For this week I am asking you to review one session of Craft in America Series..pick a topic you are interested in or one you may never have thought of. Feel free to review more than one. When you post tell us the title of your session, what you thought about it...your favorite part or your not so favorite part, and would you share with your friends or family or students.
For those of you who are on campus I have copies of all the sessions and I will put them on my self in B12....watch at school or take home but please return when you are finished.
A warning...you will want to watch more than one.
I response to Maia's request for a picture of the quilt I wrote about, I have created a blog entry with a picture of the quilt. You can find it at the link below. That is the only way I figured to share images.
ReplyDeletehttp://corinacarmonaart.blogspot.com/2017/02/grandma-cucas-quilt-this-was-quilt.html?m=1
Corina, this quilt is absolutely beautiful, thank you for sharing. It kind of gave me an idea. Would you or anyone else, who is local like to do a collaborative piece such as the quilt? It is amazing how we leave a piece of ourselves when we make something by hand. I don't know your grandmother, but I can see her presence in the quilt. Hugs.
DeleteDAVID: The quilt gifted to you by Grandma Cuca is elegant and simple- a very effective design. Watching my sisters and mother make quilts taught me how much labor goes into this craft. You are lucky to have this. Just keep your pets off of it because they do get worn.
DeleteThe episode I watched of Craft in America was titled Messages: explore how artists go beyond skill to personal and political expression. In this episode the artists highlighted were glass artist Beth Lipman, santero Charles M. Carrillo, bead artist Joyce C. Scott, and metalsmith/jewelry maker Thomas Mann.
ReplyDeleteJoyce J. Scott’s work really touched home for me, as a bead artist she was influenced by her mother, who was an artist quilter. Scott described how quilts were “diaries for the pre-literate peoples.” Scott described each stitch in a quilt being words. This made me want to know the stories behind the quilts my grandmother made. One of the quilts that Scott’s mother, Elizabeth Talford Scott made was full of free hand stitches and designs with a fish swallowing a star in the center, surrounded by all kinds of imagery around it. This quilt was titled, “Joyce’s Quilt,” and was about self-navigation and humbleness. The fish swallowing the star was a lesson about how even as you are shining as bright as the North Star, you can can be eaten by something greater. Another area in the quilt featured a rabbit with a shovel for a tail, which meant that if you dig yourself into a hole, you can dig yourself out of that hole. This whole quilt was a form of oral history that Scott’s mother wanted to provide for her daughter.
Scott’s beadwork challenges political and social institutions, as she strongly believes that art can be a tool to “cure, heal, enlighten, slap you in the face, wake you up.” She is an artists in Baltimore and has described it as a challenging place to live, but she will not give up the fight.
I think I could use “Joyce’s Quilt” as a lesson to have students design their own quilt that would be self navigation. No words. The words are the stitches. I think it will make them think in a different way than they are accustomed.
It is amazing that cloth and thread, sometimes with beads or sequins, can tell stories and preserve cultures.I also think learning to sew is an important life skill.
DeleteDAVID:
DeleteJoyce Scott's works many media are impressive. You mentioned her bead art and after I looked at it, I thought about the obsessive "Kitchen" made by Liza Lou over a 5-year period. It's something to behold: http://www.boredpanda.com/kitchen-covered-in-glass-beads-liza-lou/
Her newer work is figurative and just as meticulously crafted, but the themes have a lot to do with identity.
I was also moved by this episode. My latest work was a more personal message about the traumas of child abuse and sexual abuse. I feel like I'm at a point in my life to "speak" to areas that have been painful to me as a person and/or a mother. I have an idea for a couple of new projects that incorporate art and craft on canvas. And would speak to some of the issues that have been difficult for me and my children. This series has inspired new thoughts for me.
DeleteI am intrigued with your writings about this particular episode- so much so that I am interested in watching it, too. Thank you for sharing. This reminds me of what would be art journaling today. This could be Art journaling on fabric using free motion on the sewing machine or by hand. Looking forward to watching.
DeleteDAVID:
ReplyDeleteI watched Craft in America: Forge. I picked it because my son, Eric, has become a significant sculptor combining his early training in metal forging and casting with fabrication, and for a dozen years has been incorporating interactivity and computer-driven kinetics. As his father, I tried to inspire him w/o ever competing with him, knowing that a boy whose artist/father could out-strip his young skills might discourage his drive.
Eric started blacksmithing when he was 9 or 10. We scoured farm sales to get a coal forge and tools. I was working on sculpture at Bronze Services, and asked managers if they had ever accepted young interns, my son. Asked if he was as good an artist as I was and I said, “No, he’s better than I was at his age because he has an artist for a father.” They told me to bring him down when he turned 16. You can see what he does 22 years later at mesple.com.
Forge was interesting, starting with silversmithing, then casting, and then the career of Albert Paley. The sequences paralleled my son’s skill development. The silversmithing dealt with a very standardized form of handcraft and a new young smith (female, 22) taking her art school portfolio and entering an ancient craft. It showcased time-honored techniques and the pride of hand-wrought creation. Making the same objects repeatedly is important, but I am not suited to it.
The second sequence featured an Iraq war vet who was using art studies at the Corcoran Institute to transition to civilian employment and deal with war traumas. He was interested in casting bronze skulls using 3-D printing to exorcize his memories of a deceased fellow soldier. My son had the same interest, first blacksmithing whole skeletons, later casting them. Craft in America: Forge showed
the cathartic effect of using hands and muscles to make something.
The final sequence focused on Albert Paley, internationally-known sculptor who began his career as a goldsmith. His work was large and collected by the rich and elite. Paley wanted to make work that was visible to the public, so he took up blacksmithing. His work was expressively lyrical and of the highest skill-level. He applied traditional blacksmithing techniques to contemporary craft. This body of work was, in my opinion, his most impressive work. Eventually, he formed Paley Studios, employing 18 fabricators, a computer-architect, and agent. His constant need to exceed his previous efforts drives him towards larger pieces that have to be fabricated, not forged. His work is generated from his own hand-drawn sketches and cardboard and metal models he makes. Paley has no computer skills, so all of his models are engineered by his staff to be water-jet cut and then assembled by his team. Paley’s hand is on each piece, but a majority of work is done by others.
This was a valuable lesson for me. I always wished I had a crew of assistants to help me with many ongoing projects. I thought I would get them working at 6 am and get updates on my projects, then decide how the day’s workload would be allocated. Like Paley, I would have my hand in all the projects. Using this strategy, I thought I could be more productive. But Paley’s large work seemed so much less personal. It was impressive in scale, but less impressive in spirit. It was as if his drive to make more and larger work had overwhelmed his originality. According to everyone who worked for him, Paley was in the most productive phase of his busy life, but the work he did when he was a solo act, taught and put his earnings into his work, was his best work, in my opinion.
As someone who always funded my own work through my teaching, I am rethinking the “dream” of a studio full of assistants who could manifest all of my ideas. I have been wrestling with the idea that the work I have done digitally is not complete until I make it by hand, as I always did. I do not get the same sense of accomplishment and fulfillment when I do digital work as when I use my own hands and invest as much time into the process as the product.
A large part of this class is focused on exactly what you have hinted at in your response. How important is it to literally have your hands on the work? Is is valid to be the designer only or do you have to be the designer and the maker both. For me I long ago accepted I have to have my hands on the material. And I am terrible with commissions.
DeleteThat is an excellent point, being designer only or craftsman as well when it comes to that point. In the episode I saw a NOLA metalsmith/jewelrymaker, Thomas Mann had an assistant cut out metal shapes and weld them to be freestanding. Mann is later shown etching his signature in all of the sculptures. I guess if you get to a point where you get that much demand, you will need help. I work on murals, and I try to be careful not to forget to mention all the help I had that contributed. In an artwork, the sketch or idea doesn't simply reach exact fruition from its initial idea. It morphs out of problems and reconfigurations to an extent. I think it is a critical part of the creative process.
DeleteAn excellent example is the Dinner Party..in the beginning all artists were mentioned but slowly it became Judy Chicago's work. I have not seen the final exhibition space, I am hoping all women are mentioned. I do not blame the artist...or at least I try not to blame her/him, we live in a time that demands a star..not a galaxy.
DeleteThe history of craft is haunted by nameless craftsmen. Personally, I have always appreciated the idea of a group of men and women, usually anonymously, working collectively to create masterworks like cathedrals, but have also harbored a resentment towards artists who present work as their own without acknowledging the handwork of others. It's not so much a renunciation of the artwork, but the “artist”. It's kinda splitting hairs I guess, but it seems to rattle my love of craftsmanship and creative sincerity. Perhaps, the crux of this argument relies on the level of importance that is placed on the original idea and design as opposed to the handwork.
DeleteDavid: Dale Chihuly works with a team of glass blowers. One year as my students created Maccias, I asked them if it really was the artists work if he/she had assistants to help them create the piece. They replied with a yes saying that as long as it was the original artists idea then its okay to have a little help to make the art”. I feel some art necessitates a team of assistants for even the piece to be. This has long been a question of debate as a few of the great Renaissance masters had apprentices work on their paintings.
DeleteI watched the Forged episode, and parts of many others!! This was a really fascinating episode. I absolutely loved the fact the artists worked on deviate and intricate designs on silverware to Albert Paltry's massive steel sculptures. I also found the processes that the former military personnel used to create the bronze skull interesting.
ReplyDeleteI think the least interesting part for me is the fact that the large sculptures had these deep back stories and explanations. It was just a disconnect for me. I didn't see the story in the sculptures. I just saw them for the craftsmanship that went into making the piece.
Admittedly, I also watched Thread and Holiday as well as part of Teachers. I wish I had known about this series when it first aired!! Thank you for assigning this activity!
I forgot to add how I would use this with my students. I think this would not be possible to do with metal (I teach K-5), but the same idea of sculpture techniques could be used with designing/creating cardboard sculptures.
DeleteHave you considered showing one or two of the sessions just as stories about art/craft? We can not do everything in the limited space called a class room but we can explore the world of making. And what is one of your students has a family member that works in metal for a quest visitor or a field trip?
DeleteAs for backstories...it really is a matter of personal taste. I love knowing the story behind the work. I am the kind of student that wants to research the artist, the process, the time and place it was made and finally why it was started in the first place.
I like the idea of showing part of the episode in class. I think they'd really get into it.
DeleteI also like the research and history of things!
I have watched Teachers, Service, Industry, Holiday, Forge, Threads, Messages, Origins, and Memory. I have very much enjoyed watching these episodes and look forward to watching all of them. I showed the San Antonio segment of the Holiday episode to my middle school students last week and they were so interested in watching something from so close to home. I could tell that my Latino students really appreciated watching this, and it spurred some good discussion. We were all fascinated by the intricate details on the clay Tree of Life. And the glass blowing is so interesting. One student told me that she had experienced glass blowing in Dallas. It made me interested in the glass blowing class that our program offers even though I have never done it and have always been in awe of it and somewhat afraid of the heat/fire.
ReplyDeleteThe segments that most strongly affected me though had to do with people who were healing through art after being through war or trauma. I most strongly identified with the episode of service, and a couple of other segments in other episodes that highlighted this.
This caused me to reflect upon my own life and career. I have experienced quite a lot of personal trauma, and also experienced with my students the explosion that happened in West. And all that this involved from the day of the happening until this day. In my own life and in my teaching, I have seen the healing power of art as therapy. I'm not a therapist, and I am not qualified to do any kind of professional "art therapy". However, that doesn't mean that I haven't seen and experienced the healing powers of art. And craft in particular I think really lends itself to this healing power because of the repitition and state of mind that one can be in while creating.
I have had a desire in the past year to return to the needlepoint of my youth. And I think it is the calming repitition of sitting and doing the same thing over and over and feeling the materials that has a calming effect.
I do envy the close community of the Gee quilters in the Threads episode, I believe. These quilting communities are so wonderful. What a treasure they have in one another and in their quilts. I have an aunt that quilts, and she taught one of my daughters to quilt. I have never quilted, except to finish the edge of a postage stamp quilt that was handed down in my ex husband'a family. But I admire them and the people who create them.
I'm not quite sure how to incorporate more craft into my classroom, but have had some thoughts. I have a huge collection inherited from previous teachers of ceramic molds. I have always kind of resented having to deal with these heavy objects during several campus moves, but after watching the episodes, am viewing them a bit differently. I have never wanted to use them with my students, feeling that it wasn't "art". But I may be willing to venture into doing something with them now. I think it was in the Celebration episode that the molds were used for those ornaments. I'm still not certain how I feel about the use of molds in the art classroom, but am at least considering them now.
So glad you allowed yourself to explore more than one session. I love them all for different reasons. In the past I have had students that used the films as "family" night. One of my reasons for teaching this class is that I think we teach aspects of craft in our classes with the history or the necessary time needed to complete the craftsmanship. Just like we show oil paining but use tempera ( I know this is a huge generalization but you get my point).
DeleteFor me the repetitive motion of needle through cloth is calming. I love watching the a work of art come out of material normally discarded.
I watched threads and it inspired me to really get into knitting. I waiting for my yarn to get here. I loved how the artist in this approached the idea of using thread. It reminds me of a project in my school where my professor had us use different materials to create line in a drawing. Some people used thread, hair, or wire.
DeleteNow I must check out Holiday, to see what your students got excited about. Diana, it sure sounds like going back to needlepoint was a way of coping for trauma for you. My mom always crocheted, typically from patterns from books, sometimes adapting things her own way. I just realized that after my dad died, she began to make towels with crocheted flower baskets that she completely made up in her mind like she gave herself more creative freedom. I think crocheting for her was dealing with her anxiety. When she had to deal with grief on top of anxiety, she tapped into a deeper creative realm. That's interesting how we use art to heal.
DeleteYes. I think art has a strong healing power. Maybe because it taps into the subconscious realm somewhat like dreams do.
DeleteI have some unfinished family needlepoint. Just kits of the seasons, but still lovely and would like to finish them. A few others are finished from long ago but never framed. One I did was a petit needlepoint and it took literally years to complete!
I watched the Process episode. There was an interesting variety of artists and crafts featured in the video. Some of the crafts, to me, seemed to be more inline with traditional fine art pursuits, but that's a blurry line anyway. For example, there is a sequence about a woodblock printer who makes landscape style prints. I'm not questioning his inclusion, but I thought it was interesting, in the context of this course, that a picture printer was included with jewelry, violin, and furniture makers.
ReplyDeleteThe episode crossed the country with examples of how traditional crafts were still being passed down and it stressed how crafting was enriching people's lives. Most of the featured artists were actively striving to find a path that would allow them to turn their love for craft into a viable living. I connected with this sentiment on a deep level. There were several seemingly successful stories told.
I wrote down several quotes from the episode. I have had some of these same thoughts myself and will share a few. One artist turned to crafting because they were “... tired of making things people didn't appreciate.” Looking at a craft through a utilitarian lens is very exciting to me. I love the idea of infusing the common environment with hand made art. It is similar to the Art Deco movement, where even the smallest item deserved the greatest design consideration.
“Culture doesn't beg people to pursue a career in the arts” is another interesting quote. It is was followed by “... it is difficult to get a career in the arts, especially in times like now.” I found this interesting given the overwhelming visual nature of our current society. Technology seems to be altering the way humanity considers physical, handmade items. If I choose, I can spend the whole day exploring a vast “reality”, which is all in the palm of my hand. If I tire with a concept or “object” that I am experiencing, it is gone with the swipe of my finger- no mess, fuss, or mental stress to deal with. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but it is very different from the world of hand made crafts. Craft tends to deal with physicality and direct interaction, which are often problematic concepts within a global perspective.
The last thought ties into the idea of pursuing craft as a lifestyle. “Anybody that's interested in trying to make a living at art, I suggest that they don't rely on the galleries to take care of all of that.” One favorable aspect of today's culture and society, is there are a vast array of possible outlets for an artist to market their crafts. It was stated that “Making things by hand is as old as civilization” and I think that the appreciation of hand made crafts will continue to exist also. I find this thought comforting, and hope that I can develop in my students both the love of making and the desire to seek out handmade arts and crafts.
All good thought provoking insights. This entire class is based on the history of handmade/heartfelt.
DeleteWow. I really like your comments James. I have been exhibiting my rear end off here in Central texas and haven't sold one painting. I don't think people appreciate this anymore. Unless it is of a celebrity or a cute puppy.
DeleteI'm drawn to crafts, and AI do well with some technology, but a lot of technology just gets in my nerves! So maybe I have been going at this the wrong way. A lot of people on etsy have certainly done well. I would love to make a living by doing art or craft at home. And maybe giving private lessons. My age and the demands of my job are really beginning to get to me. This year has been very hard for me to get through. But I have also had a very sick mom and daughter to care for. I just feel like I would be a better person overall if I could work from a studio at home and make it viable financially.
Diana, I have a dreamworld wish where everything is grown, sewn, built and decorated by hand. It is an artist's world, where not only is craft a necessity, but a prized commodity, and not just for entertainment. I would wake up, contemplate, plan, create, evaluate and breath. I would not have to conform to social expectation of productivity, or find ways to squeeze creativity into the cracks of a “real” work day; if I am a doctor, I can work to heal others, if I am a scientist, I would discover new benefits to humanity and if I am a creator, I would fill the world with beauties and comforts that make life more livable. There would be no starving doctors, or artists. All would be equal in viability, prestige and support... a wonderful dream. (cue alarm clock)
DeleteI watched the Teachers episode and the Music episode. Out of the two Teachers was my favorite, but Music opened my eyes to what I've been trying to do with my work recently. It was so refreshing hearing teachers talk about their area of expertise and the excitement they get from teaching other to do what they do, rather than simply hearing about scores, tests, and statistical growth. Personal growth, creation, and community is what brought the teachers and their students together.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite section of the Music episode was the ornate banjos and the personally crafted trumpets. I think that making instruments is a very beautiful form of art making because the work is created with human touch in mind. The only part of this episode I thought was kinda uninteresting was the Ukelele makers that opened the episode up. Something about the Uke just didn't speak to me the same way the other instruments did. I was a little disappointed to see that the drum sticks were not expanded upon, but it was interesting to see the musician treat the drum head and tune the timpani.
I think this episode showed me how my interest in sound and time and art can all come together to create something... but I'm still owrking out what that is exactly. I've even thought about changing what I teach lately and this is really making me consider learning how to create sound based machines and pieces and turning that into lessons that introduces "time" as an integral vocabulary word for creating.
Andrew, I am also becoming interested in having time be a obvious and integral part of artwork. It seems that time is a fascinating way to create art that is significantly different from what has been made before. I know that time has been a consideration included by artist such as the Cubist, Futurists and certain conceptual artists, but the digital world that we exist in seems ripe with possibilities for further developments. This is an interesting article that incorporates some of these ideas:
Deletehttp://www.digitalmeetsculture.net/article/the-time-keeper-3-artists-explore-about-the-concept-of-time/
I like the teachers session also. I saw it at a low time and it was like a life line. As for the ukelele maker , I believe that music takes living on an island to appreciate.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree about the ukulele music! Ha!
DeleteI love the Uke. We play it here in our office and do an activity for the students.
DeleteAs I was thinking of what I want to do for the final project I became interested in the idea of knitting. Also, because I am living in Beijing and the moving to Korea in 11 days, as of the writing of this, my art had to be portable. Yarn won’t take up too much space in my backpack or suitcases. Knitting was something I’ve always been interested in just didn’t think about getting into it.
ReplyDeleteAs I was watching the Threads episode I was inspired by the different ways these artists were using thread and interpreted thread to make art. But also, the different ways they used thread to address social issues or issues about the idea of their craft. I also like that these quilts combine fabrics, pattern, thread, and imagery. When weaver Randall Darwall talked about why he left teaching “he was paying himself to shut up and be productive”, makes me think about why I decided to do the TTU MAE program over other programs. In the long run, I am paying myself to be an artist, a producer, and not just a teacher. With quick manufacturing and things being more computerized and production being automatic: crafts like weaving, knitting, and tailoring no longer hold the same appreciation or value as they once did.
I also watched the episode on industry. I love that there are people out there fighting to keep the craft industry alive. A big part of that are sites like Etsy. Today in the digital age it is essential that you have a well made website. But I also loved the part where artist Libby O'Bryan said 'machines help us but it's not the only thing, there's always human connected to the machine.' For many crafter I feel that it good to be in a community (people, place, real or online) where people support what you do.
Nigel, knitting is so much fun! There is a great Brazilian group of knitting men, who go out and knit in public places, you should consider looking at their videos.
DeleteWhen I was younger, my penmanship was very controlled and fluid and I enjoyed “lettering” in all different styles, especially calligraphy. I was fascinated with this one professional calligrapher I met to letter my wedding invitations. I am not sure what it was exactly that made an impression on me- maybe it was her little studio set up with all her pens and papers but I was truly envious of her talent. Her calligraphy was exquisite. I find penmanship an art form, maybe even a craft. Finding these craft makers was difficult before the advent of Etsy website. Small time craft artists can create a virtual “store front” to sell their hand made creations. I feel craft and items or art made with one’s own hands have increased in popularity and value. We are finding worth away from the machines back to skilled hands.
DeleteOh thanks Ill take a look at it Maia
DeleteI love the idea of learning knitting...what a great project. You can also try embroidery.It is fun and quick and much more forgiving. Have a safe journey.
ReplyDeleteCommunity episode, of course. The transference of the artist/maker through the piece to the person who uses it is an idea that has excited me for some time. A conversation between a Ceramics Masters student, Tony Wise, and I: “Tony, I am crazy, right? I am thinking about how the person will interact with the pot I have made.” Tony: “Well, ceramics is very intimate, they are literally making out with your pot, I mean they are putting their lips on it.” Me: “Yeah, but first the potter makes out with it.”
ReplyDeleteQuilting, like ceramics is a community, and I think more and more that I would like to make a community piece with this class, either that or do a community event with a couple of us who will engage the Lubbock community in some way to make a single piece.
The question of whether the quilters consider themselves artists asks the same question that I was asking at the beginning, is craft art? At what point does the quilter graduate into legitimate artistry. They treat it as an aside. Is it important whether craft in general or your craft is seen by others as art? Is it just meditation? Is it doing? Is it about being part of a whole, in which one person is the tiny piece of fabric, and the community is the gorgeous thread quilt? I don’t know…
This may be too early of a question but how did craft become separate of fine art? I think your comments and questions are legitimate, Maia. Was the community family, where all the women assisted each other in the creation of the new quilt? Thinking about the artist Gustav Klimt and how he represented the importance of the quilt within a family/community in his paintings-it wasn't about the creator of the quilt but more about what the quilt represented.
DeleteFor this semester at least, try to not make the question either/or. Craft and Art are not at war, makers simply find what brings joy to themselves (maybe fame, sometimes financial security, often a career ). The idea of a community piece is great..the community can be a class or a group of friends.
ReplyDelete