A Defining Idea

“I would like to reclaim the word “craft” which I think contains the idea of a special body of knowledge and skill passed on from generation to generation. My art is what I make; my craft is the skills I have learned in order to make it well.”

By: I Am Not a Handbag

From the crafter's point of view this is a wonderful proposition. In my interviews (in essays to follow this post ) this was a very big thing discussed, your craft is the process of making the art (craft-art with no intention or value applied). You could say that some thing like my craft is painting, but through this process you make art (art-a craft with intentions/values applied).

I would like to propose that art is something you apply an idea or value to. A crafter might make a ship in the bottle but an artist might make 200 ships in a bottle and fill a room with them saying that the ships represent our wanting to be free as people sail in ships to free themselves and the bottles restrict this freedom just as the world normally tends to do.

This blog's intention is to explore the muddy waters of when craft becomes art and trying to better define each definition.

Art- (as defined from dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/art)

1.the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

2.the class of objects subject to aesthetic criteria; works of art collectively, as paintings, sculptures, or drawings

Craft- (as defined from dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/craft)

1.an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill, esp. manual skill: the craft of a mason.

As you will see in my next several blog entries that these definitions are not so great at defining these quite complex ideas and concepts.

These definitions cannot adequately describe these concepts as for one you cannot define a word with the same word (as in having the word art in the definition of art), and returning to my proposition earlier (which will be supported in my next entry) that art is something with an applied value or intention while a craft is the process of the art making with no intentionality or value applied.

Something I Encountered

I was recently perusing the internet and found this blog online that expresses a good view of what exactly i mean to prove with this project.:

It seems like many times Arts & Crafts get lumped together into a catch phrase most often used to describe camp activities for children. But what is the difference between art and a craft?

Here's my theory: A craft is usually a cookie-cutter or close-ended activity. The craft activity is based on a formula or recipe and all participants follow the same directions and end up with roughly the same result every time. For example, creating a god's eye from two sticks and colored yarn is a great craft example. Yes, it involves creating something, but the end product is most always the same and there's not a lot of room for variation.

An art activity is more open-ended. So for example, in a drawing project all participants may start with the same materials of paper and pencils and maybe they are asked to create drawings that represent their family. The results of this project will create many different drawings and therefore many different solutions to the same problem. While the end result may not always be considered art, the possibility of creating an original drawing that transcends it's parameters and materials is always possible, and that, to me, is the definition of art.

Art is a work that transcends it's humble materials to create an original statement or expression in a meaningful and enduring way. Crafts CAN transcend their humble materials as well to become art but it takes an experienced and determined crafter to do this. The elegant and humble quilts of Gee's Bend transcend their craft origins to become modern masterpieces of color and shape. Enjoy looking at these magnificent examples of great art being created out of great necessity.

by marry rayme
http://www.suite101.com/blog/maryrayme/art_vs_craft#ixzz0k5GjSS6W


Comments on the blog i thought related well:

Guest:

yes you have a point there. but the question is to what extent can you elevate your craft into a work of art? maybe we could say that craft is close- ended in such a way that it does not have a meaning for the viewer as opposed to art in which something had been created because of the 'message' the artist have for its viewers.

Guest :

What distinguishes art from craft is the need to create beauty based on what you are as a human being. If I make a cup because I need a drink and make a purely functional cup, that's an example of a craft. If I make a cup and carve an ear with a design and paint it by hand with scene from childhood, that is art. If someone takes my cup and copies it a gazillion times, it's not an art or craft. It's just a functional piece.

http://www.suite101.com/blog/maryrayme/art_vs_craft#ixzz0k5HSOD1a

Sort Of Funny

Interesting Videos

A short look at the topic-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw3YAlvdYRQ

The video link is the same as the embedded video

Getting started

So is it art or craft a question posed to me about several pieces of art over the last few years in this blog i intend to answer/explore and ask questions regarding this topic. I will begin interviewing this week (the week of march 22) several grad-students and faculty members in the search for answers regarding this topic which doesn't necessarily have clear cut boundaries.

Interview questions include and are not limited to:

What is art?

What is craft?

When does craft become art (vise versa)

What are the/ how are the people who deal with these fields differ?

How would you go about distinguishing between the two (art and craft)?

How do these differences between the two contribute to how they are viewed?

How do these differences between the two contribute to how they are (when selling) priced?

Do you look differently at a person who does art and one who is a hobbiest or on one who does crafts?

Could a craft become artistic?

Already agreed to an interview:

Jeremy Newton

Vaughn Wascovich