Tech began late this year, Thursday was the first day of class. I have set Feb 6th as the date for your first posting over actual material. This was designed to allow everyone to actually get onto the site and to have the book. Because so many of you are already on site and have introduced yourselves I have a challenge for you, first consider the following'
In " Sloppy Craft: Postdisciplinarity and the Crafts"edited by Elaine Cheasley Paterson and Susan Surette, chapter 6, page 109, Gloria Hickey reflects on a lecture by Paul Greenhalgh given at the Neo Craft Conference in 2007 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In brief a summery of his talk is;
"Morris (as in William Morris, Arts and Crafts Movement ) has been dead for about 100 years; its time to come up with something new. This was do or die time for craft theory. As far as makers were concerned , there was no more exciting time for craft. It was time for the craft theorists to catch up and figure out why."
I know this is not a theory class but I also understand that much of what we say about craft or craft vs art is actually based on the what we have picked up about the Arts and Crafts movement. More precisely what we have been taught or not taught about this intense time. Glass, clay and wood are considered craft, so is metals and many times printmaking. If you are primarily a painter I ask you leave behind any sense of superiority . The same for anyone working only in bronze or marble. Now think about your art making ....how do you approach a piece, how do you determine its worth both financially and emotionally and sentimentally. What is the worth of your work? Hold on to those thoughts, now begin to come up with your theory on craft. Not a quick dismissal. Take some time. Use what you know about making and learning and sharing. What is the value of craft?
This will be an ongoing question.
Ok, I guess I will start......."Now think about your art making ....how do you approach a piece",Ok I am a painter,I like paint,I like color.. although I teach contemporary crafts and Ceramics 1....My work over the last 10 years has had strong content behind it.I begin with a book,a story ,a poem,a song that "gives me that lump in my throat"(like Robert Frost said"Once I find this...there is no stopping me..I read....and read.... I write the words on my studio walls,large and small...on pieces of paper,in the books...and I look all around me at nature for the forms and colors I will use to paint.I am not interested in narrating or illustrating these stories,they are simply the catalyst which makes me want to make a picture....so that is my starting point and the process for me is the same whether I am making a painting,a clay piece or a craft piece,the process is always the same..the only difference is in the materials...ok this is enough from me for today..I need to go back to work...but I did mean to say I am painting my emotions,I am after a large powerful emotive painting which from far away the viewer stops dead in his/her tracks and stares and has to move closer to see the detail and feels something as if by osmosis by my hands touching that canvas I transfer my emotion onto the canvas and then it transfers to the viewer..yes a romantic notion said by Tolstoy..what can I say???
ReplyDeleteSusan - nature appeals to me in my design analysis part of my work as well. For example, last semester in the Fem. theory class everytime I went walking, while working on my self portraits project all the cracks in the road looked like female profiles - weird!
Deletenot weird at all..I did an independent with Gary and I photographed the broken cracks and edited them using digital programs and they looked like women with elongated and broken body parts..so not weird at all..lol
DeleteNice to meet you, Susan! I too share the same influences. Looking forward to hearing more from you!
DeleteSusan I love this do you mind if I use this word for word with my Art 1's, they have no clue how art fits into their lives. I am trying to keep them from thinking of art as a blow off class and really give meaning to their art pieces (no matter how great their abilities are)(after 3 months of over 4 different substitutes that taught them nothing, so they really think art class is good for nothing but talking back to the teacher)
DeleteSimilar to planning a drawing, there are sentimental values put into craft. Value of craft to me is formed by the tradition. I think of quilt making or basket weaving that requires traditions of family and culture put into the design. Some of these crafts depict stories that may be passed down through generation. There is just as much time and sentiment brought into this work of art that there is in any piece or design.
ReplyDeleteDo you think though that all crafts have to have some sentimental value or tradition?
DeleteSarah and Susan - I think craft evolved from tradition or pasted down tradition.
DeleteSusan I think that depends on the Artist and the piece of work. Gail I think the genesis of what is traditionally classified as Craft is functionality. The production of functional objects gave birth to the traditions, and this in turn evolved into what Craft, for me at least, is today. A practice that in certain instances is on the same level as High Art with regards to its cultural importance, aesthetic depth, and beauty.
DeleteGail and Daniel,I think the crafts movement did evolve from tradition and effeminately was passed down that way but I think the craft movement has evolved to now encompass more than just functionality and can be seen as a serious art form with important content.
DeleteSarah I like your take on this. I like that tradition and values were brought up in your statement and Daniel I like that you talk about functionality because both are true. I find that the word craft, in my eyes has changed a bit and I feel like what is classified as "high art" has changed as well. The interesting part to me is that craft took on a negative connotation to begin with in the eyes of "high art" people.
DeleteShelbi,First of all Hi ...and yes, that does seem to be true, that the opinion of the art world toward "craft makers" and the term "craft"seemed and maybe seems still belittling almost,that because the term "craft" is associated with "function" it is a lesser art form.Which is pretty narrow minded and really sad...
DeleteI am speaking of art that is considered craft such as weaving etc. There are lots crafts that don't have the same sentiment and also high art as well. I think that the word 'craft' has such a negative connotation to it that we forget about the 'high art' status that some 'craft art' has
Deletehi Susan :) yes I agree, it is sad. It's sad I have to defend my work as a ceramicist.
DeleteHiya Sarah! Yes, unfortunately "craft" certainly does have a negative connotation associated with it...
DeleteSarah I agree with you. I have one student (special education) that was struggling in art but she loved it. So I asked what did she grow up learning from family and she said embroidery and hand sewing, then I got mad at myself for not asking that question earlier. She took off with her art painting on material then embroidering over them, she has done well with VASE art pieces. Now because embroidering is considering to be "craft" is she doing art?
DeleteI believe that the term mixed media has helped turn some "craft" in the eyes of the "all mighty" painter to looking at some of the art pieces as true art. But I feel like the crafter better be really "great" at what they do to call attention themselves or they will be labeled just "crafters".
Cant wait for you all to get into this book. Keep coming back to this question. Sarah, look into contemporary weaving..there is a lot going on that might change what you think.
DeleteIs it possible to separate the history of a medium from an object made in that medium? Whether we like it or not, doesn't the tradition and history of an art making process influence the reception of contemporary work?
DeleteIn researching articles on Theory of Craft (because I was at a total loss), I came across this great article:
ReplyDeleteContemporary Craft: A Brief Overview Bruce Metcalf © Copyright 1999 http://www.brucemetcalf.com/pages/essays/contemporary_craft.html
The section of the article I included below intrigued me ---
"It was the alignment of Modernity and handwork that produced the second reinvention of craft, particularly in the United States. Some readers may be familiar with the story about U.S. servicemen and women returning to civilian life in the late 1940's, and the passage of the "G.I. Bill". This legislation provided a free college education to any ex-soldier who wanted it, and one result was an exponential growth in craft education at the college level in the U.S. Many of these ex-soldiers were deeply suspicious of the regimented life in the armed services, and were looking for an honorable vocation in which they could remain relatively independent, and be their own boss."
The reason for the intrigue is my dad went to college on the GI Bill, got his teaching degree in industrial arts, then went straight into a long and successful career with what is now AT&T. My dad has ALWAYS supported my artistic endeavors and I am now wondering, "Is he a closet artist"? Luckily I still have my spry 90 year old dad! I am sending him this article asap.
Paula - I like that it defined craft as skilled and careful work. I see my town or area - that it could be a gateway for the craft industry or movement today. There are a lot of technical tradesman in this area.
DeleteHi Paula! Good to see you again! Your comment about your father being a "closet artist" made me think of my father. He was truly a photographer but never showcased himself or even thought of himself as an artist.
DeleteHi Sweet Jennifer!!!
DeletePaula I agree with everything you said. My dad came out of WWII getting a degree in engineering, but while he was in WWII recovering in a hospital he made my mom a quilt (which the mom never got)(he gave it to nurse mail, but in War you never know)then he became a civil engineer and built the Alaskan pipeline with Brown and Root. I know he was closet artist because he brought them all out when I was painting in college, he drew in perfect proportions (hence the mathematician and pipeline engineer). Lost him 8 years ago to shrapnel that moved in his legs (from WWII) that cut circulation in both legs which caused him to lose both in a 1 1/2 time and it was just too traumatic of surgery to recover from at 86.
DeleteOh, wow. Just imagine how validating it must have been for him to share his work with you. Thank you for sharing that.
DeleteMy approach to my craft is beginning with a subject matter usually dear to my heart. I research it on a relational level: how it appeals to me, ie: am I at peace or angst about it. From a cognitive level, I try to define words describing it or research it in books on design analysis. I also like to do Joseph Albers color analysis to tie it into the story of that piece of art. I like to put it into words of “what I see”. Emotionally I pray about it and devotional readings that connect my thoughts as well as journaling. As I work on the art piece I try to keep an intuitive dialogue with it – a flow to let the piece evolve. I realized this last summer in Junction – I needed to try that more in my work and I have really liked my art work so much more! As far as financially, I have struggled with this, coming from a business background and a family of accountants – it has taken a lot of backbone for me to stand on the principle that not everything has to be tied to $ to have value. For me, sometimes just making the art and feeling peace afterwards is the greatest reward and value. Whether its sold afterward isn’t important.
ReplyDeleteGail,A nice, personal and honest explanation.I think that honesty ad integrity of an artist to his/her work is the important thing.
DeleteI love this Gail. I have a similar system. But I have to tell you a funny story, last semester (because of free time) I made some large art piece that I sewed about my experiences (2 surgeries, healing relationships among family through tragedies). I was so excited to show my AP students (I had crutches hanging off of them also)well when I brought them to school they all kind of wrinkled up there noses at them or did not say one word. When I explained what each little thing stood for and what I had experience they responded a little better, but I realized then that not all art is meant to be sold, some of it is meant to be personal and for healing. Also my art pieces were very "craftsy" almost quilts that you would hang, so these students had no background in understanding what I was trying to accomplish. I just starting laughing when I saw their faces and told them it was ok for them not understand or like these art pieces. But I wanted them to understand that their is all forms of art.
DeleteI don’t think I ever really think about the worth of a work before I begin. I must have at some point accepted that making the work always has worth in one way or another. Sometimes I consider approachability of the viewer. I definitely consider storage space when deciding scale. I want people to enjoy looking at it, but I don’t know how much more than that I consider the audience. I get a really big kick sometimes out of making things that are incredibly weird and sometimes awkward to view. I think that stems from my desire to see something unfamiliar or unexpected that has come from my hand. Most often I start with some outside influence, usually advertisements or the newspaper. At the end of a piece, I don’t really consider the value of it in any measurable way. I usually have a couple of works that I keep around until they no longer surprise me, and then I sell them (hopefully). Usually I just price it at around the same as the other artists I am showing with. I think that’s the benefit of having a career that covers my bills; I don’t have to struggle with the difficult questions of pricing too high that something won’t sell or too low so that it seems cheap. I don’t imagine that working in crafts would be much different. I imagine you have to consider time and materials a little more. Also, I wonder if you have to take into consideration how much a person is willing to pay for a specific object. How much is someone going to be willing to pay for say, a teapot? I imagine that would be something you would have to be aware of. Other than that, I don’t see much of an inherent value, for instance, to painting over functional pottery. I have really become a fan lately of artists making work that is an immersive experience, and a lot of times, craft is involved in those types of experiences.
ReplyDeleteHi Justin,Good to see you again...Yes I rarely think of my art in terms of "worth"or "value"Unfortunately I should start considering size and storage space because if I keep creating these 10' paintings well..the inevitable will happen..I always try to make small pictures but for some reason they just keep grwoing...lol
DeleteHi Susan. I've been thinking of using unstretched canvas so that I could just roll it up when I'm done, but I'm not sure how I feel about that idea.
DeleteYes... it is not for everyone, for sure....For me, I am addicted ..lol... I keep trying to go smaller but alas I always end up this way.I like working on the wall and have that hard surface underneath the canvas and I also like the color applied to the raw canvas..kinda like Frankenthaler....and yes since my paintings are emotionally raw, showing them by using tacks to adhere them to the gallery wall without a frame makes the viewer more intimate with the work I think...And yes it is cheap to send them by rolling them up my only problem id I went larger and created diptychs so now I need to sew them together...haha..fun..
DeleteHi Justin - Nice to meet you. I agree with you on the "storage space" aspect. I enjoy having open, clean spaces to live in and it sometimes deters me from 'making' things. I have found that this is why I've always leaned more towards creating 2-dimensional work.
DeleteIs this the Justin that went to Fredericksburg and painted this last summer?
DeleteFor every artist and for all museums storage is a huge problem. Not just finished work but all the supplies and equipment...thinking about clay and wood for instance.
DeleteSize is individual...some artist work small and intimate, other large and expansive. There is no one right way, their is just your way. In other words saki cups are as valued as large vessels.
Hi Kim, it is. I didn't know anyone's last name so I'm just guessing who is who based on their comments.
DeleteI've found recently that I am in love with the artistic process. Regardless of the medium I am thrilled to be creative and to push my thought process further and further. In undergrad my mediums were painting and photography. Towards the end of undergrad I took my first clay class in Junction and fell in love. Pottery is my passion. I would have to say my idea of craft is skewed. Having James Watkins as my first clay professor and him carrying such prestigious titles, how could I ever think of clay as "less than"? I never really found myself caught up in the division of craft and high art because to me it didn't matter as much. The more I pursue this passion, the more I am finding out how respected my craft is. As far as addressing the worth of my pieces. Like I said before I am in love with the process. Being a potter, I enjoy the entire throwing process and the balance it brings to my life. Their worth, to me, is priceless for each piece has brought something invaluable to my life. If I were to price my pieces I do my best to make them affordable because my belief that art is to be enjoyed and I shouldn't be the largest collector of my own work. I do not think about the price when creating a piece unless it is commissioned.
ReplyDeleteHi Shelbi,Yes I too am passionate about the art process..the actual physical act or dance I have with creating my art is what I live for..sometimes... and maybe most times it is frustrating..and I get stuck on how to proceed...but usually it is so exciting when I find that literature and get into the deep reading and the images and colors start to form in my mind..and then the day I am ready to attack my canvas comes.... I can hardly wait to paint...to begin...and sometimes it is as if no one or nothing can distract me when I'm in the "zone"that place where I and the art are truly the only thing that matters at theat time as if we are one.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi Shelbi! Susan, this "zone" that you speak of is my inspiration for my upcoming painting series. Might pick your brain, and a few others who are familiar with this, if I write a piece about it.
DeleteI agree with you Shelbi, I have a form of batik that I use I love the steps/process it take to make one. In every step is new experience and new color comes out and sometimes it leads me in new directions. I figured out to just let it lead me and I work hard to teach this to me students.
DeleteStarted clay too and loved the process of the body into the piece. You had to have the right touch and angle or you would get something entirely different than expected. Would like to work under James , always enjoyed the calm approach of working anytime i walked by
DeleteHi Shelbi! Hope you are having a good year! I like your opinion of how can anyone think the work that James Watkins does is somehow less than that of another style of creating. To me, whatever artistic medium one chooses to create through is simply their choice of medium. Growing up during the 60's & 70's I was never encouraged to designate different creative mediums as high or low, aesthetic or functional. I can see now how lucky I was to be encouraged to notice and appreciate the quality, skill level, or technique of an artistic creation. That is totally different from deciding if a piece of art touches the viewer's heart & soul and causes much thought. It's all so personal to the artist and the viewer. Historically the separation of Art And Craft was economical, a separation of the haves and have nots. It's so fun for me to see how valued hand made quilts are now compared to my grandmother's time when if you covered your beds with quilts it meant you couldn't afford store bought.
ReplyDeletePottery brings balance to me as it does you. I love the entire process. It saves me.
"It saves me" I could not have worded it any better!!!!
DeletePaula I think you are hitting the nail on the head with regards to media's role in designating Craft vs. Art. Intent, purpose, critical aesthetic decision making, these are what makes the production of objects and actions become Art. Medium is simply a means to an end. But as Justin pointed out, you can't simply separate a media from its historical representations and classifications. So its easy for us to say, Art is Art and it doesn't matter if it pottery or jewelry, fabric, or natural fibers; we still needs to have the Craft vs. Art conversation to educate and influence the broader perception.
DeleteAnd yes. James Watkins....Ceramic Titan, we are but mortals :)
As a maker of (high) Craft I take the same approach to clay as I would to painting. The process of conception, planning, and execution follow much the same scope and sequence. As Shelbi has said before, I don't see a separation of Craft, when executed at its highest level, and Fine Art.
ReplyDeleteThe factors that influence my valuation in both emotional and monetary terms are no different than any other medium from my point of view. The right price for any object, service, or commodity is that which one is willing to pay. Craft and Art fill an odd place in a free market as there is no defined intrinsic valuation, and the "right price" is purely speculative until a willing buyer materializes.
I spent a long time thinking about how I define Craft, which really lead me to attempt to define what Art is. How can we begin to talk about how Craft is different, equal to, less than, or more than Fine Art if we don't have the baseline?
Craft should (must?) :
Display high levels, or be in the pursuit of high levels of execution and technical skill in a given media.
Craft can :
Be a representation of lived experiences, the human condition, or the natural / spiritual world.
Art should (must?) :
Be a representation of lived experiences, the human condition, or the natural / spiritual world.
Art can :
Display high levels, or be in the pursuit of high levels of execution and technical skill in a given media.
Now that isn't my final thought or opinion, but that's where I am going to start.
HAPPY FRIDAY & HAPPY HOUR
Hi there Daniel! Wow, loving your definition. Starting at different places, but having the same outcome. Simply stated and poetic. Given me food for thought!
DeleteI had to read this few times I love the depth of thought (or level) you took it too.
DeleteHi Daniel. In looking at the divisions between Fine Art and Craft, it all seems a little arbitrary to me. I keep coming back to the fact that museums, which set the standard for what is considered "high art," are usually controlled by boards of wealthy people that favor exhibits showcasing artists that are usually in their own personal collection. This brings more notoriety to the artists they own and therefore increase their value. Rachofsy here in Dallas is a perfect example as he is really pushing to bring attention to the art of postwar Japan, of which he owns a lot of. That being the case, should we as makers really hold in high regard the division between Fine Art and Craft?
DeleteJustin I think you bring up an important question about where someone active in the production of Craft / Art fits into the conversation. The quote Future posted about the theorist trying to catch up to the Artist / Craftsmen & Craftswomen summed it up nicely. This is in large part an academic endeavor of classification for classifications sake.
DeleteI think there are a couple of reasons for myself as a Potter to be concerned with the division of Fine Art and High Craft. Its all fine and well to say that I make work for myself and I am not concerned with how it is received, studied, displayed and sold, but that would be a lie. While I do, in large part, make work purely for my own enjoyment and release, that work does live in the world. As such I am concerned about how the Craft as a whole is viewed in the world because it is a outward representation of myself. As you point out there is inherent privilege to Fine Art that often times Craft doesn't enjoy. However I would argue that is beginning to change.
As far as Museums role in setting standards for what is and is not worthy of display, most major collections of Fine Art also include Craft. The Houston Museum of Fine Art has the Renzi collection that focuses entirely on American Craft and Decorative Arts. I think its fair to say that anyone who collects Fine Art also collects Craft and Decorative Arts as well, by your logic they have just as much incentive to display their wares as they are to showcase their paintings.
The Crow collection in Dallas is another example of what I think is a paradigm shift in the Museum Science world to be more inclusive as they prominently display Ceramic, Jade, and Woodwork in the permanent collection.
Speaking for myself, I am concerned with this at a secondary level as it affects how my work, and myself is perceived by people outside my core circle of contemporaries. That said, I am not concerned with it enough for it ( the differentiation of Art and Craft ) to affect my creative process or the production and practice of my Craft and my Art.
So do you think there is any difference between craft and fine art?This is a question I pose to my students in Art Appreciation..just curious though.
ReplyDeleteYes, there is a difference but it's apples and oranges here. I believe, using Daniel's definition as a jump off point, that art and craft have the same outcome but the process comes from different places.
DeleteThe only thing is.....well... that really and truly "craft" art works were originally artworks made for a purpose for a function..so that would mean that art and craft would not have the same outcome.....so I know this paradigm has changed or evolved in today's world and that now "contemporary crafts" is not simply about function but I still beg to differ that the outcome may not always be the same or intended to be the same.
DeleteSusan I think that is a broad question that needs further clarification on what Art is and what Craft is. Now different people will have different definitions and opinions on what is and is not Craft or Art or what is both. I think Craft can be Art. And Art can be Craft. At the same time, when I see something that would normally be classified as craft or decorative Art and it isn't a representation of human experience, I might not see it in the same way I would see a sculpture. Sometimes a cup is just a cup, a bowl is just a bowl, and so on. If function is the sole purpose then maybe it is "just" craft, and that's OKAY. It can still have tremendous cultural, emotional, and even monetary value.
DeleteNow where do I draw the line where that cup becomes something more. That's really hard to define.
Do I know it when I see it? Usually. Can I put it into words? I am trying.
Is a cup that was made with form taken into consideration just as much if not more than function taking on Fine Art qualities? Was thought given to the glazing and firing process and experimentation taking place, pushing the expected norms of what a cup should be? Is there sculpture elements at play that reference lived experiences, nature, does it evoke emotion, or memory, place, or cultural heritage?
Is that cup still just a cup?
First of all, what fun it is to see names and faces from Junction this past summer and from the research class with Ed last semester. I am delighted to spend more time getting to know you better.
ReplyDeleteReading the responses, no one has brought up crafts that follow a specific plan with no option of changing the finished product. I have a close friend who needlepoints. Just like many of us, she loves the process, but the difference to me is, she would never want to create her own design to needlepoint. She wants to buy a pattern with the colors already selected. I might enjoy that once, but the idea of creating my own pattern the next time would be haunting me.
This stage of my life I am enjoying the process of learning more about a variety of mediums and techniques. I played on the potter’s this week and had a blast. I am happy to sell my work, but often don’t sell it for what I feel is enough. Mostly because I put so much of my heart in my work.
Thats me Paige! I want to try it all! It hard to put a price on your heart!
DeletePaige, you describe the fog that surrounds art/craft...the kits or pre-designed work. Think paint by number or a predesigned pattern for anything. Think about art classes that expect the same result from an assignment. Maybe the issue is ti discuss process/materials/end result/ then think about intent/purpose.
DeletePaige I would say that's a prime example of craft executed at a low ( the lowest really ) level. Future points out paint by numbers, I don't think anyone would argue that is Fine Art, and in much the same way I wouldn't call it High Craft or Fine Craft or heck I wouldn't even call it Craft with a capital C.
DeleteDoesn't mean I should look down on it or a person who enjoys doing it and finds relaxation and release from the practice.
ReplyDeleteLike folk art, I believe craft art began as a creative outlet for 'common people.’ The people I mention, possibly didn’t have time or means to create 'high art.’ During this time, having a utilitarian purpose was important and if it didn’t have such a purpose it was perhaps deemed as a waste of time.
Most of the time I believe that craft has a lot to do with tradition but then there are photographers that don’t have this method of picture making handed down, or ceramists that spring from parents that never touched clay. I believe there are also breakout stories of craft artists that don’t necessarily have to have the passed down tradition to pilot their creative endeavors.
I could almost view craft art and high art almost the same as blue collar and white collar jobs. Simply stated, I am speaking of just ‘art’ and just ‘jobs.’ Both very important and both valued equally. One speaks more of a skill/tradition/technique handed down, while the other reflects a more cognitive interpretation/reflection. Both, however, are creations in the end. Whether these creations are derived from a nature or nurture standpoint, doesn’t really matter when it is an artwork that is produced. Is working a blue collar job less than white collar? Is traveling by plane valued differently if compared to traveling by car? Processes are different, but product is valued equally.
Yes!
DeleteI think we are all travelling along the same road of thought.
DeletePaige, your thoughts of your friend who does needlepoint by pattern immediately made me think of paint by number projects and it gave me a good chuckle. Every art surely has some kind of cut off point of where it leaves being a hobby in someone's home and moves to that place of "higher art".
Daniel's question of "HOW CAN WE begin to talk about how Craft is different, equal to, less than, or more than Fine Art if we don't have the baseline?" seems to be the million dollar question! It seems Paul Greenhalgh was challenging artists to come up with new definitions / qualifications back in 2007. Pages 256 - 258 in our book, "MAKERS" provides an interesting insight - but no pat answers. I'm just beginning to learn about Howard Risatti and his Theory of Craft. All this cool stuff I never knew! Dang! And we haven't even started the book yet.
Jenifer your right, I am so excited that we are all on the same page!
DeleteJenifer your right, I am so excited that we are all on the same page!
DeleteJennifer..how did you learn to paint? And when is there time for art making?
DeleteI really like how you compare craft and high art as blue collar and white collar jobs. In reality, art is all about context and connecting that to social class made so much sense in my head. For me, process is #1 and that should add more value to art.
DeleteAlso something to think about- "outsider art"...
Great comparison. This put the approach into a perspective we can all relate to!
DeleteBleuSky has brought up something that has lead me to a thought.
ReplyDeleteIs the word "hobby" synonymous with the word "Craft"?
When I grew up "Craft" stores had material, paint by number, sew by color, etc. these were like "Hobby Lobby". These were not considered "Art" just hobbies. Even our tax codes say that if you only made $2,000 last year you are an not an artist you are making money off of your "hobby".
I approach art in similar steps to all of you. I am a little more visual so I tend to start from something visually that is stimulating me then I try to figure out why I was so attracted to this site and how does it fit into my life. So I start with a picture then journal ideas/color until I reach a place that I am ready to produce and then let that production lead me (with a little journaling words or different directions that I might take).
Proverbial dollar amount that haunts us all?
I have gone all directions:
1. Time and Material into project
2. Process amount
3. Selling by the square inch
4. Higher price for favorite or more meaningful ones
5. Medium price
6. Framed or not framed prices.
So which one do you pick? Or do you use a little of all of them to price?
I believe that usually I use all of them and then average them for a final reasonable price.
The word "hobby" is not synonymous with "craft" ,fishing,sewing,scrapbooking ,cooking,traveling,reading etc are all hobbies but they are not "crafts"...the word "crafts"has evolved in today's world to mean something very different that the traditional crafts we knew of..MFA degrees are now offered in Ceramics,Jewelry,fibers etc ....all media which were comsidered "crafts"materials are now thought of and accepted as Higher arts...
DeleteThat is an interesting question to think about- and I agree with you Susan. I do believe you can have a hobby of crafting. However, those two words are not synonymous. They do overlap each other in some ways though. Both crafting and hobbying (is that a word?) are done for some sort of pleasure; because the debut of crafting was all about putting the life back into making things by hand. Hobbies are not exclusively about making though. Collecting baseball cards can be considered a hobby. It is just something one does for leisure. Okay, no I'm just rambling....
DeleteI think you are right...and you are not rambling...lol
DeleteSusan, I think you are spot on with the comment on the medias often associated with Craft, as well as the negative connotations of Craft, being more broadly accepted as Fine Art / MFA programs specializing in those mediums.
DeleteWe all seem to be on the same page with Craft attaining Fine Art Status.
I think its important for us to be able to articulate why and how they can be the same, and why and how at times they are not.
In much the same way I want my students to be able to express specifically why they like a particular piece of work during critiques or museum visits, I think it's important for us as Art Educators and especially as MAE candidates to be able to express to non-artist and craftsman the importance of Fine Art and Crafts role within the Fine Art world.
This is why it's important to take a closer study of the subject and not simply say " I don't see a distinction." because while we are educated to know that, we should educate others to have the same understanding.
When I approach a new project, I think it is only natural for me to let my emotions lead the way. Of course there is a general idea or theme I have in mind, sometimes vague and others times very specific. It really comes down to the medium. When painting or collage, a story is usually told. When working with clay or metal, I am more prone to think about function and purpose. I think that is why I like many mediums, sometimes I want to focus more on function. Other times, just emotion or color dictate my decisions. To me, craft is more in tune with the functionality and purpose of a piece.
ReplyDeleteI think discussing the worth of art is something very complex. A lot of times I feel that the emotional and sentimental worth outweighs the financial worth with me. Except when dealing with commission work of course. Time is the #1 factor when dealing with commission work. After having a set number value for hourly work, materials/supplies, armed/not framed and other things are factored in. However, at this point in my life, financial gain is not a priority when it comes to my art. Sentimental and emotional value come first.
I have been learning the struggle by recently doing more submissions. You want to make money but don't know the value of your worth. Its a struggle, but you realize how much your art means to you!
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