is the craft movement still a movement?
Cathy Morgan
Craft-- news that both Charles Counts and Blanche Reeves
died recently. Last October Francis Whitaker died, and it
seems not so long ago that MC Richards died. These are all
people who helped start and sustain the craft movement in
this country. It raises a question for me: is the craft
movement still a movement?
Of the four I mentioned, Charles Counts and Francis Whitaker
made good livings at their crafts. Blanche Reeves made a
good living from one of the first galleries in the country
to sell fine crafts - but was also active in nonprofit craft
organizations. Charles Counts and Francis Whitaker put
tremendous energy and time into furthering their crafts for
the world. Francis taught for the last 30 or so years of
his life, usually contributing more financially to the
schools and conferences where he taught, that he received in
pay. Charles worked with the Southern Highlands Guild and
also traveled back and forth from the US to Nigeria,
studying and teaching there. MC Richards - well, what can
one say? The ACC made a special award just for her, on the
20th anniversary of the publication of Centering.
It was Charles Counts who introduced me to the writings of
his mentor, Marguerite Wildenhain. Here is the first quote
I wrote down from her autobiography, The Invisible Core -
which Charles quoted in the Crafts Report in May, 1985:
"As fleeting as clouds are publicity, fame, and limelight,
but the good pot will endure for centuries because of its
integrity, its sound and pure purpose, its original beauty,
and especially because it is the indivisible, incorruptible
and complete expression of a human being."
Is this what craft artists are about still? Do we have this
sense of purpose and dedication to something beyond
ourselves? I wonder.
Please understand that I'm not arguing that all craft
artists should take a certain attitude or share a certain
philosophy. Even in the sixties and seventies I'm sure
there were craft artists who would have scoffed at the above
quotation. I'm just wondering what the picture really is
today. Are there newer craft artists who haven't heard of
the people I mentioned above? Did the "Reagan eighties"
change the art world and craft world irrevocably? What do
you think? How do you see it?
hank evans
news:QTfg5.159378$t91.1...@news4.giganews.com...
<snip>
we're just trying to get by....
makin' people what they want.....
tryin' to add a little humour....
arts and crafts are personal...
peace
--
SapArt Studio & Gallery
www.sapart.freeserve.co.uk
Hand-made ceramic original sculptures and gifts,
cats,dogs,elephants,teddybears,
lions, tigers, chess and much much more.
Donna Darden
Cathy Morgan <cjmo...@hemc.net> wrote in article
<QTfg5.159378$t91.1...@news4.giganews.com>...
>
> It was Charles Counts who introduced me to the writings of
> his mentor, Marguerite Wildenhain. Here is the first quote
> I wrote down from her autobiography, The Invisible Core -
> which Charles quoted in the Crafts Report in May, 1985:
>
> "As fleeting as clouds are publicity, fame, and limelight,
> but the good pot will endure for centuries because of its
> integrity, its sound and pure purpose, its original beauty,
> and especially because it is the indivisible, incorruptible
> and complete expression of a human being."
>
>
>
> Is this what craft artists are about still? Do we have this
> sense of purpose and dedication to something beyond
> ourselves? I wonder.
>
> How do you see it?
>
Although I'm far from being a young person, I am new to the craft world as
a producer, so these names are not familiar to me.
I'm certainly in agreement with the quote and the idea it expresses. The
things I own that I value the most are things made by people I know or
knew, and the idea that a few things I make will make it on down the line
is just terrific. My grandkids have things made by their
great-grandmother, whom they never co-existed with. Someday, they'll get
some things made by their great-great grandmother. And hand-made things
that these people and other relatives owned for one reason or another, made
by artists whom I know nothing about except that I admire their work.
So, thanks for the names and the quote and the thoughts. If this were
academia, I could say that you have 'enriched our discipline,' but I don't
know how to say that for whatever project we are engaged in here!
Donna.
Let's put the fun back into dysfunctional.
rufo
observed the cycles of the "craft market" I can spot the death throes
when craftspeople adjust their craft to what the market wants. This
artform seems to grow and thrive when its evolution comes from within,
rather than be market driven. I feel that the "craft movement" is in
flux, not over, but merely cyclic. So long as a philosophy based on the
true nature of a given craft exists, then the "movement" exists. Just
a thought. Rufo
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