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T h e B i g Q u e s t i o n s w i t h
G
l e
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A
d
a
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0: D oes the w ord “c r a ft” s t illf it the
w ork bein g done by serious a rtists
in glass, ceram ics, m etal, fib er,
a n d zvood? M e n tio n it to the g u y
on the street in
2 0 1 1
, a n d he
7/
th in k
y o u 1re ta lk in g about scrapbooking,
rubberstam ping, or cake d ecora t-
ing. D o es th a t m atter'?
THIS IS A CRUCIAL QUESTION
to d a y . In a b o u t
1 9 4 5
, a stu d io
c r a ft m o v e m e n t ca m e in to its
o w n in th e U n ite d S ta te s , b a sed
o n a s e t o f m a te ria ls w ith p a r -
tic u la r ly rich h is to rie s an d p o s -
s ib ilitie s (g la ss, c e ra m ic s , and
th e re s t). T h e stu d io m o v e m e n t
w a s s tr o n g ly in d iv id u a lis tic -
it w a s p re m is e d o n v is io n a r y
c r a fts p e o p le w o r k in g in d e p e n -
d e n tly , fr e e to e x p r e s s th e m -
s e lv e s h o w e v e r th e y lik e d .
M o r e r e c e n tly , th is fr a m e w o r k
se e m s to h a v e g iv e n w a y . O n
th e o n e h a n d , w e h a v e b e c o m e
m o re a w a re o f th e p re s e n c e o f
c ra ft in fa c to rie s and o th e r large-
sca le p ro d u c tio n se ttin g s . O n
th e o th e r , a c tiv itie s th a t in an
e a rlie r tim e w o u ld h a v e b e e n
c o n s id e re d triv ia l an d d o n ’t
re q u ire a stu d io - lik e th e p ap er-
an d p a s tr y -ty p e c ra fts y o u m e n -
tio n - se e m to p re d o m in a te in
th e p u b lic m in d . L ik e m a cra m é
an d tie -d y e in th e
1 9 6 0
s, w h a t
m ig h t b e ca lle d h o b b ie s c o m -
m an d m o re a tte n tio n th an th e
e x a c tin g d isc ip lin e s o f p r o fe s -
sio n al w o o d w o r k in g , m e ta l-
w o r k in g , an d so o n . T h e s e d a y s,
th e r e la tiv e ease o f a c r a ft se e m s
to c o rre la te q u ite c lo s e ly w ith
its p o p u la rity .
T h e r e is n o th in g w r o n g w ith
th is d e m o c ra tic sta te o f a ffa irs.
T h e k e y , h o w e v e r , is to r e c o g -
n iz e th a t c r a ft, in its h ig h e st
fo rm , h as p o w e r . S k ille d p r a c ti-
tio n e rs m ak e in n o v a tio n p o s -
sib le in all field s o f m a k in g , fro m
th e tra d itio n a l c ra fts to in d u stry ,
s c ie n c e , film , and fin e art.
T h o u g h w e m a y n o t su b scrib e
to th e in d iv id u a listic m o d e l th at
a n im a ted stu d io c r a ft, w e m u st
h o ld on to th e m o v e m e n t’s b a sic
in sig h t: th a t c r a ft h u m a n ize s
th is w id e w o r ld o f p ro d u c tio n .
T r e a tin g it lig h tly w ill re su lt in
a d im in ish m e n t o f its cu ltu ra l
c o n trib u tio n s . S o y e s : S crap -
b o o k in g and ca k e d eco ra tin g are
c ra ft, as are ce ra m ic s, m e ta l-
w o r k , and th e rest. F o r th at m at-
te r, so are in d u stria l sk ills lik e
p r o to ty p in g and w e ld in g . W e
n e e d to w e lc o m e all th e se sk ills,
an d o th e rs to o , an d w e n e e d to
se e h o w th e y are e m b e d d e d in
m a n y aren as o f m a k in g . S o m e
D I Y e n th u sia sts see w h a t th e y
d o as an e sc a p e fro m c o n te m p o -
ra ry g lo b a l p ro d u c tio n , and
th a t’s O K as fa r as it g o e s. B u t
c r a ft has m a n y e c o n o m ic and
p o litic a l fa c e ts . A s w e e x p a n d
th e d e fin itio n o f th e te rm , w e
n e ed to re m e m b e r th a t it still
can b e - as it a lw a y s h as b e e n -
se rio u s b u sin ess.
(J: L e t \'s say y o u w ere hostin g a
d in n er p a rty , w a n ted the liv e lie st
possible con versation , a n d co u ld
in v ite anyone w ho cares about
cra ft, liv in g or dead. W h a t nam es
w o u ld be on y o u r g u est list, a n d
how do y o u th in k the even in g
zv o u ld p la y o u t?
THE FIRST THING I WOULD DO
is h an d o v e r m y h o s tin g d u tie s
to A ile e n O s b o rn W e b b . T h e
fo u n d e r o f th e A m e ric a n C r a ft
C o u n c il, sh e h a d th e m ean s to
m a k e a d iffe r e n c e , b u t also th e
o p e n -m in d e d n e ss to in v o lv e
m a n y p e o p le - so m e o f w h o m
sh e d id n ’t n e c e s s a r ily se e e y e to
e y e w ith . S h e h a d g re a t c r e d e n -
tia ls to sit at th e h e a d o f a ta b le
fu ll o f s tro n g p e rs o n a litie s - lik e
R o b e r t A r n e s o n , th e b ad b o y
o f C a lifo r n ia fu n k ce ra m ics.
H e ’d d e fin ite ly b e in v ite d . A ls o
L e n o r e T a w n e y , w h o s e a rtistic
v is io n in te x tile s is still u n su r-
p a sse d . A n d S o e ts u Y a n a g i, th e
c h ie f th e o ris t o f th e
m in g ei
( fo lk
c r a ft) m o v e m e n t. A n d G a n d h i!
I ’d b e te m p te d to in v ite W illia m
M o r r is , o f c o u rs e , b u t I m ig h t
n o t. H e ’d h a v e a te n d e n c y to
d o m in a te th e c o n v e rs a tio n .
( M a y b e I c o u ld ta k e h im fo r a
d rin k in th e p u b in ste a d .) I’ d
w a n t a f e w o f m y o w n clo se
c o lle a g u e s w it h m e , to o , lik e
m y
J o u r n a l o f M o d ern C r a ft
c o -
e d ito rs N e d C o o k e an d T a n y a
H a rro d . T h e y ’ d a sk g re a t q u e s -
tio n s. A n d w h ile w e ’re in th e
realm o f th e im a g in a tio n , I’d
in v ite w h o e v e r is re a d in g th is
rig h t n o w - and le t th e m b rin g
a frie n d - b e c a u se I w o u ld n ’t
w a n t to ta lk e n tir e ly a b o u t th e
p a st. C r a ft is an e v e r-c h a n g in g
th in g ; an d w h a t w e re a lly w a n t
is a b ra n d -n e w c o n v e rs a tio n .
G len n A dam son is h ea d o f graduate
stu d ies a t the V icto ria a n d A lb e r t
M u seu m , L on d on , a n d co-editor o f
^ J o u r n a l o f M o d e m C r a ft.
0 2 4 a m e r i c a n c r a f t
o c t / n o v n
Illustration: Erica Harris
