understanding the price? Living in a little town is tough, the schools do not even have art until High School and only a small percentage take it then. (even though in the State of Texas this is illegal)
DeleteKim's question, "So how do we educate the public to appreciate the work involved which will lead understanding the price?", gave me a chuckle because isn't this the struggle we face as educators as well? How can we also educate the public to appreciate the work we do "as teachers" when our considerably low cost (or, "salaries" in this argument) is/are being considered?
DeleteTo comment on your take away: Page 20, "..who a lack of information, requiring the practitioners to work things out for themselves, that led to exceptional achievements..." I resonate with this as well! I can see this happening in my students also, especially in the ceramics classes I teach. When they walk into my room it is usually the first time they have ever touched clay. Their ideas sometimes surprise me because they are looking at ceramics from a different, fresh new "virgin" mind. It is interesting to listen to their ideas and give them new ones at the same time.
DeleteThe most surprising information in this week’s reading was about Louis Comfort Tiffany’s designs being considered “not important enough” by critics of his day and that John La Farge, whom I had barely heard of, was “considered the greater artist.”
ReplyDeleteI was impressed with the range of work done by James Whistler. I had known that he had done the Peacock Room, but I just assumed that was an isolated incident. All the art history texts just refer to him as a painter. I became aware of the Peacock room through an artwork made in response to it. Here’s a link to the article.
http://www.npr.org/2015/05/21/408226983/filthy-lucre-is-a-modern-remix-of-the-peacock-rooms-wretched-excess
What I am taking away is the quote by John Ruskin: “Never imagine there is a reason to be proud of anything that may be accomplished by patience and sand-paper.” I think this very much parallels with a lot of art making. I so often see art made that is rather pointless except for the patience that the artist employed. This quote seems to so clearly communicate my feelings on the topic.
Justin I am like you not understanding critics of Tiffany's designs. I do believe that he was or had a better premotor/advertiser of his work. Did you look at Tiffany's art piece that was commissioned for the "White House" that got torn down? Goggle it and you would be amazed art piece. I wonder if the critics of the time encouraged President Roosevelt?
DeleteI agree with Tiffany's work. Doesn't make sense to makes comments but i just think its because they compared his art to his father's company where I suppose, jewelry was more important? I'm not sure if that makes any sense?
DeleteThat quote struck me as well, and I was 100% on board with that statement the first time I read it, but now reading it again I think I would agree more had the word "only" been stuck in there before "patience and sandpaper".
DeleteBut, I absolutely agree with your statement about being underwhelmed with art that seems like it was created for that specific "awe" factor that is burned into my eyes every time I absent mindedly wander onto BuzzFeed. something like: This art was made with over 100 thousand Dixie cups, and depicts Miley Cyrus being edgy! That BuzzFeed mentality that something has to be the "craziest thing" or "this one strange trick" in order to be interesting is something that I can't wrap my head around, especially in my chosen obsession of photography.
I know that was a tangent, but what I meant to say was that I agree with the sentiment that something should be more than just amazingly smooth or polished or painstakingly executed if it is to be considered worth making/looking at.
Justin - Thanks for the npr article link. Enjoyed listening to the descriptions of the Peacock Room and Filthy Lucre room. Found a great video on Filthy Lucre. For anyone interested, it describes a little more why the artist made a response to the Peacock Room. Would love to see these in D.C.
Deletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2015/05/14/by-destroying-whistlers-peacock-room-artist-darren-waterston-forged-new-friendships/
Question: Would we consider these rooms an installation or interior design? Could they be both??
Great virtual tour of the Peacock Room:
Deletehttp://peacockroom.wayne.edu/peacock-detroit
Justin, on the Ruskin quote...expand..do you really agree? Do you want a canvas that warps? Have you never seen an work in wood that is mind blowing partly because it has taken a tree and turned it into something unimagined?
ReplyDeleteFuture - My uncle, does wood carving, creating a picture on wood. His talent blows my mind! He will be exhibiting in Feb. in Phoenix with the wood carvers guild if anyone is in that area. I will have to post pictures of his work.
DeleteSure, specifically, I was thinking about art like hyperrealism. I often wonder why artists painstakingly commit to such a mechanical process. I see little value to the image that wouldn't be equally provided by a photo of the same size. Also, when people make images of celebrities by filing the floor of a warehouse with cups of colored water, or string around nails, or the like. It doesn't seem to take much skill, and other than the awe at the artists patience, there isn't much to reflect on or learn from. I was referring to the idea that something almost anyone can do it they had the patience never seems valuable to me. The quote mentioning only, "patience and sandpaper," I read as a strong critique on creation that lacked vision, or elegance, or innovation, or a multitude of attributes that would make a creation valuable, not as a critique of things specifically made of wood.
ReplyDeleteNice expansion on the original statement. Your comments and Chris's post cause me to dream about this class ..really. What came up for me was a series of words that meander throughout my work and the work I study. If I allow these words to be thoughts instead of rules it becomes interesting. Craftsmanship, intent, vision, time needed, viewing venue, function, beauty, meaning, emotion, release, sentimental, personal, political and the list goes on and on. What this book always does for me is bring up questions for me about my work. And I accept I am exposed to work I had never seen before. Thanks for adding more.
DeleteJustin, I would be careful....you may sound like some of my students at Fort Hood who stand up and say proudly"My three year old could have made a Pollock"just sayin....
ReplyDelete..and in my art appreciation course tonight...we were discussing some of the same issues....Is it art or craft if we don't learn from it as you may suggest...is it really a qualifying point that art has to teach us something?.or is it art or craft if you think much skill was not needed?what do you think?In other words are these things which define or qualify a "good"art or craft piece......I am not so sure everyone in my class would agree...
DeleteI think quality craft and art both require a creative vision of some sort, that you bring something new into the world. To just replicate something that already exists doesn't pass the litmus test for me. I guess I would update the quote I referenced to say,Never imagine there is a reason to be proud of anything that may be accomplished by patience and Google images.
DeleteAgain, allow it not to be an competition or either/ or situation. Art is not isolation.
DeleteBut patience is needed. When I work in clay, I sure need it. Patience with wet clay, the drying process, firing, and a lot of patience needed before opening a warm glazed load in the kiln. Lots needed there, it is like Christmas morning! I think patience is needed to learn some of the skills required to make art (including craft in that).
DeleteChris like your work in clay, a quilt, evolves through my process of patience but I get what Justin is saying about innovation in the work. For me, to be happy, with my work I would like it to be individualized and innovative in the design process either with colors or technique. I have known some quilters that take a picture - photoshop it and create a graphic with 3 colors creating their pattern. Usually these are photos of people and all they are doing is copying the photo and creating a graphic with color. To me, its paint by number designing for their quilt. I don’t consider that a great design. I hope I don’t sound like a snob but in the quilting world – it seemed like for a while this is what you saw exhibiting but I think its because the technology was new and exciting.
ReplyDeleteGail,I like the way you said this..."evolves through my process of patience".....
DeleteI think what I take away from this reading is how each of these artisans defined craft and flourished under their own language and meaning of craft. For example, Wheeler in the decorative arts for textiles opened it up to the masses, not dependent on class structure. She found an inexpensive cloth to embroider on making it useable to a wider audience. She created it so the art society could function as a resource and library for design – again to help the masses. Gave hope to women wanting to have a purpose in their life. Supported multiple crafts by allowing them under her umbrella of decorative arts. She had innovation, defining a needle weaving technique and defining embroidery as showing a color and then a second color in reflection creating depth in her work.
ReplyDeleteNichols defined craft – decorative pottery that represented individualism, absent of duplication and constant movement towards progress and artistic expression. (P 22/23). She also, was drawn to creating depth through use of subtle gradation.
These artists defined craft in their own language and rules and flourished under their definition of it – what I wonder is how hard it was to persevere when others didn’t get it causing them to make the statements that Chris noted – “she is proud of her work”?
I, like Chris was surprised by the craft movement in America being lead by women with time on their hands. I started analysing my in-laws. My grandmother-in-law was a quilter. She didn’t necessarily have time on her hands because she was the mother of four during the depression. She made quilts to use. She gave me one when my first baby was born and told me to really use the quilt, making gestures of the quilt being an old worn out thing. As I quized her about the age, I soon discovered she not only made the quilt as a child, but picked the cotton for the batting. Then my mother-in-law, did have more time on her hands as a homemaker. She took up needlepoint, china painting, and oil painting. She wouldn’t consider herself an artist, that is just what the women in the 1950’s Artesia, NM would do. My theory, as I was reading is as the industrial revolution moved out to the west and into every home, women’s jobs became less labor intensive. The involvement in arts and crafts, gave women a new way to express themselves and work with their hands.
ReplyDeleteI was impressed with the innovators like Candace Wheeler. She was an inventor of textile techniques, an activists who created opportunities for women, and her achievements didn’t even start until she was 50 years old.
What I am taking away from this reading is a desire to learn, create, and experiment with a variety of materials. Since I started reading, I have spent two evenings throwing on the wheel. I haven’t been on a potter’s wheel for many years, and have had little experience. Maybe I will create my own snake jug similar to figure 1.13 by the Kirkpatrick Bros., Anna Pottery.
OH MY GOSH, Paige! I need an ending to the quilt story! Where is it now? Did you use it?
DeletePaige, that's an interesting thought on your grandmother taking up arts and crafts as her hobby. I wonder how that will change in the future. Almost none of my friends, outside of people I met through the gallery, make anything artistically. I wonder if the percentage of people making art for hobby is changing.
DeletePaige I grew up in the same household it sounds like. How much did that generation influence us? Are we influencing our families as much now? My husband has crocheted quilts that he will not let us touch because they were from his grandmother and I am going to get them down today and start using them? I have an old quilt that is falling apart that my mother and sister did for me when I graduated from college and quit using it because it is falling apart, I think that I am just going to just start adding cloth pieces to it and embroidering it to keep it alive and going! Do you know how many old quilts I see out there in thrift shops there are and I have been so attracted to them now I know why! I am going to start buying them and giving them more life.
DeleteYes, I used the quilt. She told me I couldn't have it if I didn't. I still have it and use it sparingly. Now, a new baby can use it. Kim, I do think what good is the quilt in the closet? Since you have the skill and creativity to add to your quilt, the more you use and repair it, the more history it will carry.
DeleteI have friends that own beautifully made quilts from their grandmothers but saddens me that they only have them kept away. I can understand them not wanting to use them just to able to preserve them but at the same time saddened by the thought that it's hidden and not seen by many others. As if the work and heart that was put into it is kept away.
DeleteYes! Very inspirational discussion. I have only one quilt that one of my dear friends made me. I used it sparingly as to avoid it getting any wear or stains. I tucked it in a closet the moment I saw the tiniest wear start to form. Adding my hand to it for repairs will definitely keep it alive!
DeleteKim, you should mend/keep adding to the quilts! Think of it as an ever-growing art piece! They are meant to be viewed, not kept in a box! Well that is just my opinion. Even hanging them as a tapestry is an option.
DeletePaige, I'm totally with you on the "need to make something!" feeling that these readings inspire. I had the day off on Thursday and reupholstered my kitchen chairs with a fabric I think Morris would have approved of. I wish I was kidding. Now, after reading chapter 2, I am ready to get in my garage and try my hand at some Mission style furniture. I actually went to the ER yesterday after a spill on my bike (that's bicycle, not motorcycle...I'm not that cool) and now have a partially dislocated shoulder, so the woodworking will have to wait a week or two, I think.
DeleteSurprised: I was surprised that the middle class was largely included in the Aesthetic movement both in England and the United States. I had always assumed that “art for arts sake” and bringing beauty within all aspects of life was left to the wealthy or upper class. After reading into the subject more, I was wrong. Also, the question of design versus social conditions not necessarily surprised me, but got me really thinking. The writings og Pugin, Ruskin and Morris all describe how design is not only aesthetic, but directly related to social conditions. I guess what I'm saying is the philosophical side of craft surprised me and it was interesting to think about. Makes me also think about how school architecture and design is related to school climate and behaviors of student and/or their success….
ReplyDeleteImpressed: What impressed me was the life of Louise McLaughlin!!!! I mean WOW! I think she is now my idol. All of her accomplishments really blew me away. She is definitely an MVP. She founded the first American pottery club for women, the Cincinnati Pottery Club which is amazing and reading about her patent under glaze technique involving plaster was very fascinating. She was so innovative and really led quite a life in my opinion, even with all of the drama she had to deal with. I also really admire her persistence, that woman had gumption! A quote that stuck with me was : “ Although my methods would set a practical potter frantic but… I feel emboldened to set tradition at defiance and follow any method which proves practical.” (p. 29)
Take Away: I want to start a Tile Club! After the reading, I really am inspired to just get with a group and make things. Originally founded in NYC in 1877, it was a casual group of young artist who got together and decorated ceramic tiles. I like the fact that they did not take themselves as serious as the Cincinnati Pottery Club. They thought of the tile as just another painting surface, not taking much consideration of the nature of the clay. I don't want to call myself a painter, but I love to paint and I do believe any surface can be a painting surface. Anything!
I am like you April I want to start a Club and start creating. What about an internet club that we post or reveal our artwork once a week or month to keep each encouraged?
DeleteI was equally impressed with Louise McLaughlin. She was innovative and creative experimenting with many mediums and writing books to share her techniques. On page 20, “M. Louise McLaughlin, showed a hanging cabinet of her own design with hand-painted tiles in the doors (which she also made) depicting ladies in the garments of 1776 and 1876. She had modeled the hinges in wax, cast them in bronze, and further worked the surfaces. Displayed in the cabinet was her china painting”. I couldn’t wait to see a photograph of the cabinet and other works. I was disappointed because the internet had very little of her work documented, but every site mentioned the competition between M. Louise McLaughlin and Maria Longworth Nichols. On page 21, the authors write, “size had become a metaphor for progress”. McLaughlin built the largest underglazed-slip-decorated vase in America, (the Aladdin Vase) 30” x 18”, pushing Nichols to create her with a vase (the Ali Baba) 37” x 17”. Hopefully, it was a healthy rivalry pushing the limits of their ceramic work.
DeleteI also was.....can you imagine creating something that size?
DeleteWhat surprised you?Many things surprised me, right from the first page ,first paragraph of preface.That "The Arts and Crafts movement at the end of the 19th century involved a philosophical,aesthetic, social, and political response to the negative effects of The Industrial Revolution"I had no idea about this, I always thought of crafts at that time period,was only about materials and function only... and then in the next paragraph, it goes on to say that the "craft movement was moving "in the direction of art's expressive and sociopolitical concerns"I am very surprised about these statements and feel very ignorant and narrow minded in my ideas about crafts .
ReplyDeleteWhat impressed you?The words of M.C. Richards'We think about craft as if it were objects,forgetting(that)it's people, and pretending that we are not people reacting to them' I like this idea about talking about art history,and especially crafts, as it relates to human activity.That idea that craft is about people who make things..this is what we should be discussing the people and the "how" and the "why" they make/made things... not simply discussing the things by themselves.
What are you taking away with you? The theme that follows throughout this preface"Craft is not a neat package with defined edges. and that "Craft is a form of personal expression and this can invest meaning in an object"Yay..this is exactly how I teach Contemporary Crafts and I embrace this attitude wholly.I have to go back to class now...and this is only from the preface... I still have many more things that have impressed me and surprised me and that I will definitely take away.
Susan - I think the people's reaction to the change during the Ind. Revo. impresses me. The Aesthetic movement for helping decorative arts and craft acceptance but also the spread of it to the masses and not defining it by class structure. I wonder if after the Industrial Revolution (1760-1830) people needed an outlet for dealing with so much change in that time period. Folks had a strong urge to work with their hands again. I have witnessed this after the Computer Technology movement that the 90s/2000's brought more people back into the quilt industry wanting and desiring to work with their hands in the decorative art and hobby arena. I don’t know if I’m off on this personal analysis but it seems to me that change causes people to want to work with their hands!
DeleteSusan - I too didn't realize that the Arts and Crafts movement was more or less a rebellion against the Industrial Revolution. This response reminds me of the current and ongoing "Shop Local" campaign.
DeleteI can understand that..it makes good sense to me...There's so much more that surprised me and intrigues me..Just the sentence"studio craft is a recent invention"blew me away..I do not think of studio crafts that way, I thought it was one of the oldest art forms to exist..lol..shows what I know..and that it was molded and developed by Englishmen as a protest... I thought it came directly out of the old crafts.. " How about the club of"young rebels" and that the Gothic style "signified rebellion against everything they despised" I just never thought of Crafts that way..Gild" idea was interesting also..A guild for every trade.. and I do like that they held a person to high standards...There is s much more...,
ReplyDeleteSusan I am like you I feel narrow minded and very ignorant after this reading. It takes me forever to get through it all because I keep looking up pictures and stories on the internet and I am floored by some of these great art pieces. The thought process and history is fascinating to me as well.
DeleteI appreciate ya'lls comment and honesty! I too was unaware of the value and history that Craft had. There is so much I feel i have missed because of my lack of understanding and knowledge of the history and where it is now.
DeleteI also found it interesting that the young rebels connected to a Gothic revival. Such a rebel, at 23 years old Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin converted to Roman Catholicism, “constructed an elaborate fantasy about life in medieval England”.
DeleteMe too Paige! I was mentioning earlier how he linked morality and good design. Very interesting to think about. Also, naming socialism as modern evil (page 3) I was totally unaware of the history of craft as well Noemi... I am right there with you. Finding the origins and intention of craft has really got me thinking different about how I think and create.
DeletePaige and April, the intertwining of morality and design seem to pop up intermittently throughout history. I'm thinking specifically about Renaissance compositions or the Kazimir Malevich and Suprematism. I wonder why there is a tendency to attempt to connect design with religion.
DeleteI've notice this quote pop up in a post above, but to reiterate my favorite part of this text is, "if the public were to embrace handmade products because of their social benefit, they would have to be persuaded to refuse perfection for its own sake. He urged his readers to, "Rather choose rough work than smooth work...never imagine there is a reason to be proud of anything that may be accomplished by patience and sand paper."
ReplyDeleteI am taking away the appreciation of imperfection. I always strive to make my artwork precise, in drawings and 3D. I just started my first clay class at Southwest School of Art here in San Antonio and already see defeat when the lip, shape, and angle is not evenly distributed. Although it is extremely impressive and skillful to have someone construct something that looks machine made- I value in art the look of the 'hand.' I lean more toward etchy, art than photorealism. This text reminds me of the value in handmade products and the unique process we create by being able to mold something that is not pre made for us.
Surprised me:The World Fair's! I wish this was more prevalent today- but I wonder what it would showcase? We have a large Luminaria downtown San Antonio, but honestly I have not been impressed by it. There are small craft or pottery fairs in Austin and SA sometimes. The World Fair sounds like almost an elaborate arena of craft and culture all in one place with so many people in attendance.
What impressed you: La Farge, Peacock. I would love to see this up close. In the picture it looks like large cut outs, but in the texts it talks about how some are so small it requires tweezers. I can't imagine wire so thing you can barely see it yet able to hold up pieces together to make it into one large piece. Beautiful cool color scheme and so much more appreciative of stained glass as an art.
Sarah - I think the quote on imperfection spoke to me too! The beauty of imperfection - it makes me realize the artist can bring it into the story of the art piece to create a more individualized piece?
DeleteI totally agree...but we, painters call it"happy accidents"and yes..it makes our art personal,intimate and unique
DeleteSarah, if you enjoy the Worlds Fairs, the book Devil in the White city is a fun book explaining How the World Columbian Exposition came together in Chicago as well as the story of a serial killer that was active in Chicago at the same time. I believe it is being made into a movie currently. I'm pretty excited to see some high quality visuals of the Exposition as it looked when it was built. I have only seen etchings and black and white photos up to this point.
DeleteJustin- awesome! Thanks and good to know!
DeleteI am actually from Chicago.Hyde Park,The University of Chicago area right near the museum of science and Industry ,one of the buildings which still remain from the worlds fair.....pretty amazing architecture and museum....I think Leonardo DiCapio plays the serial killer Holmes
DeleteDiCaprio..sorry
DeleteDevil in the White City is a great book on architecture and the behind-the-scene deal making of any huge project. Egos and disappointments. And it is a true story of a very sick serial killer. I passed my copy on to the one of the professors of Architectural History. To extend this thought there are interesting essays on the business of getting into the Venice Biennial especially for artist of color. For me the hard lesson is that there is no magic art wizard waiting outside my studio door.
DeleteJustin - Thanks for the book recommendation. Already added it to my wish list :)
DeleteJustin and Sarah, the World's Fair as places to exhibit work, and the impact, amazed me as well! Those are like dinosaurs now! Justin, that book sounds interesting, and in a movie too. Thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteSarah I agree with you on the Peacock room, after looking it up I feel that I have to go see it too. I have added so many places to my "bucket list" from this chapter alone. My son goes to school not far from Boston and I saw that cities name a lot in this chapter.
DeleteKim I agree my sister lives in Boston and I can't wait to go there when I see her next! So happy I saw it was in a stateside museum and not in England or something!
DeleteKim - I have a running bucket list of art work I want to see as well - I hope I get all these works seen!
DeleteIn Texas... alone, I have many I still want to see between Houston and Dallas..lol
DeleteSurprised me: Were all of the influences in my life that came from all of this. Like William Morris's wallpaper on page 7, my mother used pretty close to the same patterns on our kitchen walls and I grew up wallpapering with with her. Candace Wheeler's use of wool thread on her embroidered panels on page 18. the experimentation of the Maria Longworth Nichols with China paints and the movement of women (before they had any rights). These are just some of all of the surprises, but I believe it was a culmination of the fact that all of these artist experimented with or had prior background in many mediums that surprised me the most.
ReplyDeleteImpressed: This was the whole chapter all I can do is name a few highlights for me personally. Candace Wheeler is probably one of favorites she promoted women, most of her achievements were after age of 50, she contributed her color and textile sense to spinning and weaving that she learning growing up, her benevolent side and most of all her simplistic art work. Louise McLaughlin experimental side and independence. John La Farge "Luminous tapestry" pushing the limits of how get the most out glass. Tiffany's commissioned partition in "The White House" for President Chester Arthur, but most of all the longevity of his reputation that according to critics out shines his expertise.
What am I taking away: Well as I said above in one of my responses that I getting out old quilts that have been put away and visiting with renewing them in some way.
Realizing how much of my personal growing up history has been influenced by wallpaper, "Monet" ballerina curtains (in my room growing up) and watching a mother teach me to embroidery, sew, decoupage, make sure I had art classes, and accordian lessons.
I'm going to start experimenting in felting, embroidering together today after reading about all of the experimenting going on in the past.
Kim- Its crazy has the smallest things, like wallpaper or quilts, can leave such an impact in our memory and what we appreciate in art. I have had a few of these 'aesthetic memories' where I notice some sort of Art Deco design that has been influenced in something in my house.
DeleteThe quilts sounds like what will be nice final assignment for this class- excited to see what you come up with.
Kim - I think I was amazed at how many different mediums these artists were a part of - I feel sometimes like I am spreading myself too thin on trying different mediums but in the long run it adds to my thought process and creates better ideas and invigorates a kind of "why not" spirit in my work. Growing up I saw my grandfather's mediums as drawing, painting, carving and clay. My mother said it was his downfall but I kind of think it was the opposite - My grandmother was quilting, embroidery, seamstress and making furniture - she made a headboard out of used spools (what she could have done with Anne Sloan's chalk paint!) and would take rope to old garden chairs making a new seat for them by weaving the threads in a pattern.
DeleteI'm thinking of the same thing with realizing the beauty my childhood household had. I always remember the huge clawfoot tub my grandmother had with the whole black and white tile on the floor. I remember the small and the smooth rounded cold edges of the ceramic and the little art nouveau looking designs on the bottom and on the feet. Sure, I thought it was old but I think now I would pay big money for bathroom like that.
DeleteDitto on the realization that my childhood home had some beautiful things that I took for granted. My grandfather, who I never met because he died very young, made a lot of the furniture in my parents house. Beautifully made chairs, some with delicately turned spindle legs and others with hand-woven wicker seats, a table with fold down leaves, a chest of drawers made entirely with traditional joinery with not a nail or screw in it anywhere.
DeleteI mentioned this in my posting for chapter 2, but I wish I had more of an exposure to crafts growing up. I especially wish that taking classes like wood shop wasn't frowned upon or seen as a soft option for someone who doesn't want to do real school work. Looking back I want desperately to have started working with wood 2 decades ago, and now I feel like I'm far behind. I just decided on a project. I'm going to try and copy my grandfathers furniture. I won't be able to do any turning because I don't have a lathe, but I think I could make a good crack at a chair my mom has...I was already thinking that I wanted to try my hand at Mission furniture, but now I'm going to try and make an exact replica of PawPaw's chair, which looks very similar to the Mission chair on page 42.
Kim- Accordian lessons??? I know what you are bringing with you to Lubbock this summer....
ReplyDeleteI was wondering who would pick that up? Of course it would be you Chris! lol
ReplyDeleteI was wondering who would pick that up? Of course it would be you Chris! lol
ReplyDeleteI've got to get better at this blog thing - as in writing on it! I'm reading everyone's comments, I'm reading our textbook, but within that I want to know more of something I've read and I'm off into the endless universe of the internet. Hours later, when I pull my head out of this portal, I am happily spent - and amazed! I attended college pre-computer, pre-internet. THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER!
ReplyDeleteWhat I found in the preface that surprised me was my lack of knowledge of the sociopolitical concerns of the Arts & Crafts Movement. So, off I went in the portal and read about John Ruskin and William Morris. I love that Morris is considered to be the one who took work that was done by the lower classes and gave it to everybody. After reading about him for (quite a while) a Fred Babb quote popped into my head. "Good Art Won't Match Your Sofa" which led me to create my own quote - "Art is more than the painting over the couch. It's also the couch. And the table, the bowl, the book, the vase, the lamp........"
Paula, I too attended college pre-computer and understand, "happily spent". I agree with your quote. Everything is based on design and created by a designer.
DeleteBleuSky I am the same way. I feel like I am a flag (like in Dante's Inferno (Limbo)) which ever way the wind is blowing in what I am reading I get on the internet and chase it. Then I read some more and the flag changes wind blowing from another direction and here I go again off into "internet land", then I look up and its been 4 hours!
DeleteI was surprised with what World Fairs really were. I had no idea that they were about showcasing art, inventions and ideas literally from around the world. I didn’t realize either that information was shared this way then. I imagined that ideas were exchanged through some method, maybe solely in a literature form perhaps, but never pictured it happening in such a large gathering. The construction of these temporary buildings in Chicago for the World’s Columbian Exposition must have been a sight to see; and, to have almost a quarter of the United States population make an appearance at the Centennial Exhibition is very impressive (13-14). I had just visited Chicago recently and would have loved to go to the site and get a grasp on the magnitude of space the fair enveloped.
ReplyDeleteI was most impressed with the School and Guild of Handicraft and what it provided for students. Not only did it offer a range of non-fine art courses from carpentry to embroidery but it also “put on plays, gave weekly dinners, and sponsored trips to the countryside” (12-13). Sounds like an amazing place to be; and quite frankly, reminded me very much of our special place in Junction. This school gave me validation to practice art forms that I would tend to shy away from, as if they were too “crafty”, “DIY”, or “home improvement” related. I am going to research current institutions that might offer similar curriculums for future professional development, certification and/or degree.
What I’m taking away with me:
Not only have I started to “pin” a list of visual references for new art experimentation and art lessons from this chapter, but I’m looking forward to creating Crazy Quilts with my elementary kiddos. I have so much fabric scrap and they just love to look at all the patterns but I never knew what I could do with it till now. I feel like Crazy Quilts will be a great way to introduce them to sewing, while allowing them to not feel constrained to a particular geometric quilt pattern (17). This is such a great introduction to sewing because its open-ended and student driven. I’m sure they will have fun diving into these boxes of visual textures as much as I will enjoy watching their textile piece unfold. (Ha, get it?? Unfold??)
I was also surprised with the World Fairs. I actually didn't know that it had even started in the late 1800s! Pretty cool to know that there were exhibits for artists from around the world to show and sell their art!
DeleteThe little ones will love diving into the box and discovering what to make of their quilt pieces. Make sure you let us know how it goes!
DeleteI never thought of the Worlds Fairs as a way to disseminate information. It's almost like an antique version of the internet as it was a way for the common man to see things from every corner of the globe. I imagine people exploring it in the same way you can fall down the "rabbit hole" of related links on Facebook.
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DeleteRabbit hole, indeed! I am finding this is how some of us are even feeling about this book. So much amazing information! I've spent a lot of extra time looking up images pertaining to the information we're reading and then I save them for future reading and reference. If anyone is interested, I've collected these images on a board in Pinterest. The board's name is Visuals from the "Makers" book. Enjoy!
Deletehttps://www.pinterest.com/jaydoubleyou/visuals-from-the-makers-book/
Hello! Since I signed up a little late for the class I seemed to have missed the introductions. But my name is Noemi! I recognize some of ya'll from previous classes we've taken. Good to see ya'll!
ReplyDeleteSurprises: Many! To my shame I never really gave "craft" as much thought or value. There is so much history to Arts and crafts! The entire first section of the chapter got me off guard.. Like Susan, I had believed it to go farther back in history, so when reading, "Studio craft is a recent invention. It was shaped by a few English gentlemen as a protest against their own times" , I realized how much I didn't know about how it came to be.
Impressed: John Ruskin, for as strange as it may sound, but reading about his captivating writing and criticism helped me to understand where he stood with the many changes of the times as well as how I have felt similar to now a days. "You must either make a tool of the creature, or a man of him. You cannot make both. Men were not intended to work with accuracy of tools, to be precise and perfect in all their actions. If you will have precision out of them... you must dehumanize them." Mass production has it benefits but it takes the value and uniqueness away which stripped peoples want and value away from handmade products. Many cannot see the beauty and value of something crafted by someone.
What I take: Too much! It's all so wonderful though. More knowledge and appreciation for craft and its origin but also the inspiration in my own works. I do a lot of 2D based work, particularly with drawing and watercolor paint. But I loved the bit about China Painting and Art Pottery. The process and outcome of the work interested me in the sense of working with issue of manufactured items and adding originality to it. I a don't really work with much pottery but it peaked my interest.
I don’t know why but the very beginning when Pugin and Ruskin where very annoyed about the fast pace and sloppy work of productions. The way of it being cheaply done just to produce more with little to no hand work. For me, this was the opposite of what pretty much everyone during that time was excited and happy about…I can only assume given the many hard labor that I’m sure workers were finally being relieved from with new technology. But of course, the loss of the time and effort, the dedication to a piece of object…that is a shame. This started having me think of the many imitated works, like the saris and rugs in World Market and even Pier One with many of their glass bottles claiming to be hand made from Italy…Hobby Lobby had the same glass bottles made from China. Mass production and false advertising at its finest and it’s everywhere.
ReplyDeleteWhat impressed me: It’s a shame that we aim for perfection, the machine like work of art but the human imperfection is gorgeous. I have a piece I bought from a Mexican Market called an Alebrije. I love looking at it and seeing the perfected imperfections of the hand painted dots and swirls on this little wooden cat. I loved everything about these Alebrijes and gazing at the over sized ones on the shelves of the market that are priced in the thousands! The detail and time that must have taken! No machine could ever achieve such beauty!
I loved what Oscar Wilde said about aesthetics, : “All ugly things are made by those who strive to make something beautiful, and…all beautiful things are made by those who strive to make something useful.” I just found something very truthful about that.
What am I taking away? There’s so much in this chapter I didn’t mention, like Morris and Tiffany…I loved the wallpapers and the difficulty in making such beautiful prints for someone to have throughout their houses. It almost makes me feel awful for ripping any up! Then again, wallpaper isn’t my cup of tea but I agree, some are just gorgeous!
Tiffany’s glass paintings are just beautiful. I would have thought, because of who his father was, he would have easily went through life as a metal smith and designer in jewelry but he went into interior design and I haven’t looked up the Veteran’s room and if there was or a color photo of it but the way it was described, It sounded beautiful.
Michelle, I also agree with you about imperfections,happy accidents... those qualities which make each craft piece or artwork so unique and individual,like having apiece of the artist when you acquire a piece.
DeleteI was very surprised by the number of women that were so influential in the art movement in the US. Candice Wheeler sounds like a force of nature and Louise McLaughlin should run for President. I was also very impressed with the commitment of individuals like Ruskin and Morris who brought attention to the lack of creativity and dignity caused by the Ind Rev.
ReplyDeleteWhat surprised me: I have never once thought of a nicely carved/hand constructed desk as a social statement about the dangers of capitalism. In that same vein, I was also surprised at the many Guilds, Potteries, and Societies that were formed with the intention of creating a sense of ownership in craftsmen(...craftswomen...craftspeople? Craftspeople) and shunning the industrialization and modernization of industry, and preaching the dangers of capitalism, and then developing into businesses and even corporations who cater to the very wealthy. Like Morris & Co, whos most successful products were 80% machine made/woven. Tiffany and Co. comes to mind here as well.
ReplyDeleteI was also plain shocked and impressed by Morris himself: he "taught himself how to glaze ceramics, letter and illustrate manuscripts, engrave wooden printing blocks, dye wool and silk, print textiles, and weave tapestries and rugs." All of this, he did well enough to teach his employees the craft and then make and sell those products. Everyone I have ever met, and I have met some amazing people, are lazy compared to this man.
What I am taking away is a quote by Morris: "If a man has work to do which he despises, which does not satisfy his natural and rightful desire for pleasure, the greatest part of his life must pass unhappily and without self-respect." I almost want to drop everything to take up an apprenticeship in carpentry right now.
Tyler, O also was surprised and interested in the idea of the "Guild".It takes much time and dedicsation to create a group and to remain involved and dedicated.
Delete“What surprised me: I have never once thought of a nicely carved/hand constructed desk as a social statement about the dangers of capitalism”
DeleteMe too! It brings forth much more awareness when making home purchases. We are in the market for a couch… and I now find myself asking: Is this item important? Does it have a story or is it just a product of capitalism?
I am so surprised by the amount of history behind American Studio Craft. That's very naive, but true. I am fascinated with the historical timeline - The Industrial Revolution, The Aesthetic Movement, WWII, The Arts & Crafts Movement. I know I could've done much better in my history classes had the information been focused on craft. I was very impressed at learning about several strong, intellectual, and gifted women involved in bringing forth the Arts and Crafts Movement. I'm most impressed with Louise McLaughlin's "Losanti ware", book publishing, longevity in the world of craft all at a time when women were not expected to be leading pioneers outside the realm of homemaker. She reminds me of the absent minded professor going about researching and doing the thing she loves while the world goes on around her.
ReplyDeleteI am taking away with me a desire to learn more about La Farge and a wanting to see his Peacock Window in person.
Great start. Your surprise at the information in this book is exactly why I love this book. So much talent and good work left out of traditional art history books. So much time lost on the argument of art vs. craft. And so much energy wasted on trying to defend our limited knowledge of creativity in all forms.
ReplyDeleteI love the shared stories on quilts. Their magic is their use. In the color and design/pattern. If a family quilt, the memory of the scraps of cloth from hand made outfits. I was has an Aunt in law who collect jade (most likely illegally) in Clarksdale, Miss. Every door pull, cabinet handle, every light (as is table light shades) were made of jade. I asked about it, worried that it was fragile and might be broken from regular use, she simply said "oh, my dear, if you don't use it, it loses it beauty!" I loved that and I have held on to that thought which includes using "the good dishes" and using my coffee cups from years of pottery sales. I confess, i do not use my grandmothers hand painted china. My point is we all have to decide for ourselves how we use the objects we treasure. And more importantly we have to decide what we treasure.
Oh, man! I love that! "We have to decide for ourselves how we use the objects we treasure. And more importantly we have to decide what we treasure." BAM!!
DeleteIn the advanced hand building class I'm taking this semester our first assignment was to create a series of 3 or 4 pieces that shared something meaningful to or about us. Due to this blog and another in Critical Pedagogy I've spent some time thinking about treasures that I find in Nature and why they are treasures to me. I realized that many of these treasures have to do with Place - experiences, people met, growth. My series is called "Treasures of Place" & include mixed media. ...sure wish I had just a handful of colorful little glass shards from Junction with me here in Lubbock instead of squirreled away at home in Helotes....
I knew little about crafts before beginning this book. The mere fact that there was an Arts and Crafts movement was, maybe not quite a surprise, but was new to me. Coming out of the industrial revolution, it makes sense. People—who are, in my opinion, innately creative beings—must have felt a resistance to repetitive, “shoddy products and unpleasant work.”
ReplyDeleteI was impressed by how craft became a distinctive movement by being critical and “insisted on the importance of individual creativity,” (pg 36). Had never given much thought to the critical thought behind crafts.
I am already much more excited to learn what this book has to teach me. I will be wanting to create a lesson plan for future students that connects crafts to its larger influence and critique of society. So many times, I feel, art teachers teach a skill but leave out its deep connection with history and how history shaped the art/craft and vice-versa.
Before I read/respond to anyone else, I wanted to reflect on what I read. I enjoyed reading about the early history of craft and some of the people who studied it. The idea of handmade items and learning how to create these useful things with artistry is a beautiful thing.
ReplyDeleteI loved these two lines so much I underlined them in my book:
"He felt that they could derive satisfaction from their labor only if they were given some creative control" pg. 5 In response to the automation of creation Ruskin makes this comment and I love it. I love that he realizes by investing in something creatively one feels ownership over what they do giving them that notion that what they do is meaningful. Creating something from scratch and being able to have control over the entire creating process is important to an artist. I personally take pride when I have created everything myself. If it's clay I have this romance with my pottery especially when I know I: made the clay, created the piece, fired it myself, made the glaze and then fired it again. Being involved in every step from birth the display makes for an intimate relationship with your work. Having no control over creation would suffocate an artist and ultimately turns them into a factory worker.
"In craft, variation is not only possible; it is almost unavoidable" p. 5. I LOVE THIS. I love the variation involved in craft. When I go out to eat my boyfriend is always asking me about the dishes because I examine them to see how they were made. 90% of the time they are mass produced but every now and then a restaurant has handmade dishes. You can tell by the little differences, the throwing lines, the width of the walls, the way they trimmed the foot, the breaks in the glazes, etc. I fall in love with the imperfections, the differences, and the unique qualities each piece has. They tell me that someone took the time to sit down a make it by hand. I appreciate the process. Anyone who hasn't made pottery can appreciate the idea of handmade objects as well. In a world that things are always automated, we love handmade things and those variations tell us they are handmade.
Reading about the Aesthetic movement it reminded me about a video I saw recently that showed how wallpaper was created. The process itself is printmaking and it's remarkable to see how they mass produced wallpaper without printing machines used. https://youtu.be/HXKD_5j-8Ro
I couldn't help but giggle a little when I read the Cincinnati Wood Carving section and read the part where Pitman "adapted" his curriculum because his class of women "weren't capable of cabinetmaking". Those women really showed him up and created things far beyond expected. I was pleased to see women taking part in craft history and blowing people away with their abilities to do things that were originally designed for men.
I have more but I will stop there for now. :)
I think there is something very relevant in your Ruskin quote about "creative control" to education and how lessons are designed for students. If we don't allow them that control, if we too tightly restrict their process, will they ever, "derive satisfaction from their labor"?
DeleteJustin that's such a good point! They must invest a piece of themselves in what they do or satisfaction is non existent. Opportunities for them to have creative control are necessary. I've always had that philosophy and designed my lessons around that but didn't realize the connection until you said that. Thanks!
DeleteI do agree with you both, Justin and Shelbi! One of my MANY learning curves throughout my years of teaching was how to give the students as much creative control as possible and still be able to observe student mastery of a technique / skill - oh, let's say Value Drawing - without driving myself insane. What came to work for me successfully was to have a lesson/project where everybody did the same thing - shade that sphere! - and when the student achieved mastery they got creative control of the next project. They appreciated the purpose of the mastery followed by them getting to take the lead.
DeleteVery cool video on the added wallpaper, wouldn't have thought too deep into the making of that! Thanks for sharing.
DeleteIts hard to imagine what the woman were thinking at the time when the arts weren't seen as an equal process. I wonder if many believed this was true. would have made for great art to speak about at the time for those against it. We had a great discussion recently where we talked about how the woman 'decorated' rather than the men.