Both Arts and Crafts started as early as the stone age. So how and why do we now separate the two? Can’t we look at a quilt and think that it is a beautiful piece of art? Must we think of only paintings and sculpture as art, excluding garments, ceramics and other classic pieces of “crafts”?
Until the 1400s, painters were paid by the square foot, and handicrafts were valued for their highly skilled and elegant techniques. Then a few painters successfully petitioned their patrons to pay them based on merit instead. In the mind of the public, painting and sculpture were now considered art, and their makers creative masterminds: artists. Meanwhile, those who maintained traditions and faithfully produced candlesticks, ceramic vessels, gold jewelry or wrought iron gates, would be known communally as artisans, and their works considered minor or decorative arts, connoting an inferior status and solidifying the distinction between art and craft that still persists in the Western world. It wasn’t until the early 1900s when craft “Guilds” were established by notable artists like William Morris, that the studio craft movement began and crafts came back into favor as collectables, not just practical pieces.
Crafts, or “handicrafts” or “folk art” was used as a skill set for practical uses, and often the makers were women. For instance, my craft is Felting- the art of taking fibers and making them into garments, handbags, scarves, or even shoes and boots. Felting started in the 300s BCE when nomadic Mongolians sheared their animals and used the wool to make yurts, blankets and clothing. Other crafts, like ceramics, textiles, woodworking, metal smithing and glassblowing all served as both practical and decorative uses and were an essential part of everyday human life.
It is important to note that, according to anthropologist Clifford Geertz in his 1983 essay “Art as a Cultural System,” it can be argued that both art and craft have deep roots in history and tradition, are a core part of the culture and identity of a people, and, therefore, should be valued in the same way. In their book Makers: A History of American Studio Craft, Janet Koplos and Bruce Metcalf write: “Craft is a medium of cultural expression as powerful and worthy of attention as painting, sculpture, or architecture.”
For hundreds of years, art has been associated with the elite and high culture, while craft has been related to practical uses, the lower classes and the traditions of local cultures. This perception is primarily why “art” and handicrafts are valued differently. But, these perceptions can certainly change with time and the acknowledgement that this is detrimental to local artisans and indigenous people around the world. Maybe it's time to dispense with vague terms like art and craft in favor of a phrase like visual arts that encompasses a wider array of aesthetic production.
As my Art Sister, Linnie Greenberg noted in her previous blog post, “Isn’t all art, by nature, fine? We should therefore look at all art with a “spirit of inclusivity, to offer inspiration and growth”.
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