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Is it ART or is it CRAFT?
Submitted by hardingaggies on Mon, 10/20/2008 - 15:28.
I presented this to a jewelry forum that I belong to, but would like to hear from others who aren't 'in the choir' so to speak...
My work in glass is typically on a very small scale. (You can check out my work at www ringtailedtooters com, if you are curious, and make up your own mind). I don't just fuse 2-3 layers together and slap a bail on it. I put a lot of thought, effort, planning and time into each piece. Anyway, I've always considered myself an 'artist', but now I wonder....
While considering upcoming juried competitions, I realized that there were some that I couldn't even apply for - because they considered any type of jewelry as 'craft'. The idea that I couldn't apply got me thinking, "Well, why the heck not?"
Webster defined art as "the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects." Okaaaayy... I needed to break it down a little more... Aesthetics = "appreciative of, responsive to, or zealous about the beautiful; also: responsive to or appreciative of what is pleasurable to the senses."
So, can I paraphrase the definition of art as, 'the conscious use of skill and creative imagination, especially in the production of "beautiful" objects?
The definition of craft was defined as: 1: skill in planning, making, or executing. 2 a: an occupation or trade requiring manual dexterity or artistic skill.
Huh? Can you see why my waters are muddied? If 'craft' is an occupation for which you need artistic skill, why is it not considered 'art' as well? Am I missing something?
Ok, so what do YOU think...is glass jewelry ART or is it CRAFT??
Wendy
www ringtailedtooters com
Art can (and often does)
Art can (and often does) exist in craft.
Craft can (and usually does) exist within art.
It isn't an either/or question - they are two different things.
The idea that jewelry cannot be art is arbitrary and ignorant.
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Paul
FusedGlass.Org
Helios Kiln Glass Studio
PaulTarlow.com
I totally agree with Paul,
I totally agree with Paul, who has said it best. But to me, most jewelry seems to exist for the purpose of being a piece of jewelry while it's easier for me to see a larger piece of glass, designed to test the possibiities of the medium and the imagination of the artist, as "art". But then I would also have to agree that size should not be the determining factor. ??
However, if you look at Paul's work or that of Steve Immerman, I don't think there's any confusing that as "craft". Perhaps a better question is why we connote different status to each category, when shouldn't 'craft' just be a subcategory of 'art' ?
Windows listen attentively for the sound of broken glass.
sorry, I got distracted for a minute and accidently posted twice...I tried to run and
hide but to no avail. :)
Art or craft?
I think that it depends on the style...
I know that my earlier pieces of jewelry now seem simple and gaudy...but as I've learned more techniques (thanks, Helios!!) I now believe it to be ART!
: ) Kat