So we’ve asked around, seeking brief answers to two questions: "What is craft?" and “What person, object, event, or work of art epitomizes your view of craft?” We sought perspectives from dozens of artists, thinkers, and leaders in our own field and others. It feels like a good time to get a sense of what craft means now. Some artists and art institutions avoid the word – that’s nothing new – but other voices and audiences have stepped up to embrace and claim it. In the past decade alone, with the rise of a new generation, we’ve seen the field expand to include DIY, craftivism, and maker culture. We think we know it, but do we? Richly evocative of tradition, history, and a standard of quality, the word can connote many things: skill, art form, antidote to the machine, hobby, therapy, counterculture, deception. Let’s face it, "craft" is a curious word. When they do, they’re blown away by the work they see. Our magazine celebrates a world of amazing creation and inspiration, I tell people, and you should really check it out. Somehow a single, concise, all-purpose definition of "craft”" eludes me. And there’s a whole history and philosophy in the field a lot of the work now is socially conscious. Plus some traditional work, maybe with a twist. Oh, some of it is a little out there – offbeat materials, giant installations, conceptual – stuff you might not think of as craft at all. Or just great everyday items to live with and use. High quality, things you’d see in galleries and museums and design shops. Ceramics and glass, quilts and weavings and furniture and jewelry, all kinds of beautiful objects. How would you describe, to the average person, what it covers? You’re holding this magazine, or looking at it online. But I’m never entirely comfortable or satisfied with my answer. So I always feel obliged to explain our subject matter. Typically, they’ve confused it with a how-to or traditional handicrafts publication – not that there’s anything wrong with either assumption. “Oh, yes,” they say, “I think I know it.” If they’re not really familiar with our magazine, the reaction is almost always the same: a pleasant look of recognition and genuine interest, tinged with vague puzzlement. Just last week they both made a card each for a dance student of theirs who turned 8 and couldn't have a birthday party, so for her Quarantine Birthday, we placed some cards in her letterbox to make her feel special.American Craft Council American Craft Council Main navigationĬonfession: When I tell people I write for American Craft – something I’ve done for 35 years now – I brace for what I know is coming. After a while, this became the norm and till this day my daughters still create their own cards for their friends. So I would fold some cardstock in half and let the kids be creative and write a lovely comment inside. Handmade cards have always been popular in my house over the last 20 years, basically, due to the fact I always would forget to grab a card from the shop for the 100's of Birthday parties the kids would be invited to. Popular cards are Birthdays, Christmas & Valentines Day, but while we are all bored at home in isolation, why not make some appreciation or thank you cards for those people in your life you never get a chance to tell how much they mean to you.Ĭute funny handmade cards are a great idea to make to cheer up family or friends who may not be coping well at the moment. So why not bring back cards with a beautiful handwritten note inside and make someone's day special. These days with technology, not many people send or receive mail in the post box anymore.
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